California lawmaker resigns over sex assault claim
California Assemblyman Matt Dababneh has resigned over allegations of sexual misconduct amid the increasing number of harassment cases in the country.
Dababneh, a Los Angeles Democrat, announced his resignation on Friday, but denied the allegation leveled by Lobbyist Pamela Lopez who claimed he had sexually assaulted her in a bathroom last year.
Lopez, who made the allegation at a news conference Monday, also wrote a letter to the Assembly committee tasked with handling misconduct complaints.
She was joined by Jessica Yas Barker, who alleged Dababneh made frequent inappropriate comments when they worked together.
In his resignation letter, Dababneh wrote he believed that he cannot effectively serve his district any longer.
"Beyond the salacious headlines, I am confident that the completed investigation will bring to light and into focus the significant and persuasive evidence of my innocence," he wrote.
Dababneh is the second California lawmaker to resign after another Democratic Assemblyman, Raul Bocanegra, resigned last month over sex assault allegations.
Bocanegra was forced to step down after multiple women accused him of kissing or groping them without consent.
In recent weeks, charges of sexual misconduct have taken down prominent people in the worlds of entertainment, media and politics.
In November, Democratic leader in the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi blamed the election of Donald Trump for the growing wave of sexual misconduct allegations.
During last year’s presidential election, tapes emerged in which Trump boasted about sexually assaulting women. Trump dismissed the 2005 tape, first released by The Washington Post, as “locker-room banter.”
At least two dozen women have since come forward accusing Trump of inappropriate sexual behavior.
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