Senate Report Finds Sen. Kathleen Riebe Violated Discrimination Policy

Senate Expels Kathleen Riebe from Caucus Following Harassment Investigation

Utah Democratic state Sen. Kathleen Riebe has been expelled from her party’s caucus after an independent investigation substantiated claims of workplace harassment, discrimination, and the creation of a hostile environment for Senate staff. The findings, detailed in a 19-page report obtained by The Salt Lake Tribune, catalog a series of interactions where the senator allegedly targeted employees based on their race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation.

The Senate Minority Caucus called for Sen. Kathleen Riebe to resign from the Utah Senate after an independent investigation into discriminatory practices.https://t.co/AsUaqAxGlQ

— https://x.com/KUTV2News/status/2117808885524222254

The Senate’s decision to remove Riebe from the caucus, finalized this past Tuesday, follows a formal inquiry conducted by the law firm Parsons, Behle & Latimer. Investigators concluded that it was “more likely than not” that Riebe violated Senate policy through a pattern of conduct that included derogatory comments toward an immigrant staffer and explicit requests to exclude LGBTQ interns from her office assignments.

The report highlights several specific incidents that define the scope of the misconduct. According to witnesses, Riebe questioned why the state would fund dual-immersion language programs, specifically targeting the native language of an immigrant staffer. Furthermore, the investigation found that Riebe made disparaging remarks regarding the same staffer’s clothing and physical appearance while she was pregnant, calling her “huge” and “fatty.”

The Disputed Claims of Campaign Co-mingling

While the investigation substantiated the harassment allegations, it also addressed a counter-accusation raised by Riebe. The senator had claimed that the staffer who filed the complaint and Senate Minority Leader Luz Escamilla violated ethics rules by allegedly directing Senate staff to perform work for Escamilla’s mayoral campaign. The investigative report flatly rejected this defense, noting that multiple witnesses confirmed the staffer was not engaged in campaign activities and that, at the time in question, there was essentially no campaign to manage.

Riebe’s defense relied on a social media post she attributed to the staffer as evidence of these ethics violations. However, the investigators concluded that the evidence simply did not support her claim.

Corrective Actions and Legislative Standing

In response to the report’s findings, Senate President J. Stuart Adams signed a letter outlining a series of corrective measures. While specific details of the disciplinary actions were initially redacted in public filings, an unredacted version confirms that Riebe will no longer be assigned Senate staff or legislative interns. Additionally, she is required to move to a new office to ensure physical separation from current staff and must undergo comprehensive harassment training.

Senate Report Finds Sen. Kathleen Riebe Violated Discrimination Policy

Riebe, who was first elected to the Senate in 2020 and served as the Democratic nominee in the 2023 special election against Republican Celeste Maloy, has refused to resign her seat. She remains in office, though her exclusion from the Democratic caucus effectively isolates her from her former party leadership. She is not up for reelection until 2028, meaning the political fallout from these findings will likely linger in the statehouse for the remainder of her term.

As of late this week, Riebe had not provided a formal response to the specific conclusions of the report. The investigation leaves open questions regarding how a legislator can effectively represent a constituency while barred from utilizing standard Senate staff resources, a reality that now shifts the day-to-day operations of her office into uncharted territory for the Utah Senate.