Mel Watt, the Obama appointed head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, is under investigation for alleged sexual harassment.
“A Federal Housing Finance Agency staffer accused FHFA Director Watt of repeatedly making inappropriate sexual advances when she tried to discuss career and salary concerns,” Politico reported Friday.
Watt issued a statement saying that the “selective leaks related to this matter are obviously intended to embarrass or lead to an unfounded or political conclusion.”
He went on to say that he was “confident that the investigation currently in progress will confirm that I have not done anything contrary to law.”
The employee has filed an Equal Employment Opportunity complaint, according to Politico.
Politico reported that it had reviewed partial transcripts of taped conversations in which Watt steered a conversation with an FHFA employee toward his feelings for the woman.
Watt heads up the agency charged with supervising mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The former North Carolina congressman was appointed to the position by President Barack Obama in 2013. His term is due to expire in early 2019.