Kentucky State Rep. Daniel Grossberg continues to deny all allegations of wrongdoing in the wake of additional . Late Thursday night, Grossberg’s attorney, Frankfort-based litigator Anna Whites, provided the Herald-Leader with a statement, , denying sexual harassment or abuse of office.
The Herald-Leader sent Whites a list of specific allegations , including sources who said the freshman lawmaker had been banned for life from Foxys Gentlemens Club for touching a dancer without her consent, as well as offering to pay another dancer there up to $5,000 for sex this past winter. “Like many people my age, I have been to adult clubs, including Foxy’s,” Grossberg said in a statement provided by Whites. “I have never solicited prostitution from anyone, nor have I referenced my office to gain advantage.
“The allegations get more outlandish with each story, but they won’t stop me from continuing to work tirelessly to serve my constituents.” The Herald-Leader followed up by asking Whites if Grossberg was saying the seven sources journalists interviewed a total of 13 times were “lying about what happened on those occasions?” “You have our statement,” Whites responded. Since the Herald-Leader story published Friday morning, .
Among those saying he should step down: , Kentucky Democratic Party Chair Colmon Elridge, the Kentucky House of Representatives Democratic Caucus, U.S. Rep.
Morgan McGarvey, State Sen. Cassie Chambers Armstrong, Louisville Democratic Party Chair Logan Gatti. According to Whites, Grossberg has no plans to leave office.
“Rep. Grossberg plans to continue to serve in the role he was elected to and looks forward to a public hearing to rebut the false allegations against him,” she said via text message to the Herald-Leader early Friday afternoon. According to WAVE 3 News in Louisville, Whites told the station the allegations are “demonstrably false” and that Grossberg is spending time with his family and rabbi while the investigation continues.
Whites told the they do not “intend to attack or disparage witnesses in the paper, but definitely look forward to both the ethics process and any other means of correcting what we see as inaccuracies or false statements in some of the Herald-Leader reporting.” Executive Editor Richard Green said the Herald-Leader stands by its stories. “Two seasoned, well-regarded reporters have conducted dozens of interviews, reviewed more than 150 texts and social media messages and listened to women involved in Frankfort politics and Louisville strip clubs who courageously told us of their troubling interactions with Rep.
Grossberg,” Green said. “Our reporting has been fair, factual and will continue as more women come forward and share their stories with us.” A number of had called for Grossberg’s resignation before Friday.
That includes the , the Louisville Young Democrats, the , former Grossberg campaign staffer Mary Wurtz, Sixth Congressional District Democratic nominee Randy Cravens, Democratic operative Jason Perkey and co-host of My Old Kentucky Podcast Robert Kahne. Laura Leigh Goins, a spokesperson for the House Republicans, said Friday that Speaker David Osborne, R-Prospect, “will not comment on an ongoing investigation.” In addition to being banned from a Louisville strip club for life as a result of reportedly attempting to touch a dancer’s gentials just weeks after trying to solicit sex from another employee, the : He’d sent text messages to three women in Kentucky politics that they described as including a group text in which he suggested two of the women join him for that involved “lesbian baking” and “pajamas.
” He described how “beautiful” one woman was, and remarked on another’s “exotic” appearance. In 2003, Grossberg wrote a satirical advice column at Grinnell College under the name “ ,” where he recommended that “lonely,” “horny” and “creepy” young men aggressively pursue women on campus, even if the women weren’t interested. A former student government leader on campus told the Herald-Leader he spoke to administrators about complaints about Grossberg because he had been “contacted by so many of my female peers that I tried to see if there was anything student government could do to represent their concerns.
” Grossberg drank multiple shots of bourbon in his Frankfort office and went on to ask a young trans activist, Emma Curtis, about her genitals, her sex life and whether she had gender-reassignment surgery. Curtis, initially granted anonymity by the Herald-Leader, saying she’s been threatened by at least one Grossberg supporter who said they would “destroy” her political career. A 26-year-old woman in Democratic politics shared several different occasions in 2024, in person, through texts and in other messaging apps, where Grossberg repeatedly .
He asked questions about her sexual orientation and expressed serious romantic interest, she said. She also said Grossberg told her if she were to learn what his porn preferences were, “I would never forgive him,” she recounted in a text to a friend. He also “relentlessly” asked for nude photos.
A third woman — bringing the total number of women making claims against him at the time to six — said Grossberg called her “beautiful.” He added he had a “crush” on her and would say he loved her. That woman has , president of the Kentucky Young Democrats.
Wiseman wrote she “cannot stress enough” how she wished not to be subjected to those comments “by a married man almost twice my age.”.
