Bruce cleared of sexual harassment

State Rep. Douglas Bruce was cleared of a sexual harassment complaint from a woman working at the state capitol earlier this year.

"I have been totally, completely exonerated of this ridiculous, politically-motivated charge filed by a vicious lobbyist for a liberal cause," Bruce wrote in a news release Sunday.

Bruce received a letter on Friday from Speaker of the House Andrew Romanoff dismissing the complaint, which came in the closing days of the legislative session. The letter was not made available, because the woman's personal information was in the letter, Bruce said.

Bruce, in his news release, said the written complaint claimed he had looked at her from a distance of 20 feet and was smiling.

Bruce said smiling is hardly sexual harassment.

Bruce and the woman were both interviewed by an attorney in the investigation.

"I cooperated with this silly investigation and proved conclusively and beyond all doubt that it had no basis in fact," he said in the statement. "I don't know the woman involved, have never talked to her, and would not recognize her if I saw her in a police line-up."

Bruce accused Romanoff 's handling of the issue, saying it was unnecessarily drawn out and publicized.

Bruce is running against Mark Waller in the Aug. 12 primary for the Republican nomination in House District 15.

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CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0198 or brian.newsome@gazette.com