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Central Washington University fired a professor of political science who is also a Republican state lawmaker following an investigation into allegations of misconduct, The Seattle Times reported. The university said in a statement that its investigation wouldn’t be made public until later in the month, but that Matt Manweller, a state representative, was no longer an employee. Manweller has called the university’s investigation politically motivated. He told the Times that he intended to file a lawsuit against Central Washington, saying, “Over nine months ago the university communicated to me that they were going to terminate my employment regardless of what the investigation revealed.”
The university has not provided details about the investigation but said in a statement that Manweller was afforded all due process rights assured by his union contract. Central Washington has previously looked into two other allegations of sexual harassment against Manweller, finding evidence that he violated its sexual harassment policy, and he was the subject of a separate complaint made to the Washington Legislature last year, the Times reported.
Manweller said in a video he released earlier this month about the university's investigation that “there is nothing in this report to apologize for.” The “things that are true are not inappropriate. And the things that are inappropriate are not true,” he added.
In its statement, the university said it “deeply regrets that Manweller has chosen to make public statements minimizing, trivializing, even ridiculing, the female students who have come forward with legitimate concerns.”
