Politics

DC Mayor’s Top Deputy Quits Amid Sexual Harassment Allegations

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John Falcicchio, a longtime confidant to Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, quit abruptly last week without notice just days before he was accused of sexual harassment.

An unnamed D.C. government employee accused Falcicchio of longstanding unwelcome advances and sexual contact, according to a statement by lawyers Debra Katz and Kayla Morin released on Monday. Falcicchio stepped down Friday, prior to the surfacing of the sexual harassment allegations, Axios reported.

“Given the gravity of our client’s allegations – which involve unwelcome advances and sexual contact – we ask the media to respect her privacy,” the lawyers’ statement read.

LIVE: Mayor Bowser Hosts Media Availability https://t.co/znrPRR3UJP

— Mayor Muriel Bowser (@MayorBowser) March 22, 2023

Falcicchio was the deputy mayor of planning and economic development, according to NBC Washington, and Mayor Bowser was informed of the allegations on March 8, eight days before he quit. Falcicchio served more than eight years with Bowser and made an annual income of $230,000, Axios reported.

The accusations, at least in part, involve an incident that happened in Bowser’s third term involving her closest aides responsible for significant city planning portfolios, DCist reported. Falcicchio was a pivotal member of Bowser’s team and in addition to serving as Deputy Mayor of planning and economic development for the past four years, was also critical to her campaigns and served as chief of staff for all eight years.

In a press conference Monday, Bowser declined to mention specifics of the allegations, but said that they did not involve official “improprieties related to business transactions.”

“What people want to know is that we’re moving forward on the very important work that lay ahead, and the comeback of our downtown is among our most important,” said Bowser.

Mayor Bowser’s Office and the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development did not immediately respond to Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.