The usually snoozy Architect of the Capitol’s office has already seen its share of scandals over the past year. Now add a discrimination complaint from a former senior employee to the list.

Christine Leonard, the ex-director of legislative and public affairs for the agency that oversees operation and maintenance of the Capitol complex, filed a claim Wednesday afternoon against her former employer, accusing the agency of improperly firing her after she reported sexism and discrimination. The Office of Congressional Workplace Rights will review her complaint, a required step before a civil lawsuit can be filed in federal district court.

Leonard cited “corrupt and unjust” behavior at the highest ranks of the AOC and improper termination from her position when she attempted to report wrongdoing. As part of the claim, Leonard is demanding back pay, benefits and damages of $300,000 and that the agency reinstates her to her old job.

She said in a statement to POLITICO that she had raised concerns of sex discrimination to the AOC’s Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Dispute Resolution when she worked for the agency, but nothing happened.

“I hope this complaint will shine a light on the agency, bring about meaningful change, and result in a positive work environment where men and women are treated and paid equally,” she said.

The former Architect of the Capitol, J. Brett Blanton, had a host of well-known problems that culminated in his firing last February, after a watchdog report found he had engaged in the widespread misuse of official resources. His acting successor, Chere Rexroat, then purged much of senior leadership.

Leonard’s complaint involves both of those leaders, alleging that the agency had a “sexist environment” during Blanton’s time in office that Rexroat only escalated after he left. Leonard wrote that male colleagues of hers were paid more, plus given more flexibility, administrative support and work opportunities than women in the office.

She also accused Rexroat — who became Leonard’s direct boss — of chastising her for asking to telework while taking care of her dying mother-in-law, but allowing a male colleague of similar seniority to work from California for months while he was caring for ailing in-laws.

“We’re looking at some disparate treatment on the basis of gender, you know, old-fashioned sexism,” Leonard’s attorney, Ari Wilkenfeld, told POLITICO in an interview.

The Architect of the Capitol’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

Like most legislative staffers, Leonard is not covered by the robust whistleblower protections that apply to other federal employees. Congressional staff, Capitol Police and others are not protected from retaliation for attempts to report wrongdoing within Congress.

The Office of Congressional Workplace Rights has urged lawmakers to extend whistleblower protections to legislative branch employees for years, but lawmakers have resisted giving employees traditional protections.

The complaint also includes some new eyebrow-raising allegations. Leonard contends that she saw Blanton drinking alcohol in his office with his wife and a friend before last year’s State of the Union, while he was supposed to be working on one of the biggest security nights of the year. The AOC is on the Capitol Police Board, which oversees the Capitol Police. Blanton did not respond to a request for comment.

Another part of the complaint involves the office of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy; Leonard said his staffers wanted gavels to be crafted from trees on the Capitol grounds for McCarthy to give away as gifts. That would’ve used agency staff time and funding, which she said reported as a violation of the Antideficiency Act to the agency’s general counsel. But Rexroat approved making the gavels regardless, Leonard said.

A former McCarthy aide familiar with the office’s dealings with the AOC said the AOC made such gavels as standard practice for congressional offices and McCarthy’s office did not request any as gifts. Employees did request on one occasion that, if possible and in line with what’s available for sale in the AOC-run Capitol Visitor Center gift shop, gavels be made from fallen tree limbs on the Capitol campus, the person acknowledged.

“Leonard’s claims are false, and it’s noteworthy that Leonard has not provided Politico any evidence about her claim of an Antideficiency Act violation, meanwhile no discussions of gifts ever took place and the AOC has full authority, resources, and dedicated staff to craft items such as gavels, frames, built-ins, plaques, and signs,” the former aide said in a statement. “The AOC has a history of using wood from fallen branches to build items.”

Leonard also wrote that members of Congress and their staffers tried to get private entities to pay for Christmas tree deliveries to dozens of congressional offices, though she does not name which members or staffers. She said she also reported those incidents as violations of the Antideficiency Act and ethics rules, but did not clarify if the lawmaker and staff requests were met.

Wilkenfeld described the pattern of permissive behavior from Leonard’s superiors in the face of pressure from lawmakers as “an erosion” of “the backstop role the agency is supposed to play against these kinds of excesses by members of Congress.”

