Politics & Government
After Sex Harassment Claims, CWU Suspends State Rep. Manweller
The legislator and Central Washington University professor has been accused of harassment by students and a woman in Olympia.
ELLENSBURG, WA - Central Washington University has placed Republican state Rep. Matt Manweller on administrative leave pending the results of a new investigation into his behavior, according to the school. Manweller, a political science professor, has in the past been investigated for sexually harassing students, but the school would not say whether the suspension is related to those incidents.
CWU Public Affairs Vice President Kremiere Jackson released a statement Monday explaining the suspension, but declined to offer more details:
On Friday, December 8, Central Washington University placed Dr. Mathew Manweller on administrative leave pending an investigation into allegations of inappropriate conduct.
The investigation will be conducted by an independent investigator yet to be identified. No further information can be disclosed at this time, except to confirm that the investigation will be thorough, objective, and fair.
The Seattle Times last week exposed Manweller's alleged sexual impropriety in an article. Since then, his ex-wife has come forward to talk about her "inappropriate" marriage to Manweller - OraLynn Reeve married Manweller, her former teacher, when she was 18.
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The Times reported Monday that a legislative aid in Olympia complained to a supervisor about Manweller earlier this year after he took her to dinner and began discussing personal matters, including whether she could have children.
Manweller has denied any wrongdoing. He has been investigated twice for sexually harassing CWU students, according to reports, and the last investigation resulted in a reprimand. One student alleged that Manweller asked her and another woman to have a threesome. Neither investigation was able to substantiate the students' accusations, however.
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Manweller still had a homepage on the CWU website Monday afternoon, but several links were not working. One link, to an "in-depth" interview conducted by the school, appeared to have been deleted.
Image courtesy State of Washington
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