The Cori Bush challenger denies sexual assault accusations from two women, one of whom died last month. The other shared her settlement with The Intercept.

1. Missouri’s Steven Roberts Settled Groping
Allegation Suit for $100,000
The Cori Bushchallengerdeniessexual assaultaccusationsfromtwowomen,one of whomdiedlast
month.The othersharedher settlementwithThe Intercept.
On Mondaynight,Missouri Democraticcongressional candidate andstate Sen.StevenRobertsJr.
publiclydeniedallegationsof rape andsexual assaultintwoseparate incidentsinaninterview witha
local CBS affiliate.“If Icouldhave done thingsdifferentlythatnight,Iwould have justgone home by
myself,”Robertssaidof August26, 2016: the nightCora FaithWalker,at the time a fellow candidate
for the Missouri House of Representatives,allegedthathe rapedher.
Walker’sallegationhasreceivedrenewedattentioninthe pastmonth:She diedat 37 of unidentified
causeson March 11, andRobertsfiledhiscandidacyforthe U.S. House of RepresentativesonMarch
28 — becomingthe mostformidablechallengerinthe DemocraticprimaryagainstRep.Cori Bush.
Comparativelylittleattention,however,hasbeenpaidtoa separate allegationmade the previous
yearby AmyHarms, a lawyerinSt. Louis,whosaysthat on April 16, 2015, Robertsgropedherat a
bar.

2. “I feel immense guilt,”saidHarms,whoreportedthe incidenttothe police onApril 22 that year,in
an interview withThe Intercept.ThenastudentatSaintLouisUniversitySchool of Law,Harms
accusedRobertsof touchinghergenital areaoverherclothingandputtinghishandinside her
waistband,attemptingtoenterherpants,aftershe rebuffedhisadvances.(Inanensuingcivil suit,a
lettertothe state legislature,andcommentstoThe Intercept,HarmsstatedthatRobertsmanaged
to put hishandintoher underwearandtouchhergenitals,thoughthe police reportdoesnot make
thisclear.) AfterHarmsfiledherreport — more than a year before Walker’saccusation — Roberts
was arrestedandbecame the subjectof a criminal case,whichwaseventuallydismissedafterthe
office of the St.CharlesCountyattorney,overseeingthe case,decidedtodeferprosecution.He was
firedfromhisjobinthe St.LouisCircuitAttorney’sOffice for“performance issues”andneverfaced
trial.
“The whole reasonthatIreportedwhathappenedtome — it was notfor me.It didnot make it
betterforme,”Harms toldThe Intercept.“Itwasto try to make sure that he didn’thurtanybody
else.”
“I’ve continuedtotell the truththatthe allegationsagainstme are nottrue,”Robertssaidin the
Monday interviewwithTV stationKMOV.Roberts’sspokespersonRyanHawkinshaspreviously
deniedbothallegationstoThe Intercept.
The TV interview focusedmainlyonWalker’sallegation,detailingasettlementbetweenthe two
partiesthatforbade eitherfromdiscussingthe case anddidnot include anyfinancial damages.But
RobertsalsosettledHarms’scase outof court,according to documentsreviewedbyThe Intercept,
reachinga 2019 agreementfor$100,000. The settlementconcludeda2017 civil suitthat Harms filed
afterthe criminal case was deferredand stipulatesthe release of all claims,afull denial of Roberts’s
liability,andanagreementof confidentiality.Bothpartiesare prohibitedfromdiscussingthe
allegations.Butas Roberts’sstarhas riseninthe House primary,Harmshas decidedtospeak out
anyway.
“The local coverage hasbeengenerallyverysupportive of him.Notalotof mentionsof what
happenedandthe allegationsagainsthim.Andinfact,particularlyleavingme out,”HarmstoldThe
Intercept.EarlyTuesdaymorning,she postedaTwitterthreaddetailingherallegationsagainst
Robertsand includedsome police documents,whichThe Intercepthasobtainedandreviewedin
full.
“Cori Bushand hersupporterskeeptryingtoperpetuate andrecycle thesefalse lies,these old
storiesthathave beenproventobe false,todistractfrom an indefensiblevotingrecord,”Roberts

