State Sen. Kathleen Riebe is facing mounting political fallout after a 19-page investigative report concluded she violated workplace policies, prompting her legal team to demand that incoming Senate leadership trash the findings entirely.
Ryan McConnell, a former federal prosecutor representing Riebe, sent a letter on Monday to incoming Senate President Evan Vickers, describing the investigation as a heavily biased and distorted assessment of workplace discrimination allegations. McConnell argued that the probe heavily relied on rumors and speculation while dismissing witness testimony favorable to the lawmaker.
McConnell Demands Report Be Scrapped
The legal challenge targets a confidential inquiry that led Senate President J. Stuart Adams to strip Riebe, a Democrat from Cottonwood Heights, of her access to Senate staff and interns. Adams also reassigned her to a more isolated office and ordered her to complete mandatory harassment training, according to the records.
McConnell urged Vickers to reverse those punishments and throw out the report. He also called for an independent inquiry into how the findings were leaked to the public before Riebe received a complete copy of the document.
The controversy intensified on election night last week when Riebe’s five fellow Democratic senators issued a joint statement announcing they had voted to expel her from their caucus. Citing the investigative findings, the caucus stated that Riebe had engaged in a pattern of conduct towards others that was likely motivated by race, national origin or ethnicity
and formally called on her to resign from the Legislature.
Riebe has steadfastly refused to step down. Speaking in an interview on Monday, she maintained her innocence and vowed to fight the allegations. I need my name cleared,
she said.
Riebe Contests Specific Findings
The investigative report, obtained through an open records request, alleged that Riebe made derogatory remarks to a Senate staffer regarding her race. Investigators also stated that Riebe admitted she explicitly requested not to be assigned LGBTQ interns who were coming out of the closet.
Riebe countered that her remarks were pulled out of context. Regarding a discussion on a dual-language immersion program, she argued she was engaging in routine policy debate over state spending rather than launching personal attacks. That’s our constitutional right as policymakers, to speak about policy,
she stated.
Regarding intern assignments, Riebe explained her comments reflected how difficult political environments can be for young interns dealing with contentious issues like immigration, transgender sports, and bathroom bills. She described her remark as a flippant observation that the placement was not ideal,
noting she lacked the bandwidth during intense legislative sessions to provide adequate support.
Riebe’s legal team argued the initial complaint was retaliatory, filed just days after she informed colleagues of her intention to run against Senate Minority Leader Luz Escamilla for leadership. The investigation ultimately found insufficient evidence to support the retaliation claim, and Escamilla stated she has not yet officially launched a mayoral campaign or hired staff for a race.
Pitcher Defends Caucus Decision to Release Statement
Sen. Stephanie Pitcher defended the Democratic caucus’s decision to release their statement on election night, explaining that members reviewed a summary on Nov. 2 and participated in a seven-hour legal briefing on Nov. 3. We were really concerned with what was in the report,
Pitcher said, adding that the caucus chose to act immediately rather than defer to political timing.
When Riebe attempted to participate in Democratic leadership elections on Friday evening, caucus members barred her from voting. Riebe maintains that her colleagues lack the authority to expel her from the caucus and plans to bring the dispute before Utah Democratic Party leaders.
A Senate spokesperson declined to comment on further details of the investigation, citing confidentiality protections for those involved. The legislative session approaches as both parties grapple with the ongoing political and structural fallout from the inquiry.
