Rep. Diego Hernandez, D-Portland, Oregon, speaks at a rally on Sunday, June 24, 2018 in Portland, Oregon.
Bryan M. Vance / OPB
Faced with the possibility of being the first person to be expelled from the state legislature, the Democratic parliamentarian in trouble, Deputy Diego Hernandez, is resigning his post.
“Today I resigned so that my colleagues can focus on serving Oregon residents and so that I can move on with my life and focus on my health and family,” said Hernandez in a brief statement sent to OPB on Sunday night.
Earlier this weekend, a judge rejected Hernandez’s legal effort to prevent the vote on his expulsion. The entire House was scheduled to vote on Tuesday over whether to expel the Democrat from Portland after a panel of lawmakers ruled that he created a hostile work environment for three women. It would take a vote of two-thirds or 40 members of the House to expel Hernandez.
The third Democratic lawmaker, once considered a rising star for his party, has been plagued by accusations of harassment for months. After an independent investigation, members of the House’s Conduct Committee determined that he harassed and created a hostile workplace on the state Capitol for three women.
All women involved in the investigation either worked at the state capitol or had jobs that required interaction with the state legislature. Conduct committee members sided with the women, discovering that Hernandez used his position of power as an elected official to pressure two of them to resume their relationship with him or jeopardize their careers. Another woman, who had an older relationship with him, spoke of his controlling and abusive behavior.
Hernandez said he did not have a significant chance to present his version of the case. He filed a lawsuit, which included several text messages with women who were part of the investigation and extensive communication records that were not presented during legislative hearings that examined his behavior.
Hernandez’s lawsuit sought a temporary restraining order to stop the expulsion vote and prevent any further sanctions. But US District Court Judge Ann Aiken made it clear that the Oregon Legislature was “in charge of policing its own members” and she hesitated to allow the court to intervene.