美国国家公共电台 NPR Federal Housing Agency Employee Secretly Taped Director's Sexual Advances Toward Her

 

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

The director of a national regulatory agency has been accused of sexual harassment¹. His name is Melvin Watt², and he heads up the Federal Housing Finance Agency. An employee there named Simone Grimes claims that Watt harassed³ her, denied her equal pay and tried to retaliate⁴ against her. And she says she has the tapes to prove it. Grimes has provided NPR parts of her recordings⁵. NPR's Yuki Noguchi has the story.

YUKI NOGUCHI, BYLINE⁶: In 2015, Simone Grimes started working two jobs, hers plus the one she'd been promoted to. But she never got the pay increase she'd been promised. After nine months, she was told a raise would require sign-off from the director.

SIMONE GRIMES: That's kind of when Director Watt began his advances. So he, you know, approached me at a few functions that were at work to say he believed there was an attraction between us that needed to be explored.

NOGUCHI: Grimes, who is in her early 40s, kept asking to have her pay match that of her predecessor⁷. Each time, she was told the decision was Watt's. In May, Grimes filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and, yesterday, also filed a lawsuit⁸ against the housing agency for alleged⁹ violations¹⁰ of the Equal Pay Act.

Watt is one of the few holdovers from the Obama administration. He's denied the allegations and faces multiple investigations¹¹. In a statement last month, Watt said, quote, "the selective leaks related to this matter are obviously intended to embarrass or to lead to an unfounded or political conclusion." But Grimes says conversations she recorded on her cellphone over the last year and a half prove otherwise.

GRIMES: I was doing two jobs, and I was being paid about 70 cents per dollar to my predecessor, who was only doing one of those jobs. And so I was simply asking to right that.

NOGUCHI: She declined to provide a full transcript¹² but says the recordings, which were included in her EEOC complaint, verify her claims that Watt held up her pay raise as he pressed her to consider a relationship. In November 2016, she says Watt asked her to meet.

GRIMES: He wanted that conversation to occur not on the premises¹³.

NOGUCHI: She reluctantly agreed to meet at his house, where she recorded him.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

MELVIN WATT: I'm guilty of having an attraction to you. That is true. So it makes me more conscious not to leave some impression.

NOGUCHI: She says Watt mentioned possibilities of other senior roles that came with higher pay, including that of chief operating officer.

GRIMES: My comment to him is those sound fine. I believe I'm qualified¹⁴, but I want to make sure there's no strings¹⁵ attached, you're not expecting anything in return. And his response was...

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

WATT: I can certainly draw the line knowing that this - what I've talked to you about up to this point has nothing to do with either your beauty or my feelings.

NOGUCHI: Grimes says he repeatedly emphasized that he had the power to grant her what she sought.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

WATT: Is it better to go through a charade¹⁶ process to get you the job, or is it better for me just to give you the job? - because I don't have to go through a big process. I don't have to go through an application process.

GRIMES: And it didn't end there. You know, he would make comments about my looks, about what I'm wearing. It was always front and center.

NOGUCHI: Grimes says she still reports to the very people she's accusing in her complaints and says they've retaliated¹⁷ against her.

GRIMES: I have continued to endure this position and try to see it through to the end and be clear with the agency that they're not knocking the wind out of me. I'm not losing my stride. I will continue with this because I work there, and I know I'm not the only person.

NOGUCHI: The agency and Watt declined comment about the recordings. Watt's five-year term as head of the agency expires in January next year.

Yuki Noguchi, NPR News, Washington.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

1 harassment   

n.骚扰，扰乱，烦恼，烦乱

参考例句：

• She often got telephone harassment at night these days.这些天她经常在夜晚受到电话骚扰。
• The company prohibits any form of harassment.公司禁止任何形式的骚扰行为。

2 watt   

n.瓦，瓦特

参考例句：

• The invention of the engine is creditable to Watt.发动机的发明归功于瓦特。
• The unit of power is watt.功率的单位是瓦特。

3 harassed   

adj. 疲倦的，厌烦的 动词harass的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He has complained of being harassed by the police. 他投诉受到警方侵扰。
• harassed mothers with their children 带着孩子的疲惫不堪的母亲们

4 retaliate   

v.报复，反击

参考例句：

• He sought every opportunity to retaliate against his enemy.他找机会向他的敌人反击。
• It is strictly forbidden to retaliate against the quality inspectors.严禁对质量检验人员进行打击报复。

5 recordings   

n.记录( recording的名词复数 )；录音；录像；唱片

参考例句：

• a boxed set of original recordings 一套盒装原声录音带
• old jazz recordings reissued on CD 以激光唱片重新发行的老爵士乐

6 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

7 predecessor   

n.前辈，前任

参考例句：

• It will share the fate of its predecessor.它将遭受与前者同样的命运。
• The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。

8 lawsuit   

n.诉讼，控诉

参考例句：

• They threatened him with a lawsuit.他们以诉讼威逼他。
• He was perpetually involving himself in this long lawsuit.他使自己无休止地卷入这场长时间的诉讼。

9 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

10 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

11 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

12 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

13 premises   

n.建筑物，房屋

参考例句：

• According to the rules,no alcohol can be consumed on the premises.按照规定，场内不准饮酒。
• All repairs are done on the premises and not put out.全部修缮都在家里进行，不用送到外面去做。

14 qualified   

adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的

参考例句：

• He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
• We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。

15 strings   

n.弦

参考例句：

• He sat on the bed,idly plucking the strings of his guitar.他坐在床上，随意地拨着吉他的弦。
• She swept her fingers over the strings of the harp.她用手指划过竖琴的琴弦。

16 charade   

n.用动作等表演文字意义的字谜游戏

参考例句：

• You must not refine too much upon this charade.你切不可过分推敲这个字谜。
• His poems,despite their dignity and felicity,have an air of charade.他的诗篇虽然庄严巧妙，却有猜迷之嫌。

17 retaliated   

v.报复，反击( retaliate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• When he once teased her for her inexperience, she retaliated. 有一次，他讥讽她没有经验，她便反唇相讥。 来自辞典例句
• The terrorists retaliated by killing three policemen. 恐怖分子以杀死三名警察相报复。 来自辞典例句