Disgraced former Rep. Blake Farenthold (R-TX) has landed on his feet after resigning his office in early April—and he has no intention to pay back the $84,000 of taxpayer money he used to settle his sexual harassment case, according to a Tuesday ABC report.
Though Farenthold’s new gig with the Calhoun Port Authority pays a reported six-figure salary, he has no plans to use that income to reimburse his constituents. “I will say this on the record: I have been advised by my attorneys not to repay that,” Farenthold told ABC. “That’s why it hasn’t been repaid.”
House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI), Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) and the House Ethics Committee have all urged Farenthold to pay back the money he used for a 2015 settlement with a former congressional aide who accused him of sexual harassment and gender discrimination.
