Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder says he’s hiring people to conduct an “independent” investigation of allegations brought by former team employee Tiffani Johnston. But Johnston’s attorney isn’t buying it.
Attorney Lisa Banks released a statement today calling the investigation a sham.
“The idea that Dan Snyder has hired a team to investigate his own actions is utterly absurd,” Banks wrote. “This is a desperate public relations stunt, clearly designed to absolve him of wrongdoing. Our client, Tiffani Johnston, already testified credibly to Congress about her experience of being sexually harassed by Mr. Snyder. Her powerful testimony was corroborated by an eye witness who submitted a statement to Congress. If there is to be any investigation of Ms. Johnston’s allegations, it should be conducted by Beth Wilkinson and her team, who have spent the better part of the last year investigating the actions of Mr. Snyder and his top lieutenants. The fact is that Mr. Snyder has gone to great lengths to conceal the truth and his retention of this team is just his latest effort to paint a false picture of his behavior. If, as Mr. Snyder claims today, he genuinely wanted the truth about his actions to emerge, he would have embraced the public release of Ms. Wilkinson’s findings. Instead, he worked with the NFL to block the release of the Wilkinson report. And now, he has handpicked new investigators to do what apparently the Wilkinson report did not do – sugarcoat his own actions. Ms. Johnston will not participate in this sham of an investigation, and the public will not be duped into believing that this is anything other than Dan Snyder trying to whitewash his own misconduct.”
Johnston told Congress last week that Snyder placed his hand on her leg and left it there until she moved it away during a group dinner, and that Snyder tried after the dinner to get her into his limousine.