Thursday 28 July 2022 02:09 PM Commanders owner Dan Snyder IS testifying to Congress about sexual harassment ... trends now
Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder is testifying to Congress Thursday morning about sexual harassment and hostile workplace accusations against himself and his team, but the billionaire is doing so voluntarily via Zoom call as he travels in Israel.
Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (Democrat-New York) sought to have Snyder testify in person and under subpoena as part of House Oversight Committee's probe into NFL club's workplace culture.
Snyder has refused to testify under subpoena, but instead said he would do so voluntarily via Zoom call as he had been traveling abroad aboard. His attorney previously told the Committee that he was out of the country for much of July and August as he commemorated the one-year anniversary of his mother's death by traveling to Israel. A Snyder spokesperson confirmed to DailyMail.com Thursday that he is in Israel.
On Thursday, the Committee agreed to let Snyder testify voluntarily, a Committee spokeswoman confirmed to DailyMail.com. That's significant because it means he can cite any existing non-disclosure agreements to refuse to answer particular questions.
Under subpoena, the 57-year-old billionaire would have been compelled to testify fully.
For his part, Snyder has said he would testify fully, according to a Committee statement, while House Democrats say they're prepared to compel his testimony by subpoena if any important questions remain unanswered.
Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder is testifying to Congress Thursday morning about sexual harassment and hostile workplace accusations against himself and his team, but the billionaire is doing so voluntarily via Zoom call as he remains outside the country
A name card for Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder sits at a table where the Committee on Oversight and Reform held a hearing about the toxic workplace culture at the Washington Commanders on June 22
'The Committee's deposition of Mr. Snyder will go forward today,' read the statement provided to DailyMail.com. 'Mr. Snyder has committed to providing full and complete testimony, and to answer the Committee's questions about his knowledge of and contributions to the Commanders' toxic work environment, as well as his efforts to interfere with the NFL's internal investigation, without hiding behind non-disclosure or other confidentiality agreements.'
'Should Mr. Snyder fail to honor his commitments, the Committee is prepared to compel his testimony on any unanswered questions upon his return to the United States.'
Currently Snyder's yacht is off the coast of Elba, where Napoleon was briefly exiled before returning to power in 1815.
Snyder was invited to testify at a June 22 hearing, but declined, citing an overseas obligation, as well as reservations about the scope of the Committee's questioning. In her letter last month, Maloney cited Snyder's 'month-long refusal' to cooperate with the Committee, although Snyder's attorney, Karen Patton Seymour, disagreed with that claim in her response on Wednesday.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell did testify about the league investigation at the June 22 hearing, while Snyder remained conspicuously absent. At the time, Maloney announced her intentions to subpoena Snyder, whom she revealed was vacationing on his yacht off the coast of France.
However, the subpoena could not be served to Snyder as he remained somewhere in the Mediterranean, where his yacht was tracked from the northern tip of Corsica to Sardinia and Stromboli Island and then onto Panarea, north of Sicily.
There's even a Twitter account dedicated to tracking Snyder's vessel, @DanSnydersYacht, which also tracked his private jets back to the Washington DC area over the weekend, although it remains unclear if he's back in the country or not.
Regardless, Snyder plans to be out of the country again for much of July' and 'into August,' according to Patton Seymour, who told the Committee the he will be observing the one-year anniversary of his mother's death in Israel.
For months, the Committee has been investigating the Commanders' workplace culture, which has been described as toxic.
Various reports have detailed claims of sexual harassment made by female ex-employees against male co-workers and supervisors, many of whom have since been dismissed.
Sexual harassment allegations against team employees ranged from inappropriate comments to the creation of a lewd behind-the-scenes video from a cheerleader calendar shoot in 2008, according to a 2020 Washington Post report that first publicized the claims.
Furthermore, a former cheerleader also alleged that Snyder suggested that she join his 'close friend' in a hotel room in 2004 so they 'could get to know each other.'
Those revelations prompted a team investigation handled independently by DC-area attorney Beth Wilkinson, but the league quickly assumed control of that probe with Wilkinson's team reporting to the commissioner's office.
The NFL then issued a $10 million fine to punish the club (which is worth an estimated $4.2 billion) and Snyder volunteered to cede day-to-day control of the team to his wife, Tanya.
But the league's refusal to release a report on its investigation, citing privacy concerns of witnesses, prompted the Oversight Committee to launch its own investigation into the team, Snyder, and even the NFL.
That investigation has led to more allegations of sexual harassment. Specifically, former team employee Tiffani Johnston testified in February that Snyder grabbed her thigh at a team dinner and pressured
