A New York state Assembly member is facing a sexual harassment complaint after allegedly making some wildly problematic comments to his staffers. According to former staffer Nicole Golias, who was fired last year, Rep. Pat Burke (D-Buffalo) “veer[ed] into entirely inappropriate behavior” in an attempt to “appear cool and attractive,” going so far as to comment on his son’s sexually explicit Snapchat videos and call the underage girls in them attractive. “He said the girls in the videos were ‘hot and it didn’t matter that they were under aged [sic]. He said, ‘if she has big boobs, a size zero waist and a huge ass, she’s hot,’” Golias said in the official complaint to the New York Division of Human Rights obtained by The Buffalo News. Burke has also been accused of making racially charged comments, including describing himself as a “colonizer” and claiming he had “control and dominion over his wife because he is Caucasian and his wife is Puerto Rican.” Burke has denied the allegations, calling the claims “demonstrably false and defamatory.” “Ms. Golias’ behavior was egregious during her brief tenure in my office, and it is an outrage that she would accuse me of the very behavior she not only participated in, but fostered,” he said.
