Governor Andy Beshear calls for Rep. Daniel Grossberg to resign

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WKYT) - Governor Andy Beshear is publicly calling on Representative Daniel Grossberg to resign.

It comes after several women have come forward with sexual misconduct and harassment allegations against him.

This isn't the first time Governor Andy Beshear has addressed the allegations against Representative Daniel Grossberg.

Last month, he recommended Grossberg "seriously consider" whether he should be a state representative.

"I had hoped that my previous comments would be heard and that he would listen to them and decide that this was what was best. Obviously, that didn't happen. So I'm just trying to be clear today," said Beshear. "He should resign."

Beshear says nobody should face harassment in their place of work, at the Capitol, or anywhere across the state.

"These allegations and the alleged conduct, it crossed the line in the first story, crossed the line in this story, it's too much. He needs to resign," said Beshear. "I know some of these individuals, and I hate that they've gone through what they've gone through. I hope that people see or hear today, that we will listen, that they will be believed and that no one should use a position of authority to make anyone else feel unsafe or harassed."

WKYT sat down with Emma Curtis, who has recently identified herself as one of Grossberg's victims. She says she wanted to come forward with her story to show women and girls in Kentucky that there will be accountability for those who have done them wrong.

"I want young women and girls to know that they have a future in Kentucky politics. If they have their ideas, I want them to feel safe bringing them to the table," said Curtis.

Curtis initially shared her story with the Herald-Leader, detailing what she described as sexual harassment in Grossberg's office last summer.

"With the op-ed that I wrote, we are just scratching the tip of the iceberg of the horrors that people have experienced at the hands of Representative Grossberg," said Curtis. "He's not capable of serving in the halls of government. He's a threat to the safety of young women."

Curtis says the fact that the Legislative Code of Ethics doesn't include provisions on sexual misconduct is "abhorrent."

"These are issues that go beyond politics and come back to just basic human decency, and I think that every government at every level, from the local, the state, the federal, needs to have a binding code of ethics that holds people accountable for sexual misconduct," said Curtis.

Governor Beshear shared a similar sentiment Friday morning.

"I think the legislative ethics code has either been very weak or has been enforced very weakly," said Beshear. "We do need a stronger legislative code of ethics, but we also need stronger enforcement of it."