The Environmental Protection Agency delayed punishment for employees who watched pornography on the job and sexually harassed colleagues, prompting bipartisan opprobrium at yesterday’s House Oversight Committee hearing.
The Hill reports that “one former employee said he watched pornography up to six hours a day; another admitted viewing porn after he was seen doing so by a child who was at the office for Bring Your Daughter or Son to Work Day.”
Also disturbing is the story of EPA employee Peter Jutro, who reportedly sexually harassed as many as 17 women, according to the office of inspector general. “Behavior cited included unwelcome touching, hugging, kissing and photographing of women,” the Star-Tribune reports.
Though at least one woman reported his alleged bad behavior, Jutro received a promotion instead of a pink slip.
The agency finally suspended Jutro after it found he’d sexually harassed a Smithsonian intern. “But when officials attempted to interview him for their investigation in January, he retired instead,” the Hill writes.
According to the Office of Personnel Management, only 109 EPA employees have been fired for disciplinary or performance issues since President Obama took office—less than 1 percent of all employees at the agency.
The EPA apparently thought the appalling behavior described at yesterday’s hearing didn’t merit immediate firing. Kinda makes you wonder what egregious acts those 109 terminated employees committed.