Other employees fired in April 2023 have blamed Leonard’s allegations of sexism for their terminations in separate lawsuits filed later that year. Shortly after President Joe Biden fired Blanton, Rexroat removed former chief of staff Peter Bahm, former general counsel Jason Baltimore, former CFO Jonathan Kraft and former chief administrative officer William O’Donnell in a major shakeup.

Rep. Summer Lee is announcing she raised more than $1 million last quarter, a substantial haul as the first-term Democrat fends off competitive primary challenges potentially funded by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

She’s touting the large swath of small-dollar donations, with 90 percent of her contributions coming in at less than $250. Lee (D-Pa.), an ally of the progressive “squad” of Democratic lawmakers, also declines to take donations from corporate PACs.

“I am so proud of the multigenerational, mulitracial movement we have built in Western Pennsylvania to protect and expand our democracy — it is our greatest defense against the dark money Super PACs and corporate lobbies who seek to undermine it,” Lee said in a statement. “They have Donald Trump and Nikki Haley’s donors, we have the overwhelming power of the people.”

Pro-Israel groups have targeted Lee and other progressive lawmakers who have voiced criticism of Israel’s war in Gaza, sparking concern on the left about well-funded challengers to liberal lawmakers. But in line with previous incumbent-protecting tradition, Lee was recently endorsed by top House Democratic leaders.

Lee is facing two Democratic challengers: Edgewood Borough Council member Bhavini Patel and Laurie MacDonald, president and CEO of the Center for Victims. Patel announced a $310,000 haul for last quarter, and MacDonald only entered the race this month.

Congressional Democrats on Wednesday delivered their latest rebuke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, aligning behind a symbolic declaration that the U.S. remains staunchly supportive of a Palestinian state as part of any ultimate resolution to unrest in the Middle East.

As the Senate prepares to take up a potential emergency spending package with funds for Israel, Ukraine, Taiwan and border security, a group of 49 Senate Democratic caucus members led by Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) offered an amendment reiterating that U.S. policy favors a two-state solution. The proposal is a clear pushback against Netanyahu’s recent rejection of that approach, giving Democrats a fresh opportunity to channel their frustration with his conservative government.

“The prime minister’s statements last week, I think, accelerated our efforts and also turbocharged our efforts,” Schatz told reporters, adding that he will offer the amendment as part of the national security package’s floor consideration but would not insist on a floor vote. Schatz indicated that future pieces of legislation on the floor may offer another chance to insist on a recorded vote.

The only two members of the 51-senator Democratic caucus to not cosponsor Schatz’s proposal are Joe Manchin (W.Va.) and John Fetterman (Pa.), who has won new conservative fans with his stalwart support for Israel’s government during its war with Hamas. Independent Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.), Angus King (Maine) and Bernie Sanders (Vt.), all of whom affiliate to varying degrees with the Democratic caucus, all signed on.

Fetterman “strongly supports a two-state solution in Israel and Palestine, and always has,” a spokesperson said. “He also strongly believes that this resolution should include language stipulating the destruction of Hamas as a precondition to peace.”

Schatz’s isn’t the only new effort to distance Democrats from Netanyahu’s comments, which Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) described as “not helpful” to a bipartisan deal he and Sinema are spearheading with Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) that could shake loose the stalled national security spending proposal.

A group of 44 House Democrats, led by Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi (Ill.) and Jim Himes (Conn.), voiced their continued support for a two-state solution on Tuesday.

“We are deeply concerned by Prime Minister Netanyahu’s public rejection of a two-state solution on January 18, and respectfully request that your Administration outline a strategy to marshal international and ultimately, Israeli and Palestinian support to successfully implement a two-state solution,” they wrote to President Joe Biden.

Biden has said he still sees an eventual Palestinian state as achievable despite Netanyahu’s comments. The two leaders spoke by phone on Friday.

Senate Foreign Relations Chair Ben Cardin (D-Md.) declined to directly address Netanyahu’s comments but reiterated that “we’ve always supported two states and it is the only way forward.”

But other Democrats were less cautious. “There’s growing impatience with Netanyahu blowing off the president and just completely disregarding our support for a two-state solution,” said Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.), calling Netanyahu’s comments “appalling.”

Some Democrats indicated they thought a reaffirmation of the U.S. position was important given mixed signals from former President Donald Trump as he seeks to return to the White House.

“It has been consistent US policy since 1948, but President Trump raised some questions about it. He didn’t say it wasn’t our policy, but maybe it’s time: We haven’t reaffirmed it legislatively for quite a while,” said Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.).

