Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder is hiring an independent investigative team to look into allegations made last week by former employee Tiffani Johnston and will make public the findings of the investigation.
During a congressional roundtable conducted by the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, Johnston accused Snyder of touching her without her consent at a work dinner about 13 years ago. In a statement, Snyder denied the allegation.
To manage the investigation, the Commanders have appointed Pallas Global Group LLC, led by former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bonnie Jonas and Tiffany Moller. Debra Wong Yang will lead the investigation.
Yang previously served as a California Superior Court Judge, U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California and a Los Angeles Police Department commissioner.
In a statement after the announcement, Lisa Banks and Debra Katz, who are representing Johnston and more than 40 former Commanders employees, called Snyder’s move “utterly absurd.”
“This is a desperate public relations stunt, clearly designed to absolve him of wrongdoing. Our client, Tiffani Johnston, already testified credibly to Congress about her experience of being sexually harassed by Mr. Snyder. Her powerful testimony was corroborated by an eyewitness who submitted a statement to Congress.”
They added that the investigation “should be conducted by Beth Wilkinson and her team, who have spent the better part of the last year investigating the actions of Mr. Snyder and his top lieutenants.”
“Ms. Johnston will not participate in this sham of an investigation, and the public will not be duped into believing that this is anything other than Dan Snyder trying to whitewash his own misconduct,” the statement concluded.
Johnston was one of five women who presented stories of alleged sexual harassment and discrimination to the congressional committee, which has been investigating the team since last fall.
WTOP’s Will Vitka contributed to this report.