3. toldKMOV’sLaurenTrager. In a statementtothe station,BushcampaignsenioradviserLynese
Wallace said,“Steve Robertsispullingfromthe usual playbookforabusers, butthe factremainsthat
he has beencrediblyaccusedof sexual assaultonmultipleoccasionsbymultiplewomeninour
community.…We don’tbelieveanyone isservedbySteve Robertsrunningacampaignbuiltaround
the ideathat everypersonwhohasaccusedhimof wrongdoingisaliar.”The Bushcampaign
declinedtocommenttoThe InterceptonRoberts’sclaimthattheyhad surfacedthe allegationsasa
tactic.
“We sincerelyencourageyoutoreportfactsand not what‘you’ve heard,’”Robertscampaign
spokespersonSimonneKimble wroteinresponsetoThe Intercept’squestionsaboutthe case and
the settlement.“Nothingyouhave reportedhasbeenfactual orbalanced.We have nointerestin
workingwithanorganizationthatbordersonlibel intheir‘reporting’andisdangerouslyclose to
tortuousinterference.We stronglyencourageyoutocheckyour factsand sources.”
Of the sevenwitnessesatthe bar whogave statementsinthe police report,one saidshe had
personallyseenRobertsgrope HarmsinApril 2015. PamelaJohnson,alsoalaw studentat the time,
toldpolice thatMay that she saw Roberts“rub Harms’sthighand hervaginaon top of her clothing
withhishand,”according toa copyof herpolice reportobtainedbyThe Intercept,and“aggressively
pursuing”otherwomeninthe groupthat night.Johnsonandanotherwitnesssaidtheysaw Roberts
and Harms talkingtoeach other,andlaterthat night,Harms toldthe six witnessesotherthan
JohnsonthatRobertshad touchedher.
In March 2017, Harms filedan ethicscomplaintagainstJillianAnderson,the prosecutorwhohandled
hercriminal case,on the groundsthat Andersonhadmisrepresentedthe testimonyof akey
eyewitness.AccordingtoHarms’scomplaint,Andersontoldherduringthe 2015 investigationthat
Johnsonhaddeniedwitnessingthe incidenttothe police,butthe ethicscommittee “saw no
evidence thatMs.Andersonknowinglymisrepresentedanyfactsinhercommunications”with
Harms.
Andersonwrote inanemail toThe Interceptthatno otherevidence arose afterthe decisiontodefer
prosecution,andthe statute of limitationsranoutaftera year.“I cannotspeakto the facts of the
investigationthatare notalreadyinthe publicrecord,”Andersonwrote.She directedadditional
questionstothe St. CharlesCountyprosecutor’soffice,whichdeclinedtocomment.
Depositionsinthe civil suitare sealed,butasource withknowledgeof the case providedacopyof
Johnson’sMarch 2019 statementtoThe Intercept.Accordingtothe deposition,Johnsonreiterated
herformeraccount, sayingshe sawRoberts“withhishandon and around[Harms’s] vaginathigh
area” and had“no doubt” aboutwhatshe hadwitnessed.

4. “I’m notsurprisedthatthishasn’tcome out and there have beennoconsequencesforSteve
Roberts,”JohnsontoldThe Intercept,confirmingthatherstatementswereaccurate.She saidshe
had no contact withAndersonduringthe case andhadnot beenaware of Harms’s charge of
misrepresentation.
Scott Rosenblum, awell-knownSt.LouisattorneywhorepresentedRobertsinthe criminal case,told
The Interceptthat inhisunderstanding,Harmshadbeenseatedacrossthe table fromRoberts,
makingherallegations“physicallyimpossible.”He claimedthatHarms’stestimonywasnotcredible
and saidof Roberts: “He doesn’thave 12-footarms.”(In statementstothe police,twowitnesses
saidthat Robertshad movedaroundwhile atthe bar,and Harms saidthat at one pointhe sat
directlyinfrontof her.)
Harms’scivil attorneyMatt Ghio declinedtocommentonthe record due to ethical confidentiality
requirements.Roberts’scivilattorneyJeremyHollingsheaddidnotrespondtoarequestfor
comment.Rosenblumsaidhe wasnotinvolvedinthe civil case orthe settlement,“butpeoplesettle
for all sortsof reasons. Idon’tthinkthere wasany admissionof liability,that’sforsure.”
“We have an ethical dutynotto publiclycommentorshare private andsensitive informationthatis
not alreadyandnecessarilyinthe publicdomain,”Andersonwrote inasubsequentemail toThe
Intercept.“The individualsinvolvedare,of course,free tospeaktowhomevertheychoose and
equallyfree tomaintaintheirprivacyif theychoose.Ihave workedoncriminal case [sic] involving
witnesseswhogoonto write booksabouttheirexperience,andthose whochoose noteventotell
theirfamilies,andIhave respectforbothdecisions.”
In August2020, Robertswonthe Democraticstate Senate primaryforthe office he currentlyholds.
Shortlyafterthe election,aninterviewwithRobertswasbroadcastonFacebook;Harmsreactedto
commentswitha “cryingface”emoji.Accusingherof violatingthe termsof the settlement,
HollingsheadsentHarmsa cease-and-desistletter.
In the fall of 2016, RosenblumagainrepresentedRobertsinacriminal case,thistime stemmingfrom
Cora FaithWalker’srape allegation.Once again,accordingtoanOctober2016 decisionby
ProsecutingAttorneyof St.CharlesCountyTimLohmar,Robertswouldnotbe tried.
A medical chartfromWalker’ssexual assaultkitcollectedatMercyHospital inSt. Louisindicated
that herpelvicexamshowed“signsof injury,”accordingtoa copy of her police reportobtainedby

