Despite landing a cushy lobbyist gig with a six-figure salary, disgraced Texas Rep. Blake Farenthold said Tuesday he has no intention to reimburse taxpayers for an $84,000 settlement issued to a female colleague who accused him of sexual harassment.
The ex-GOP congressman, who resigned last month amid outrage over the secretive settlement, told a Texas talk radio show Monday he had taken a job as a "legislative liaison" for the Calhoun Port Authority, a lobbyist position with a $160,000 annual salary.
But despite the cash flow, Farenthold announced Tuesday afternoon he won't compensate taxpayers for the settlement _ even though he has previously promised to do so.
"I will say this on the record: I have been advised by my attorneys not to repay that," Farenthold told ABC News. "That's why it hasn't been repaid."
Farenthold, 56, refused to deliberate on the legal advice.
Farenthold was among a number of lawmakers who stepped down amid an overhaul of the way Congress deals with workplace misconduct allegations.
After his April 6 resignation, House Speaker Paul Ryan said he assumed Farenthold would compensate the Treasury Department for the $84,000 settlement paid out to a female subordinate who sued him in 2014 for sexual harassment, gender discrimination and retaliation.
After announcing in December he wouldn't seek re-election, Farenthold himself pledged to repay the hefty settlement.
The Texas Republican told a local TV station at the time he would "hand a check over this week to probably Speaker Ryan."
"Look, here's the amount of my settlement. Give it back to the taxpayers," Farenthold said he would tell Ryan. "I want to be clear that I didn't do anything wrong, but I also don't want the taxpayers to be on the hook for this."
