GOP Florida Rep Accused of Sexual Harassment by Two Male Ex-Staffers
SLEAZY BEHAVIOR
Ex-intern Jacob Cutbirth, 24, claims Basabe “began to physically touch and grope him and to grab at him to try to kiss him” despite repeated demands to stop.
A Republican state lawmaker from Florida has been accused of sexual harassment and unwanted touching in a lawsuit filed by two male former staffers on Thursday, the Miami Herald reported. Rep. Fabian Basabe allegedly slapped 25-year-old former aide Nicolas Frevola on the butt at an elementary school career day event and told him “I want all of that,” according to the complaint. The lawsuit also alleges Basabe slapped Frevola across the face and placed him on paid administrative leave after the incident. Ex-intern Jacob Cutbirth, 24, claims Basabe “began to physically touch and grope him and to grab at him to try to kiss him” despite demands to stop—weeks before becoming an intern. He says Basabe repeatedly flirted with him in the office and even suggested he break up with his girlfriend to explore “having sex with men,” the lawsuit states. Six weeks into the job, Cutbirth quit. Basabe has denied the allegations, and his lawyers called the lawsuit “frivolous and meritless” in a statement to the Herald. Basabe is married to a lingerie heiress and has avoided questions about his sexual orientation, the newspaper reported. Frevola and Cutbirth are seeking excess of $100,000 in damages.
