Nearly $600k in tax dollars used to settle Senate misconduct claims

Nearly $600,000 in tax money was used to settle 13 cases of workplace misconduct claims against senators' offices between 1997 and this year, according to new data released by the Senate Rules Committee late Thursday.

Why it matters: The data, which did not disclose the lawmakers' office involved or name the accusers, had not been made public before. It comes amid growing scrutiny over Congress' culture of secrecy with cases of sexual harassment, how much public money is spent on settlements, as well as calls to overhaul how lawmakers handle claims of misconduct.