Added Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) of a possible Trump return to the Oval Office: “It is in some sense another example of trying to batten down the hatches and secure some basic positions before the storm, if there is one.”

There are other efforts to push back on the Israeli government by Democrats. A group of 18 members of the conference are already on board with an amendment led by Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) that would set certain conditions on aid to Israel.

“The Van Hollen amendment has a lot of momentum and a lot of co-sponsors,” Schatz said. “That is not a particularly radical proposition.”

But there appears to be little indication any Republicans would support Schatz’s push, despite his contention that “the two-state solution remains bipartisan” — but Republicans simply attach “more caveats to it.”

Asked about the calls to condition aid to Israel, moderate GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) said “I get it” but “one thing that we need to keep in mind is how fluid everything is.”

“None of us are unsympathetic to [the death toll] but how you [condition aid], I think, is part of the big challenge that we have,” she said in an interview.

Joe Gould contributed. 

GOP senators used a special conference meeting Wednesday to air their deepening differences over Ukraine aid — but left the room still lacking any immediate consensus on how to bridge that divide.

The meeting was requested by 17 Republicans, most of them conservatives, as the party continues to wrangle internal divisions over Ukraine funding that’s set for attachment to a stalled $100 billion-plus national security spending package also benefiting Taiwan, Israel and border security. Wednesday’s meeting followed a heated Senate GOP lunch on Tuesday that put the rift over the Ukraine-border talks on full display — after that contentious affair, some were unsure of what to expect from another round of discussion.

But attendees described Wednesday’s meeting as more tame. And yielding nothing significant as far as policy agreements or breakthroughs.

“It was much more from the heart and not angry and lashing out,” said Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.).

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) said the meeting was “an open airing of different views on Ukraine.” Sen. Tommy Tuberville said it was an opportunity for people get things “off their chests.”

Sens. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Jerry Moran (R-Kansas) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) spoke during the meeting, according to Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), who said the four lawmakers gave “some very powerful addresses.”

“I think there’s a general consensus the majority of our conference feel like we need to support Ukraine,” Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C) said afterward. “There’s a discussion about humanitarian aid, sustaining government operations, lethal aid, but i thought it was a very good discussion.”

One idea Republicans are discussing is focusing any new Ukraine aid on the military, an attempt to break the logjam and sell the funding to some skeptical colleagues within their own ranks.

“Focusing military aid to Ukraine on military aid and letting some of the other countries that maybe don’t do as much on military aid, like Canada and the EU, [focus] on direct budget support and some econ aid, that is really to me a growing consensus amongst our conference that could help get the Ukraine aid over the goal line with a lot of Republican support,” Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska.) said.

Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) has proposed a resolution supporting a delay in any debate on the national security spending agreement — once it appears — unless members have “adequate” time to review it. But that plan did not get taken up on Wednesday, per attendees.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) remains adamantly in favor of Ukraine aid, but a growing faction of his own members feel differently. On the Senate floor Wednesday morning, McConnell argued funding Ukraine has “never been about charity” or “virtue signaling,” but is instead “about cold, hard American interests.”

House and Senate Republicans have demanded that stronger border policies get tied to further Ukraine aid. The senators leading those border policy negotiations — led by Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), James Lankford (R-Okla.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) — say they are close to a deal but don’t have bill text yet. Lankford and Murphy have both said their product is now getting looked over in the Appropriations Committee.

Two members of Senate Republican leadership on Wednesday offered Donald Trump soft support as the party’s likely presidential nominee — but also urged him to view his New Hampshire victory as a nudge to do more to court independent voters.

Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), the conference’s No. 2 leader, said that he’d support Trump if the former president wins the party’s nod, but gave no hint he’ll endorse before the primary is officially over. Thune, who faced tension with Trump ahead of his 2022 reelection bid to the Senate, acknowledged after Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary that voters are “breaking heavily” for Trump, who is “in a commanding position.”

“I’ve said all along I’ll support the nominee. So if he’s the nominee, I’ll do what I can to help the team win the presidency,” Thune said.

That position aligns with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who hasn’t endorsed Trump and largely avoids saying his name at all — but has also said he’ll support the party’s presidential nominee. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), a leadership counselor to McConnell, also said Wednesday that he won’t endorse in the primary but that he’ll support the party’s nominee.

Both Thune and Tillis added that Trump rival Nikki Haley’s strong showing with independent and swing voters in New Hampshire results should signal to the Trump team that it has a weakness outside the party’s die-hard base.

