Defiant Housing Official Fights Harassment Claims as Accuser Goes Public
- Mel Watt is said to resist stepping down as FHFA director
- In interview, accuser says FHFA has mishandled investigation
Mel Watt.
Photographer: Drew Angerer/Bloomberg
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Top U.S. housing regulator Mel Watt is privately reassuring people close to him that he will keep his post as authorities investigate an employee’s claims of sexual harassment. Now, his accuser is heightening the pressure -- speaking out publicly for the first time.
In an interview with Bloomberg News, Simone Grimes said Watt, the head of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s regulator, repeatedly made unwanted advances over two years -- and that she has recordings that help show he made “quid pro quo” offers to help her career.