‘Creepy’ married Kentucky Rep. Daniel Grossberg accused of sending lewd text messages to female staffers

A “creepy” and “weird” Kentucky congressman has been accused of sending hundreds of lewd text messages to female staffers late at night.

Three women between the ages of 26 and 28 have made allegations of sexual harassment against 45-year-old married Rep. Daniel Grossberg, who is currently under investigation by the state's Legislative Research Commission.

Grossberg denied the allegations, which relate to incidents from recent years, but also apologized for making anyone feel “uncomfortable.”

His lawyer defended the interactions, saying the texts contained nothing “inappropriate,” but added that he is autistic.

The women, all active in Democratic politics in Frankfort, Kentucky's capital, forwarded some of Grossberg's messages – a total of 63 text messages and 68 direct messages sent through X – to the Lexington Herald Leader.

They called Grossberg's messages “creepy” and “weird,” ranging from telling staff he thought they were “beautiful” to asking for nude photos while warning a 26-year-old that she would “never forgive him” if she found out about his porn preferences.

The woman who received the message about his porn preferences said the comment left her feeling “deeply uncomfortable and increasingly insecure.”

“His power within the party, combined with the nature of his questions and comments, left me feeling threatened and worried about the future of my career,” she told the Herald-Leader.

She revealed that the married MP encouraged her to download Snapchat, where messages and photos disappear shortly after being sent.

“I like chats that can't be used against me. lol,” he wrote to her on December 1, 2023.

The 26-year-old said Grossberg was “relentlessly” asked to send her nude photos.

The prosecutors, all active in Democratic politics in Kentucky's capital city of Frankfort, have leaked some of Grossberg's messages – a total of 63 text messages and 68 direct messages sent through X – to the Lexington Herald Leader.

She described Grossberg as “terrifying,” adding that his actions had caused her “significant distress and left me with a deep sense of vulnerability.”

Another woman revealed messages from Grossberg in which he called her “gorgeous” and said he had a “crush” on her in 2021 when she was 24.

She said the attack occurred even though she “barely knew” him, but because of Grossberg's powerful position in Kentucky politics, she felt she could not defend herself.

The woman said Grossberg also texted her shortly before midnight in August 2022, saying she was “beautiful.”

“I don't want a married man texting me 'beautiful, beautiful' at 11:37 p.m.,” she told the Herald-Leader.

“I remember waking up and seeing the text and thinking how gross that was, but I never said anything to him or anyone else because I didn't know who to say anything to.”

In January of this year, Grossberg allegedly sent another late-night text message inviting the woman out for a drink and asking her about her high school graduation year before making an even creepier remark.

Grossberg has denied the allegations, which relate to incidents from recent years, but also apologized for making anyone feel “uncomfortable.” (Pictured: Grossberg walks along the beach with his wife on their wedding day)

She replied the next morning, promising to go out for a drink – but said that meeting never happened – and he responded by saying, “There's something special about the girls from this school,” adding a wink emoji.

The woman also described how Grossberg told her in December 2023 that his feelings for her had grown stronger. “I have a crush on you right now, but I'm 11 now,” he allegedly wrote.

Describing the moment she read the message, the woman said, “I remember feeling my heart sink as I sat in my office, preparing to eat the leftover Indian food I had just reheated.”

“I remember losing my appetite. I remember my whole body shaking with fear. I remember wanting to go home.”

The woman said she even went so far as to recruit two male friends to protect her from Grossberg at campaign events.

“I looked at these two friends and made them swear that they would not let him near me,” she said.

The aide added that she speaks for “those who have been afraid of his power since he became a sitting lawmaker” and that Grossberg's behavior “must stop.”

Other allegations against Grossberg include cases in which he allegedly invited employees to his office and poured them liquor before getting drunk in front of them.

During one of these encounters, he allegedly asked a lesbian employee several questions about sex, including one about her genitals.

He told the woman she was very attractive and added that it was a “shame” that she didn't like men.

Grossberg, who is autistic, has denied allegations of sexual harassment, which relate to incidents over the past few years, but apologized for making anyone feel “uncomfortable.”

Three women between the ages of 26 and 28 have accused 45-year-old married congressman Daniel Grossberg of sexual harassment. He is currently being investigated by the state's Legislative Research Commission. (Pictured: Grossberg with his wife)

The third employee who identified herself is transgender. She said the MP made her uncomfortable by asking her detailed questions about her genitals, her sex life and whether she had undergone gender reassignment surgery while she was drunk.

He added that he did not find the vaginas of trans women after surgery “convincing,” the woman said.

“At that point I realized I was in a tricky situation,” she told the Herald-Leader.

“As a 26-year-old trans woman, I found myself alone in the office of a drunk, middle-aged male state representative who questioned me about my sexual identity and past.

“I felt trapped.”

Grossberg defended himself against the allegations but also apologized.

“I deny any allegations of sexual harassment or abuse of office,” he wrote in an email to the Herald-Leader.

“I sincerely apologize to anyone who was made uncomfortable by something I said or wrote.”

Grossberg added in his statement that he was “fully cooperating” with an Ethics Committee investigation into his conduct and said he was committed to “holding higher standards for himself and listening to women's voices.”

House Democrats voted to temporarily expel Grossberg from their caucus while the investigation continues.

His lawyer Anna Whites stated that his texts did not contain any “sexually harassing or inappropriate” content.

“It’s very easy to make accusations and take comments out of context,” she told the Herald-Leader.

Whites had previously stated that Grossberg had a “neurodivergent diagnosis,” meaning he was on the autism spectrum.