Rep. Esty responds after keeping on aide accused of abuse: ‘I am not resigning’

Rep. Elizabeth Esty, who has apologized after she kept on a top aide for several months despite having learned of abuse allegations against him, said Friday that she has no plans to resign.

“For those who have asked, I want to be clear that I am not resigning,” Esty said in a statement to CNN. “I have important work to do in Congress including building on the lessons of this horrible series of events.”

Esty entered into a nondisclosure agreement with her former chief of staff Tony Baker and wrote a reference letter for him even after learning of allegations that he had threatened and physically assaulted another aide of hers with whom he was once in a relationship, The Washington Post reported.

“My agenda going forward will include relentlessly pursuing specific actions to foster a better working environment on Capitol Hill, building on the work that has already been done to ensure safe environments for staff, looking to the best practices that have been developed in the private sector, and taking the next steps to further strengthen workplace protections and provide employees with a safe platform to raise concerns,” Esty said in the statement.