Pa. lawmakers Ellis, Leach accused of assault; Wolf calls for resignations

Governor Tom Wolf and state House Republicans are calling on a GOP lawmaker to resign over a reported allegation of rape.

And that’s not the only misconduct claim coming to light involving a member of the General Assembly — the Senate is also hiring an outside investigator to delve into accusations against one of its members.

The House case is against Butler County Republican Bryan Ellis.

The Philadelphia Inquirer and other media outlets are reporting the Dauphin County District Attorney is investigating a woman’s claim Ellis had nonconsensual sex with her while she was incapacitated.

WITF hasn’t been able to independently confirm the investigation — the DA and Ellis himself didn’t return requests for comment. But a spokesman for House Republicans says they have enough information to ask for Ellis’ resignation. Leadership has also removed him from his committee chairmanship.

The second case of misconduct involves Democratic state Senator Daylin Leach of Montgomery County.

Senate Democrats have hired a law firm to investigate a sexual assault claim against him.

This isn’t the first time Leach has faced this allegation.

It stems from 1991, when a teenager whose mother Leach defended in an attempted homicide case said Leach pressured her into oral sex.

He denied wrongdoing at the time, and still does now — saying he plans to sue for defamation.

Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa said he is hiring outside investigators to ensure the results are fair.

Leach also came under fire in 2017 for behavior some staffers called overly sexual and inappropriate. Governor Tom Wolf called for him to resign at the time, and reaffirmed that position this week.

Wolf has also called for Ellis’s resignation.

To be clear, neither man is facing any criminal charges at this point.