August 30, 2018

To: Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand
CC: jess Fassler, Chief of Staff, US. Of?ce of Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand
Keith Castaldo, General Counsel, US. Of?ce of Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand

Russell Senate Of?ce Building 478
Washington, DC. 20002

Dear Senator Gillibrand:

On Monday, August 13, 2018, I submitted my intent to resign from my position as
tojess Fassler, Chief of Staff. Given the cireumstance

surrounding my decision to resign, I feel it necessary to have documentation of the reasons for my
departure.

On \Vednesday, july 25, 2018, I filed a complaint to Anne Bradley, Deputy Chief of Staff, detailing
that I had experienced sexual harassment from Abbas Malik, Special Assistant to Senator

Gillibrand. The office began an investigation that day and had resolved it by Monday, July 30, 2018.
I was told that the of?ce and Senate HR concluded they did not find cause to ?re Abbas for sexual
harassment. Anne and jess told me that it was a series of misinterpretations and too much of a ?he
said, she said? situation. However, Abbas was punished for making inappropn'ate remarks, which
resulted in a demotion. I tried to make the best of the situation and continue to do my job, trusting
that the of?ce had done everything they could to protect. me. While I was upset with the outcome, I
felt satis?ed that there had been a fair process. However, the following events, outlined below, left
me feeling upset, confused and devalued, and directly led to my decision to resign from my position

in your office.

On TuesdayJuly 31, 2018, Anne came into my office and said that ?jess told Abbas that he could
have fired him for a number of reasons but isn?t going to. So he should consider himself lucky.?
Thinking I had the full support of the of?ce, I was deeply confused and saddened by this. Later that
afternoon, I decided to discuss this with Jess and Anne. jess responded to me by saying ?You could
also be fired at any minute, for any reason.? I felt defeated, not just from the humiliation and pain
that the harassment had brought me, but that in attempting to seek appropriate disciplinary actions
for my harasser, my experience was devalued. I was devalued.

On Monday, August 13, 2018, after discussing my resignation with Jess, he said to me, could have
fired you too. You fed Abbas alcohol while he was on duty.? That statement is grossly inaccurate
and I felt as though I was being belittled, insulted and intimidated even when I was trying to quit.

After the 2016 election I was devastated by the choice that America made, and I felt driven to work
for a politician who would ?ght for women?s rights at a time when they were being openly
threatened in our country. Senator Gillibrand, you were the public servant I wanted to work for,

because of your strong stance on sexual harassment in the work place, committee to work as a
champion for women and desire for transparency in politics.

I trusted and leaned on this statement that you made: ?You need to draw a line in the sand and say
none of it is OK. None of it is acceptable,? Your of?ce chose to go against your public belief that
women shouldn't accept sexual harassment in any form and portrayed my experience as a
misinterpretation instead of what it actually was: harassment and ultimately, intimidation.

I have offered my resignation because of how poorly the investigation and post?hurestigation was
handled. I hope that your of?ce will choose to handle cases like this with more sensitivity and

understanding in the future.