MONTPELIER, Vt. — A Vermont state senator facing criminal sex charges and possible expulsion from the Legislature is questioning how he can get a fair hearing from his Statehouse colleagues before his criminal case is resolved.

Franklin County Republican Sen. Norm McAllister could be asked to testify to a Senate committee about a resolution to expel him as early as January. Meanwhile, State’s Attorney Jim Hughes said Thursday that McAllister’s trial likely won’t happen until later in the winter at the earliest.

McAllister, 64, was arrested May 7 outside the Statehouse and has pleaded not guilty to three felony and three misdemeanor sex charges. One of the alleged victims worked as an intern at the Legislature last winter, and several lawmakers are expected to be called to testify if the case goes to trial, possibly disrupting this winter’s legislative session. Several were attending depositions at the courthouse in St. Albans this week.

Senate Secretary John Bloomer has called the situation unprecedented in Vermont.

In an interview Thursday, McAllister continued to say he is innocent and has no plans to heed calls of some fellow lawmakers to resign. “I know that I haven’t done anything wrong,” he said.

McAllister said he had received a letter from Senate Minority Leader Joe Benning, R-Caledonia, demanding that he resign by Nov. 1 or Benning would file a resolution calling for his expulsion. News of the letter was first reported Tuesday on the website of the Burlington newspaper Seven Days.

Advertisement

“I’m not going to respond to him at all,” McAllister said of the letter. “Now he’s set a date. Well, that’s his problem. He can set a date and do whatever he wants.”

Lt. Gov. Phil Scott, who presides over the Senate, said Thursday that he would likely assign an expulsion resolution to the Senate Government Operations or Judiciary Committee, which would be expected to hold a hearing or hearings before a vote in the full Senate.

McAllister said lawmakers normally try to hear from all sides on a matter before them, but said he expected his lawyer would urge him not to testify so as not to taint his criminal case.

“How can I do that? My legal counsel doesn’t even want me to talk to you (for) this article.”

He added: “What happens if they do this thing of expelling me because of an accusation and then they find out afterward, jeez, he didn’t do it, there was no basis to this. How good does that make them look? What’s the recourse for that? Do they get to say ‘Golly gee, I’m sorry – we were wrong?”‘

Benning said the Senate needs not to weigh McAllister’s guilt or innocence, but whether the body can function with him in its midst. He pointed to parliamentary rules and the state Constitution. “Both of them enable the body politic to correct problems that are preventing it from moving forward.”


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.