Sen. Mona Das
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — The Secretary of the Senate has asked the chamber’s human resources officer to conduct an inquiry into public comments made by a senator who said she experienced “hate, sexism, racism, and misogyny’’ during closed-door Democratic meetings.
Secretary Brad Henderson said once he was made aware of a story late last month by the Kent Reporter detailing the remarks by Democratic Sen. Mona Das, he requested the inquiry, which was approved at a June 27 meeting of the Senate Facilities and Operations Committee.
Das, whose family moved to the United States from India when she was an infant, told a Kent Chamber of Commerce audience that the “hate, sexism, racism, and misogyny I experienced when that caucus room door closed would shock only the white folks in the room because the brown folks know it’s there.’’
Das later clarified her statements, saying that the experiences she detailed were not overt, but instead coded language she hears everywhere, including the caucus room.
The inquiry was expected to begin on July 1.