Ex-Garrett Aides Say He Made Them Clean Up After Dog, Chauffeur His Kids

Former aides of Rep. Tom Garrett (R-VA) are accusing him and his wife, Flanna, of using them to do tasks far outside the scope of their professional duties, including cleaning up after their dog, chauffeuring their children and fetching backup outfits, according to a Friday Politico report.

A Garrett spokesperson declined to address Politico’s list of accusations, saying, “we see no reason to respond to anonymous, unfounded allegations primarily targeting Congressman Garrett’s wife, made by Politico’s ‘unnamed’ sources. It is easy to spread untruths and even easier to exaggerate and imply wrongdoing when none exists.”

Four unnamed ex-staffers told Politico that they feared professional ramifications if they did not comply with the couple’s demands, and that interns were often roped into the servitude as well.

The former aides reportedly added that they were asked to perform the menial tasks from early on in Garrett’s tenure, that they were sometimes called outside of business hours to run errands and that many of them quit their jobs out of frustration with the way they were being misused, resulting in Garrett’s office having an unusually high turnover rate.

Garrett has made headlines all week, after he abruptly parted ways with his chief of staff Jimmy Keady Tuesday evening and rumors flew that he was considering dropping his reelection bid.

Politico is now reporting that the two men parted because of Keady’s concern that official resources were being misused. Additionally, Garrett reportedly offered Keady his job back Thursday morning before he gave a rambling press conference to dispel the resignation rumors and confirm that he would stay in the race to keep his seat. Keady declined the offer.