Report says Sen. Kathleen Riebe likely discriminated against a Senate staffer

What the report found

Sen. Kathleen Riebe, D-Cottonwood Heights, more likely than not broke the Legislature's workplace discrimination policy in how she treated a Senate staffer, according to an investigation report The Salt Lake Tribune and KSL.com obtained Friday. ^[1][2]

The news outlets obtained the redacted Oct. 26 report from Parsons Behle & Latimer, the law firm the Senate hired, through public records requests. ^[1][2]

Investigators found Riebe engaged in a pattern of conduct toward the staffer motivated by race, national origin or ethnicity. They also found she made statements about people based on sexual orientation and asked that intern placements be made on that basis. ^[1][2]

Witnesses described comments about the staffer's clothing and, while she was pregnant, her weight. They also said Riebe told people not to trust the staffer, and the complaint described two times she berated the staffer or others. ^[1]

In her interview, Riebe denied saying she did not want "gay boy" interns but acknowledged telling a witness she did not want interns who were coming out placed with her, the report says. ^[1]

Riebe's counterclaim

Riebe has said the complaint followed concerns she raised that the staffer was doing campaign work for Senate Minority Leader Luz Escamilla, D-Salt Lake City. The investigators wrote that "the evidence does not support the claim," citing witnesses who said the staffer was not working on Escamilla's campaign. ^[1][2]

Escamilla did not respond to KSL's requests for comment. The staffer said she supports "appropriate transparency regarding the investigation and its findings, while protecting the identity and privacy of witnesses and other individuals involved." ^[2]

What comes next

A letter from Senate President J. Stuart Adams listed corrective actions that were redacted. The Tribune reported that an unredacted copy says Riebe will get no Senate staff or intern, a new office away from staff and more harassment training. ^[1][2]

Senate Democrats removed Riebe from their caucus Nov. 3 and called on her to resign. ^[3] Sen. Stephanie Pitcher, D-Salt Lake City, told KSL she still believes Riebe should step down. ^[2]

"I take every workplace concern seriously. I have heard the concerns Senate staff raised, and I am listening," Riebe said in a statement to KSL. She said she will keep working for the people of Senate District 15. She is not up for reelection until 2028. ^[1][2]