Jayapal accused of running ‘miserable’ office despite public image of being a fighter for workers

Rep. Pramila Jayapal, the Washington state Democrat, was accused in a published report Monday of running a ‘miserable’ workplace despite a public persona of being a progressive force for workers across the country.

The report-- which took three months to produce-- pointed to several alleged run-ins between the congresswoman and staffers. She is accused of bringing a new staffer to tears after a House Budget Committee hearing and the report, citing three sources, also said that she once blamed a staffer for her personal weight gain. The staffer was accused of not scheduling enough gym time for her, the report said. Chris Evans, a Jayapal spokesman, did not immediately respond to an after-hours email from Fox News. He took issue with the "disgustingly sexist rumor" about the weight gain episode and said he could never think of a time that a male representative would face the same scrutiny. The Buzzfeed report pointed to the cultural shift in workplaces across the U.S. where old standards are no longer acceptable. One needs to look no further than the banking industry and how new employees fought back against the 80-hour workweek.