5. The Intercept,butthe special prosecutorsaidthere wasnotenoughevidence toindicate thather
encounterwithRobertswasnonconsensual.RosenblumtoldThe Interceptthe note onWalker’s
pelvicexamwasa “meaninglessobservation”and“doesn’thave anythingtodowithwhetherornot
the encounterwasforcible orconsensual.”He saidRoberts’sinteractionwithWalkerwas“obviously
consensual,”asevidencedbyanude photographof herin Roberts’spossession.Accordingtothe
police file,Walkertoldthe police thatthe photowastakenwithoutherconsent.
Robertsfiledacivil suitagainstWalkerfordefamationin2016, and Walkercountersued.Like with
Harms’ssuit,both partiesdismissedthe case in2019. LawyersforWalkerand Robertssaidat the
time that nomoneywaspaidin exchange fordismissalof the claims,whichRobertsmaintainedin
hisinterview onMonday.
Two weeksbeforeWalkerreportedthe allegedincidenttolaw enforcement,onSeptember27,
2016, accordingto the police report,Rosenblumhadbeencommunicatingwithvendorsatlocations
she and Robertshadvisitedtorequestthatthey“retainanysurveillancefootage forpotential future
litigationpurposes.”Rosenblumprovidedpolice withevidenceof those letters,datedasearlyas
September13,2016, “indicatingthatRosenblum’slaw firmhadbeeninvestigatingthismatterat
least14 daysbefore itwasreportedto the St. LouisMetropolitanPolice Department.”
Askedwhyhe wouldhave beeninvestigatingthe incidentbeforeWalkertoldpolice aboutit,
Rosenblumsaidhe didn’tthinkthattimeline was“accurate,”butthat “whether[ornot] she notified
the police,we mayhave hadinformationthatshe wasmakingthose allegations.…Oftentimeswe
getinformationthatthose allegationsare beingmade throughothersources.Andyouwanttostart
beingproactive.”
EugeniaGardner,a spokespersonforWalker’sfamily,saidtheyhadnocommentandwouldnot
discussmattersrelatedtoRoberts.Walker’scause of deathhasnot beenreported.
In the sevenyearssince Harmsmade herallegationsagainstRoberts,he hasbeenelectedasa
Missouri House representative,state senator,chairof the Missouri LegislativeBlackCaucus,and
minoritywhipforthe state Senate DemocraticCaucus.Lastmonth,he launchedhiscampaignto
challenge BushinMissouri’sDemocraticprimary,whichwilltake place August 2.He isconsidered
hermost prominentchallenger.
“I suppose it’snotentirelysurprisinggivenhow muchmoneyandpowerhisfamilyholdsinthisarea,
but it’sstill extremelydisappointing,”saidHarmsof Roberts’scontinuedsuccess.Hisfamilyiswell-
knowninSt. Louis:InNovember2021, it was announcedthathisfather,a real estate developerand

6. formeraldermanservingaschief of staff toSt. LouisSheriff VernonBetts,wasappointedtothe
Federal CommunicationsCommission’sEquityandDiversity Council.Inadditiontohiselected
positions,RobertsJr.isamemberof the Missouri AirNational Guardand a commissionedU.S.Air
Force officer.
Several daysbefore RobertslaunchedhisDemocraticcongressional primarycampaignlastmonth,
the St. LouisBusinessJournal publishedacolumntitled“A Steve Robertschallenge toCori Bushmay
prove irresistible.”The piece didnotmentioneitherallegation.RobertspreviouslyclaimedthatBush
was tryingto distractvoterswiththe allegationsinanarticle abouthiscampaignlaunchpublished
late lastmonth,whichmentionedthe allegationfromWalkerbutnotfromHarms.
In the monthleadinguptoRoberts’sannouncement,someone usinganIPaddressina Missouri
governmentoffice buildinglocatedacrossthe streetfromthe state Capitol repeatedlydeleted
informationaboutbothassaultallegationsfromRoberts’sWikipediapage,The Interceptreported
lastmonth.A spokespersonforRobertssaidtheydidnotknow whomade the editsanddeclinedto
commenton eitherallegation.
“Thistype of shitisexactlywhythese crimesgounreported,whypeople don’tsue,”Harmssaid.“I
may well be the onlyone whocanspeak,so I must.I justhope he’sneverable toharmanyone else.”