| The two women with whom retired U.S. District Judge Samuel B. Kent admitted to having nonconsensual sexual contact as part of his plea deal testified before the House Judiciary Committee Task Force on Impeachment today about Kent's manipulative and abusive behavior as the lone judge at the federal courthouse in Galveston.
Kent's former secretary, Donna Wilkerson, testified that when federal authorities began investigating misconduct allegations against Kent, he tried to influence her testimony by threatening suicide.
Wilkerson and Kent's former case manager, Cathy McBroom, painted a picture of a man who was a "bully" and who sexually assaulted them repeatedly. They also described how they felt powerless to challenge him.
In February, Kent pleaded guilty to an obstruction of justice charge in exchange for the government dropping five sex abuse charges against him. Kent is scheduled to report to prison on June 15 to begin serving a 33-month sentence. If Kent successfully completes an alcohol treatment program while incarcerated, he could be released from custody one year early.
Kent did not appear at the task force's June 3 hearing in Washington, D.C. He sent a letter to the task force earlier this week indicating that he was too ill to travel, according to testimony by Alan Baron, special impeachment counsel for the House Judiciary Committee.
However, Kent's lawyer Dick DeGuerin, a partner in Houston's DeGuerin & Dickson, says the hearing didn't need to happen. "All they needed to do was enter in a resolution calling for his impeachment based on his plea of guilty to a felony for obstruction of justice. All of the sexual allegations against him were dismissed. In other words, there was no reason for that hearing other than to allow for those women to complain publicly again and to allow the politicians to take advantage of Sam Kent's downfall and claim that they had some role in the whole business. It's kind of like a rooster claiming responsibility for the sunrise."
Wilkerson's lawyer, Terry W. Yates of Houston, could not be reached for comment.
McBroom's lawyer, Rusty Hardin of Houston's Rusty Hardin & Associates, says he is offended by DeGuerin's comments suggesting Kent is the victim. Hardin says Kent "might have just as well got in a plane and flew up here [to D.C.] and spit in their faces and flown back to Houston. . . . I've just about had it with Dick continuing to blame the victims on behalf of a man who doesn't have the decency to resign and go quietly."
Task Force Apologizes
At today's hearing, Wilkerson testified, "I was a seven-year victim of Sam Kent's sexual and psychological abuse." Kent told her he was solely responsible for hiring and firing of his employees, she said. "He also told me, 'I am the government.' He said, 'I am the lion king. I am the king.'
"I now realize how he manipulated everything and everyone around him," Wilkerson testified. "He threatened to take his own life."
Wilkerson also testified about Kent's treatment of lawyers who appeared before him. "Judge Kent liked to say that he had to treat the lawyers that came before him harshly because if he was nice to them, they would take advantage of him," she said.
She added that Kent often mocked the criminal defendants who had appeared in his court. "And it pains me to say that he routinely used the 'N' word" in reference to defendants.
McBroom testified before the task force about how Kent assaulted her in a room right next to where three federal security guards were stationed. [See "The Courage of Cathy McBroom," Texas Lawyer, May 18, 2009, page 21.] She also said she reported the first sexual assault immediately after it occurred but she didn't file a complaint because she didn't want to lose her job.
Members of the task force repeatedly apologized to Wilkerson and McBroom for Kent's behavior and thanked them for coming forward. None of the legislators questioned whether Kent's conduct warranted impeachment.
U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, said he was offended that Kent had sent a letter to President Barack Obama on June 2 announcing his intention to resign from the bench on June 1, 2010. Kent continues to receive his judicial salary -- compensation that can only be stopped if Congress impeaches Kent or through his voluntary resignation.
"I think this man needs to be impeached. He's doing all he can to continue to get paid while in prison," Gohmert said. "You're not going to play games with this Congress. If you want to resign, you do it before you go before this body, or we'll take you to the wall."
U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who chairs the task force, said at the conclusion of the hearing that the group would meet "very promptly" to vote on impeaching Kent and forward their recommendation to the full House Judiciary Committee.
Schiff noted, "I don't think we want this to drag on."
Hardin says both women's testimony at the hearing was excellent and the task force members made it clear they "take great umbrage" at Kent dragging his resignation out for another year so he can collect his salary and benefits.
