Washington lawmakers will now move forward with the state Senate investigation into Republican Joe Fain after he lost his bid for re-election. Fain conceded the 47th District Friday night but still faces an allegation of rape from 2007 that surfaced this past September.
A spokesperson for State Senate Democrats said Wednesday the investigation is expected to wrap up by January when Fain's term ends.
Earlier this week lawmakers were unsure if the investigation would go on.
“We’re also going to be setting a precedent of how we’re going to handle investigations in the future,” said the new Senate Majority Leader Andy Billig, D-Spokane.
“This was sort of an unprecedented situation which is what made it so difficult to figure out the right path. I want to make sure we handle this in a way that is not only fair to everybody involved in this situation but sets the right precedent for the future,” Billig continued.
Last week, a state Senate committee approved funding to launch an independent investigation into the allegation. Senator Fain was not a member of the state legislature when the alleged incident occurred.
Following his concession, a state Senate spokesman indicated the investigation would be called off, but later said lawmakers were still discussing the matter.
Fain’s successor, Senator-elect Mona Das, said Monday she believes some sort of investigation should continue even if it’s outside of the state legislature.
“As a three-time survivor myself, I believe women,” said Das on Monday. “I stand with survivors, and I believe that every woman should be believed, and we should support them, and I think we need more women in leadership positions.”
Meanwhile, Fain’s accuser, Candace Faber, called for the investigation to continue despite Fain’s loss, and she questioned why it did not move forward sooner.
“The fact that they politicized this by waiting until after the elections already sends a clear message to me and other survivors about whether we matter,” Faber said in a statement to KING 5.
“If they drop it now, it will indicate to me that they were simply using the idea of an investigation to avoid taking meaningful action. The Senate took responsibility and has the resources to do this right — let them see it through,” Faber continued.
Faber went public with her story following the hearings of Justice Brett Kavanaugh and his accuser of sexual assault, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford. She has said she does not want to press charges in Washington D.C., where she says the rape happened.
KING 5 has reached out to Fain for comment, but he has declined to respond. He has denied the allegation and also called for an inquiry into the matter.
In his concession Friday, Fain congratulated his opponent and wrote on Facebook, "While I will miss the endless challenges and rewards of legislative service, these election results widen the door to my family and two young boys who need and deserve a full-time dad who has been largely absent during the long winter months of the previous legislative sessions."
Meanwhile, Das says a priority for her in coming months will be trying to unite her South King County district.
“I know we didn’t win by a huge majority, so we need to do a lot of work to make sure others feel included. We look forward to hosting town halls, and getting folks excited about their new senator-elect and what we can do together as a district,” said Das.
Das, who owns a mortgage business, says she will focus on issues including transportation and affordability.
“I’ve had a mortgage business for the last 14 years focused on first-time homebuyers, so housing affordability and affordability in our region, in general, is something that we really need to focus,” said Das.
