More than half of the D.C. Council’s members — including almost all of the women — are calling for an independent investigation into accusations that a former deputy mayor and close confidante of Mayor Muriel Bowser sexually harassed subordinates. Many of the lawmakers say the current internal investigation that confirmed some of those accusations may not have delved deeply enough into whether broader workplace issues may have existed.

The statements from the lawmakers come in the wake of the publication of a four-page summary of the investigation into former deputy mayor John Falcicchio, who left the D.C. government in mid-March amidst accusations from two women that he had sexually harassed them. The investigation into the first woman’s claims found that Falcicchio had made sexual advances, exposed himself to her, and sent her thousands of “sexually-charged” messages. An investigation into the second woman’s accusations is ongoing.

Despite the fact that the city-led investigation substantiated some of the first woman’s accusations, a number of lawmakers said that given Falcicchio’s senior positions in the D.C. government — he also served as Bowser’s chief of staff, and played a role in all her re-election campaigns — an internal investigation into the accusations may not suffice to uncover broader workplace culture issues.

“Beyond the disgusting and severe harassment detailed in the report, the survivor also reported being demoted, threatened, bullied, and shunned after these incidents. Workplace harassment rarely festers on its own. It depends on systems and cultures that enable and reinforce it,” tweeted Councilmember Janeese Lewis George (D-Ward 4). “The mayor’s office is not in a good position to investigate itself. I am calling for a full, independent investigation on these abuses and the culture that enabled them. Anything short of that fails District employees and our mandate to create safe, harassment-free workplaces.”

Under a mayoral order dating back to 2017, every city agency has a designated Sexual Harassment Officer who is tasked with receiving 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.

“I continue to have serious concerns about how the investigation into allegations against John Falcicchio has been handled,” said Councilmember Brooke Pinto (D-Ward 2) in an email to DCist/WAMU. “It is vital that serious allegations like the ones in this instance are investigated independently and thoroughly for the sake of all victims. As a government, we have a responsibility to set a clear standard for victims and the public that allegations of sexual harassment are taken seriously and that this type of misconduct will not be tolerated. It is imperative that we have an independent investigation into this matter.”

“You want something more thorough here because the public needs it, because the workers need it, and if you want anyone to trust you’ve resolved the issue you’ve got to go deeper and find out how much bigger this is,” said Councilmember Brianne Nadeau (D-Ward 1) in an interview with DCist/WAMU on Monday.

On Tuesday, a spokesman for Nadeau said she was weighing legislation “that would trigger an outside investigation for sexual harassment accusations against mayoral appointees.”

In his own statement, Councilmember Matthew Frumin (D-Ward 3) echoed his colleagues.

“The allegations of sexual harassment by former deputy mayor and chief of staff John Falcicchio are disturbing and must be taken seriously. We have a responsibility to protect all government employees from workplace harassment and ensure accountability for offenders. The MOLC investigation process and the timing of its release to the public only underscore the challenges of a transparent internal investigation. Given the gravity of the accusations and the prominence of the executive branch employee, an independent, third-party investigation must be initiated to determine the full scope of misconduct,” he said.

Councilmember Charles Allen (D-Ward 6) said that while the Mayor’s Office of Legal Counsel “moved quickly and professionally” in investigating Falcicchio, he has broader concerns with any internal investigation into accusations of this type.

“Ultimately, the mayor’s lawyer shouldn’t be looking into the behavior of the mayor’s chief of staff. It makes me question whether any mayor’s office can effectively hold itself accountable. That’s why the council would have outsourced a complaint about a councilmember to outside counsel,” he said.

Councilmember Vincent Gray (D-Ward 7) and Robert White (D-At Large) also told DCist/WAMU they support an independent investigation.

Various lawmakers said Tuesday they were concerned with the timing of the release of the investigation’s findings, which were made public on Saturday night over a long weekend.

“The timing of the release of this investigation summary speaks volumes regarding the handling of this matter by the Bowser Administration,” said Councilmember Christina Henderson (I-At Large) in a statement. “From the beginning, when the public was told that the former deputy mayor was simply resigning to pursue opportunities in the private sector, to the release of this report late on the Saturday night of a three-day holiday weekend, it has been difficult to trust in the thoroughness of this internal investigation.”

Over the weekend, Councilmember Zachary Parker (D-Ward 5) also said the timing of the investigation troubled him, saying that it seemed intended to “downplay the findings of a damning report about long-standing sexual harassment, bullying, and a culture that allowed it.”

In an email to DCist/WAMU, officials with the Mayor’s Office of Legal Counsel, which conducted the investigation, said they had completed their work last Friday afternoon and sent it to Bowser’s office, which received it on Saturday. It was also sent to the two attorneys representing the first woman, and because of the “heightened public interest about the status of the investigation” it was posted on a city website on Saturday night. The officials said they “neglected to consult” with Bowser’s communications team about the timing of making the investigation’s findings public.

Henderson did not specifically call for an outside investigation to take place, saying that she would wait for the internal investigation into the second woman’s accusations to be completed to see if a deeper outside dive was necessary.

“I await the full findings from the second investigation that is currently underway which will provide further insight on whether inappropriate behavior by the former deputy mayor was a pattern of practice and if the culture of DMPED contributed to the permissibility of such behavior by the deputy mayor or any other staff,” she said.

Council Chairman Phil Mendelson adopted a similar stance, telling DCist/WAMU that while he found Falcicchio’s conduct “appalling,” he felt that the internal investigation had accomplished its goals.

“Ordinarily one does an investigation in order to ascertain if the allegations are substantiated. That has happened,” he said, though adding that had he been mayor he would not have kept the initial investigation in-house. “It was good enough in that it substantiated that the guy needed to leave the government, and we will see with the victims whether they want more.”

Mendelson says he will press to learn if any financial settlements are paid to the victims, and says it’s possible that various council committees could hold public hearings to dig deeper into workplace culture at specific agencies, including the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development and the Executive Office of the Mayor.

As for Bowser, her first public event for the week is set for Wednesday, where she is likely to face questions about the investigation into Falcicchio.