22 March 2021
Rep. Tom Reed (R-N.Y.) on Sunday apologized and announced he won't be seeking office in 2022 after a former lobbyist accused him of sexual misconduct.
Driving the news: Nicolette Davis, 29, told the Washington Post in a report published Friday that Reed was drunk when the incident allegedly happened in a Minneapolis bar in 2017. In a statement to news outlets, Reed said: "I hear her voice and will not dismiss her.
- "In reflection, my personal depiction of this event is irrelevant," he said. "In reflection, my personal depiction of this event is irrelevant. Simply put, my behavior caused her pain, showed her disrespect and was unprofessional. I was wrong, I am sorry, and I take full responsibility."
- Reed said that he entered treatment in 2017, as he recognized that he was "powerless over alcohol." He apologized to his wife and family, adding that he intended to "dedicate my time and attention to making amends for my past actions."
The big picture: Davis alleges Reed unhooked her bra without her consent. She shared with WashPost a text she said she sent an Aflac colleague at the time, stating: "A drunk congressman is rubbing my back. Another text read "HELP HELP."
- Reed declined to comment to WashPost Friday beyond issuing a statement that read: "This account of my actions is not accurate."
For the record: Reed had begun hiring staffers in order to challenge in the gubernatorial elections Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), who is himself facing sexual misconduct allegations.
Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times
Section2Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.
Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.
The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.
- The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.
What the transcripts say:
- Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
- The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
- Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."
Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.