WASHINGTON _ Nevada Democratic Rep. Ruben Kihuen told ABC News Tuesday that he is not resigning amid allegations of sexual harassment. Top Democrats have called on him to step down.
"I'm not resigning," Kihuen said in an ABC news video. "I plan on continuing the job that I was elected to do by the people of the 4th Congressional District."
Kihuen also said Democratic Congressional Campaign Chairman Ben Ray Lujan and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi knew of the allegations, first reported by Buzzfeed on Friday. The report cited a former campaign staffer who said Kihuen made inappropriate advances.
"They knew about these allegations last year. They looked into them," Kihuen said. "They didn't find anything, and they continued investing millions of dollars in my campaign. They went out there and campaigned for me. So again I'm not looking to resign."
Spokespeople for Lujan and Pelosi told ABC News that the Democratic leaders learned about the allegations for the first time last week.
Although Kihuen said he is not resigning, it is not clear if Kihuen will run for re-election. Some Democrats in the state believe he has no chance of winning and they are awaiting his decision.
"I think he's got to do something really quick," Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev., told Roll Call on Tuesday when asked if he should resign. "I believe the girl and I think some kind of action needs to be taken."
Kihuen said he will have more to say "in the coming days."
