A report surreptitiously released by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s administration over the long weekend found that her longtime senior aide sexually harassed a subordinate by making “unwelcome” sexual advances towards her and sending her “thousands of messages” that were both “unwanted and sexually-charged” — including a demand for sex.

The findings were included in a four-page summary of the months-long investigation by the Mayor’s Office of Legal Counsel into John Falcicchio, Bowser’s former chief of staff and deputy mayor for planning and economic development. Falcicchio resigned suddenly from his post in mid-March for what was later revealed to be accusations by a government worker that he had sexually harassed her.

The published summary covers eight allegations against Falcicchio, two of which were substantiated and six that were not — but still included revealing details about his alleged conduct.

The investigation concluded that Falcicchio made unwanted sexual advances during two separate incidents in late 2022 while the subordinate was in his apartment, during which “she was subjected to unwelcome touching of a sexual nature… and that [Falcicchio] exposed his sexual organs.” It also found that he sent her a large number of messages via the Snapchat messaging service, “including demands for sex and a graphic video.”

The investigation determined that the remaining allegations could not be fully substantiated — including that Falcicchio and other senior staff bullied and threatened the employee who was sexually harassed, demoted her, and took other retaliatory actions. However, it did confirm separate details about Falcicchio’s conduct, including that he “gave preferential assignments to women he found attractive and used the workplace as a ‘dating pool.'”

“We take sexual harassment allegations and findings seriously and will continue to work urgently to ensure our workplaces reflect our policies and our values,” said Bowser in a brief emailed statement about the investigation’s findings.

In a separate statement on Sunday, Debra S. Katz and Kayla Morin, the attorneys representing the D.C. government employee who leveled the accusations against Falcicchio, said they were “gratified” that the investigation substantiated her claims against him.

“The findings also serve as a reminder that no one is above the law, and we encourage the District to implement immediate reforms that will prevent others from being treated in this reprehensible fashion — especially by those in positions of power,” they said.

Falcicchio, who declined to participate in the city’s investigation, did not respond to a request for comment on Sunday night. An investigation into similar accusations made by a second D.C. government employee against Falcicchio is still ongoing.

The manner in which the summary was made public — on Saturday night of a long weekend, when public attention was largely focused elsewhere — drew criticism, including from Councilmember Zachary Parker (D-Ward 5). “This can only be read as a pedestrian attempt at a news dump, at the eleventh hour, on a holiday weekend to downplay the findings of a damning report about long-standing sexual harassment, bullying, and a culture that allowed it,” he tweeted.

Bowser was similarly accused of such a news dump when she announced Falcicchio’s departure in a single sentence at the bottom of a press release issued at 3 p.m. on a Friday on March 17, where she thanked him for his service “as he transitions to the private sector.”

In an email on Monday, Vanessa Natale, deputy director of the Mayor’s Office of Legal Counsel, explained the reason the report was made public over a long weekend.

“The MOLC submitted the Final Report to the mayor on the afternoon of Friday, June 16, confirmed its receipt by her on Saturday, June 17, and subsequently notified the parties that the findings were sent to them late that afternoon. In response to ongoing and repeated inquiries and the heightened public interest about the status of the investigation, the MOLC’s Summary was posted on its website shortly thereafter. The MOLC neglected to consult with the mayor’s communications team,” she wrote.

In her own statement, Councilmember Brianne Nadeau (D-Ward 1) echoed a similar concern about the timing of the publication of the investigation’s summary, and criticized the investigation as not being fully independent.

“I said from the start that I was concerned that this was being investigated internally, not by a third party, and the result bears that out. Who else knew? What issues remain in that office and beyond, given that he was chief of staff for the entire executive branch? Who else was impacted? Why was this released minutes before midnight on a Saturday night on a holiday weekend? This should be only the beginning of the investigation,” Nadeau said.

Under a mayoral order dating back to 2017, every city agency has a designated Sexual Harassment Officer who is tasked with recording and investigating any accusations. An outside investigator is only brought in when accusations of sexual harassment are leveled against the mayor or their general counsel.

In the council, Nadeau noted in April, any formal complaint of sexual harassment is investigated by an outside party. And during an interview with DCist/WAMU on Monday, she said she was considering options for if and how the council should get involved in changing how the city investigates internal complaints of sexual harassment.

“I think we should consider legislation here on what our policy should be for workplace harassment, because there’s a lot of discretion the mayor can use to determine how this moves forward and maybe there should be a clearer path that creates more certainty for people who want to come forward,” she said.

It remains unclear whether D.C. will have to pay a settlement for the substantiated claims of sexual harassment against Falcicchio. While settlements have been paid in the past, they haven’t always been properly tracked or accounted for.

Before his departure, Falcicchio was one of Bowser’s longest-serving aides, and enjoyed a political proximity to her that gave him huge amounts of power and influence. Falcicchio served not just as Bowser’s key campaign pitchman during her three runs for the city’s top office, but also as her chief of staff for the last eight years, and as her deputy mayor for planning and economic development for the last four.

In their statement about the investigation, Katz and Morin commended their client for her “unwavering courage” in coming forward with the accusations against Falcicchio.

“It takes immense strength to speak out against such injustices and we encourage all survivors of sexual harassment to seek the support they need,” they said. “They are not alone, and their voices deserve to be heard.”