Embattled GOP Rep. Duncan Hunter Accused Of Groping Ex-Capitol Hill Staffer

A former Capitol Hill staffer has accused Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) of sexual harassment, the latest in a string of scandals to beset the lawmaker as he faces criminal prosecution for allegedly misusing campaign money to fund a lavish lifestyle and several extramarital affairs .

Rory Riley-Topping went public on Wednesday with her claim that Hunter groped her at a dinner party in 2014.

Riley-Topping, who was then the staff director for the House Veterans Affairs Committee, claims Hunter grabbed her buttocks at the event, an annual affair organized by the National Republican Congressional Committee.

Duncan Hunter had clearly appeared intoxicated and came up to me and said he wanted to speak to me about Agent Orange, which was an issue the committee was dealing with at the time, Riley-Topping told Russian state TV station RT .

I said Im happy to reach out to your staff and follow up on that. He leaned into me very closely and said, No, I want to talk to you, and I felt very uncomfortable and tried to back up and he reached around and put his hand on my behind and said, Let me give you my cellphone number, she continued.

RT was the first outlet to report on the harassment allegation. Riley-Topping told CNN that a personal friend who works as an anchor on the channel had encouraged her to appear on the network to tell her story.

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