The Missouri House of Representatives voted Thursday to reprimand Democratic state Rep. Jeremy Dean for sending a sexually vulgar text message to Republican colleague Cecelie Williams during a September redistricting protest. The penalties include barring him from House committees, requiring him to stay at least 50 feet away from Williams, and undergoing additional sexual harassment training.
Williams, a domestic abuse survivor, said the text had triggered painful memories and that Dean’s apology lacked sincerity. The reprimand reflects broader legislative concerns about workplace conduct and follows similar misconduct allegations against state lawmakers across the country.
The incident and Williams’ response
The message, sent on the evening of Sept. 4 while Dean was in the House chamber during a redistricting sit-in, included a sexually explicit description involving President Donald Trump. Williams was participating in a House Elections Committee meeting in the Capitol basement when she received the text.
“At any other job, a message like that would be grounds for immediate termination — no questions asked,” Williams told colleagues Thursday before the vote. “We cannot excuse behavior in the Capitol that would never be tolerated anywhere else.”
Williams described how the message triggered hurtful memories from her experience as a domestic abuse survivor and made her more cautious about walking the halls of the Capitol. She also criticized Dean’s response to the ethics complaint against him.
“It was half-hearted, unsigned, e-mailed and cold,” Williams said of his written apology. “It amounted to nothing more than I’m sorry you were offended by my text messages. That is not an apology, it is an insult.”
Dean sat silently in the House chamber during Williams’ remarks. He declined to comment Thursday, referring questions to House Democrats’ staff.
The vote and penalties
The Republican-led House voted 138-10 to approve the reprimand, with only Democratic votes against it and Dean voting “present.” The House Ethics Committee had unanimously recommended the penalties against Dean.
House Minority Leader Ashley Aune had already removed Dean from his committee assignments in September when the text message became public. The new penalties further restrict his presence in the chamber and expand his mandatory training requirements.
House Speaker Jon Patterson said in a statement that the reprimand “affirmed its commitment to maintaining a safe and welcoming work environment.” Patterson announced that all House members would participate in annual sexual harassment training the following week.
Dean’s protest and context
Dean was one of several lawmakers who staged a sit-in on the House floor in September to protest a Republican redistricting plan aimed at giving the GOP an additional congressional seat. He remained in the chamber for days, sleeping and eating meals there as part of the protest.
According to the House Ethics Committee report, Dean acknowledged that the text message was inappropriate and unprofessional. He submitted a written apology, which the committee documented in its report that formed the basis for its reprimand recommendation.
The broader pattern
Dean is among at least 157 state lawmakers across the United States who have been accused of sexual misconduct or harassment since 2017, according to an Associated Press tally. The reprimand comes as state legislatures across the country have grappled with similar conduct issues among their members.
Nebraska state Sen. Dan McKeon resigned last week ahead of a scheduled expulsion vote after accusations that he made a sexually charged comment to a legislative staffer and touched her inappropriately during an end-of-session party. Around the same time, former South Carolina state Rep. RJ May was sentenced to 17 and a half years in prison for distributing hundreds of videos of child sexual abuse material over social media.