WASHINGTON – Florida Sen. Marco Rubio fired his chief of staff Saturday, saying his top aide had engaged in "improper conduct" with lower-level staffers.
Clint Reed started working with Rubio in 2015 during the Republican senator's unsuccessful 2016 presidential campaign and later joined Rubio's staff when he returned to the Senate.
“I had sufficient evidence to conclude that while employed by this office, my chief of staff had violated office policies regarding proper relations between a supervisor and their subordinates," Rubio said explaining his decision. "I further concluded that this led to actions which in my judgment amounted to threats to withhold employment benefits."
Reed, an Arkansas native, has worked as a Republican political consultant for years.
The firing comes after a series of sexual misconduct scandals have rocked Washington.
On Saturday, casino mogul Steve Wynn, a top Republican donor, resigned as finance chair of the Republican National Committee after serious allegations of sexual misconduct with employees were published by the Wall Street Journal. Rep. Patrick Meehan, a Pennsylvania Republican, said he will not run for reelection last week after reports that the government paid to settle a harassment lawsuit brought by a female aide.
Sen. Al Franken, a Minnesota Democrat, resigned after he was accused of groping women when he worked as a comedian. Two other Democratic congressman -- John Conyers of Michigan and Ruben Kihuen of Nevada -- have decided not to seek re-election after sexual misconduct accusations.
Rubio said he would not release further details to protect the privacy of the victims.
“We have taken steps to ensure that those impacted by this conduct have access to any services they may require now or in the future," he said.
Rubio said his staff would notify the appropriate congressional and Senate administrative offices of his decision on Monday.