Dan Burton was an unhinged Congressional critic of President Bill Clinton who once shot a cantaloupe to prove Vince Foster’s suicide was murder. He also was so certain that a terrorist would want to throw a bomb at him that he wanted to enclose the House chamber and gallery in plexiglass. He also altered the transcription of Web Hubbell’s prison calls to change all the statements that suggested Hillary Clinton’s non-involvement in the crime, something that even got Newt Gingrich to criticize his dishonesty. In other damage, he promoted the vaccine-autism lie as well as several other crank health theories. But that is ridiculous behavior unrelated to being a sexual predator.
Dan Burton began his career as a state senator in Indiana before being elected to Congress. He was known for philandering and sexual harassment. “None of the [female] staff wanted to be caught in a hall with him,” recalls retired Indiana legislator Hurley Goodall, a Democrat who served with Burton until 1983, when Burton left for Washington.
Burton claimed to be a family values Republican and was vocally prudish in condemnation of Clinton and Bob Packwood, saying “No one, regardless of what party they serve, no one, regardless of what branch of government they serve, should be allowed to get away with these alleged sexual improprieties”.
However, he was accused of sexually assaulting a lobbyist for Planned Parenthood, putting his hands up her skirt. “I was there maybe thirty seconds and he had his hands up my skirt so fast I didn’t even know what was coming.” This came from The Flynt Report which had several other allegations as well, but the Flynt Report is not online.
He also had affairs with women on his payroll which is sexual harassment. Though he began his affair with Claudia Keller before she was employed. He put her on the government payroll but she didn’t come in to work. That is corruption more than sexual misconduct.
He pressured his babysitter into an affair and then had her hired as staff for his Congressional office. She said to her then-boyfriend, :I’ve got a problem at work. Dan wants me to have sex with him. He keeps bugging me every day.” She told her ex-husband the same thing.
- Sex, Lies, and Politics: Dan Burton
- Republicans Do the Dumbest Things: Dan Burton Does the Dumbest Things
- Russ Baker for Salon: Portrait of a Political Pitbull
- Salon: Political Pitbull
Oct 11, 1998, Page 12