State representative Daniel Grossberg has denied wrongdoing in the wake of allegations from three young women who detailed instances of sexual harassment by the Louisville lawmaker to the Herald-Leader.
Late Monday night, Grossberg’s attorney, Frankfort-based litigator Anna Whites, provided the Herald-Leader with a statement denying sexual harassment or abuse of office and apologizing to people he’s made “uncomfortable.”
Here is Grossberg’s complete statement to the Herald-Leader:
“I deny any allegations of sexual harassment or abuse of office. I sincerely apologize to anyone who felt uncomfortable because of something I said or wrote.
“I am fully cooperating with the investigation and am confident it will find no violations of legislative ethics. Nonetheless, as a public servant, I’m determined to hold myself to a higher standard and am committed to listening to women’s voices, working to improve my communications, and ensuring that everyone, regardless of gender, feels safe and valued by me.
“I am profoundly grateful for the enduring faith and support of my wife,” Grossberg wrote.
Kentucky Democratic Party Chair Colmon Elridge responded to the allegations laid out in the Herald-Leader’s reporting by stating that they “raise serious concern.”
“Every Kentuckian deserves to both be and feel safe without fear of harassment. The dignity of all is a bedrock value of our party — those elected under its banner should understand this value is nonnegotiable,” Elridge wrote in a statement.
Though the conciliatory tone of apologizing to those “who felt uncomfortable” because of what he said is new, the response largely builds on previous defenses offered by the 45-year-old Grossberg.
Grossberg and Whites claimed that the texts initially reported by the Herald-Leader in late July — women told the newspaper they had received “creepy” or “weird” texts about their appearance, sometimes late at night from Grossberg — did not reveal “sexually harassing or inappropriate ” material.
When contacted close to 8:30 p.m. Monday and presented with new details and accounts from three other women, Whites said this has been a “long process” for Grossberg, “months in which he has been picked on and bullied.”
Whites said that she’s worried the latest publicized exchanges have been misunderstood.
“It’s very easy to make accusations and take comments out of context,” she added.
Whites told the Herald-Leader she had not seen any messages that “cause me concern,” or that she considers harassing.
Grossberg’s attorney has previously said the lawmaker has a “neurodivergent diagnosis,” placing him on the autism spectrum.
She did not specify what condition the lawmaker has. She told the Herald-Leader they had sent medical records to the Kentucky Legislative Ethics Commission in response to a complaint filed by House Democratic leadership against Grossberg.
Though Elridge stopped short of calling for Grossberg’s resignation, the Kentucky Young Democrats — a political organization supporting Democrats under 40 years old — called for his resignation earlier this month.
One political figure called for his ouster in the aftermath of recent reporting.
Randy Cravens, the Democrat running against Rep. Andy Barr, R-KY, in the Republican-leaning Sixth Congressional District, said “he must resign.”
I trust the (Herald-Leader) in their reporting, and respect the bravery of those who have come forward. Rep. Grossberg will get his day in court or before the appropriate body to argue his case. That is his right. But now, for his constituents, he must resign,” Cravens wrote in a post on X.
In the wake of the Herald-Leader’s most recent report, a handful of Louisville Democrats have responded with disappointment toward Grossberg.
Robert Kahne , a delegate to the Democratic National Convention and co-host of the Democratic show My Old Kentucky Podcast, and Jason Perkey, a Democratic operative who led state parties in Kansas and South Carolina, both called on Grossberg to resign.
Perkey, who spoke with the lawmaker after the initial reporting on an investigation into his behavior, said he believes it’s in Grossberg’s best interest to resign.
“I spoke with Daniel about this two weeks ago,” Perkey wrote in a post to Facebook. “I believe he was contrite in his response to me and that he’s taking the reports of how he made these women feel seriously.
“I also believe Daniel needs to do the right thing today and step down from his position as a state representative and focus on himself. It’s the right thing to do in response to the reprehensible stories we are hearing and learning from all of these women who have had the courage to come forward.”
The Louisville Democratic Party posted on X that it finds the allegations in the recently posted story “extremely disturbing.”
“We unequivocally condemn any form of sexual harassment and take allegations of this nature with the utmost seriousness. The Louisville Democratic Party is committed to creating a safe space for everyone, and as such, we must support the continued caucus suspension of Representative Grossberg as the LRC completes its investigation.”
Kate Turner, who ran for a Louisville-area House District seat in 2022 but has since moved out of Kentucky, also came down hard on Grossberg. She said it’s already difficult for women in politics to face increased scrutiny and men like Grossberg “made it that much harder” for her.
“I was 35 years old and refused to socialize with him. As a 25 year old, I might have not had the confidence to do so. He used his power and access to manipulate young women into thinking he could provide worthwhile mentorship in exchange for a social relationship. It’s exactly the kind of bullshit that is directly related to women dropping out of competitive and male dominated industries,” Turner wrote.
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