“They are going to have to reach out and convince” independents, Tillis said of the Trump campaign.

The Senate Republican conference has long lagged behind their House counterparts in their level of Trump support, though a growing number have either endorsed him or indicated that they’ll support him if he wins the nomination.

While neither Thune nor Tillis gave any indication they would offer Trump a full-throated endorsement now, two of the “three Johns” — a popular Hill reference to Thune, Senate GOP Conference Chair John Barrasso (Wyo.) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), all viewed as potential successors to McConnell when he steps down — are explicitly on board with the former president.

Thune and Trump have had an occasionally rocky history. Trump lashed out repeatedly at Thune after the GOP senator acknowledged the obvious — that the then-president’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election on Jan. 6 would fall short. Trump called for a primary challenger against Thune, who easily won reelection in 2022.

Chuck Schumer’s push to more strongly regulate Zyn nicotine pouches he says are being pushed to teens has lit a smokeless fire among some conservative lawmakers.

“I’m delivering a warning to parents, because these nicotine pouches seem to lock their sights on young kids, teenagers and even lower. And then use the social media to hook them,” the Senate majority leader said at a press conference this week urging the FDA and FTC to probe the product.

Conservatives seized on his comments.

“It’ll make a lot of people mad. He wants to do that and cut out menthol cigarettes. I don’t think we need to do that,” said Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), also citing the delayed Biden administration ban on menthol cigarettes.

“I think he got his priorities wrong,” Tuberville added.

“I’m not a user myself, but it’s hard to believe that’s one of the most pressing problems for the country right now,” said Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) in a short interview.

Schumer’s comments didn’t escape the eyes of House Republicans either.

“Big Brother Schumer doesn’t want us to chew or smoke,” wrote Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.), chair of the NRCC, alongside a picture of him in hunting fatigues. “Come and take it!”

“I know for a fact our service members and emergency responders use Zyn as an alternative to tobacco to help stay alert,” wrote Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.). “This is a massive overreach.”

Others took a more cautious approach, saying they weren’t familiar with the product or wanted to learn more.

“Where there’s a health care consideration, everybody has to look at that,” said Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.). “I don’t like the government banning stuff either.”

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), ranking member of the HELP Committee, said simply “I’d like to know more about” Schumer’s call.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre referred all questions about Zyn to the FDA when asked on Wednesday.

Actress Melissa Joan Hart joined Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and other advocates to rally support for his legislation that would restrict access to certain semi-automatic firearms, large-capacity magazines and related conversion devices.

Hart, most famous for her roles in TV shows like “Clarissa Explains It All” and “Sabrina the Teenage Witch,” said her political views on access to weapons changed following the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting in which 26 people were killed, including 20 children. She was then near the scene of the 2023 shooting at the The Covenant School in Nashville, where she helped fleeing children to safety.

“I used to believe that you couldn’t mess with the Second Amendment because that’s a threat to our freedom as Americans. But now I can say that we are not free as long as weapons of war are allowed in the hands of untrained, unchecked citizens,” said Hart, who has previously supported Republican candidates. “We are not free if our children are forced to practice lockdown drills at school and at church, and we are not free if we have to live in fear.”

Whitney Port, who rose to fame on “The Hills,” added: “I have a six-year-old child and the realization that my child is practicing for a mass shooting in school fills me with fear and overwhelming stress.”

Heinrich, a lifelong gun owner, has five members of the Democratic conference as co-sponsors.

Mitch McConnell is still keeping his distance from Donald Trump — even as New Hampshire primary voters cast ballots that could solidify his grip on the GOP nomination.

Asked about his avoidance of a Trump endorsement during his weekly briefing with reporters, McConnell said he’s “stayed out of” the presidential primary and “when I change my mind on that, I’ll let you all know.”

“I don’t have any news to make today. We’re all watching New Hampshire with great interest,” McConnell added.

McConnell is not the only member of Senate Republican leadership to sidestep a Trump endorsement thus far. Both Minority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.) and Conference Vice Chair Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) have also stayed away.

But as Trump continues to push toward the party’s nomination — the field has narrowed to only him and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley — Senate Republicans are beginning to get off the fence and into his camp. McConnell has previously said he will support the Republican nominee, whomever that may be.

McConnell’s relationship with Trump may prove even more politically decisive over the next few weeks if the Senate manages to strike a border deal that could unlock the White House’s stalled national security emergency spending plan. Trump has indicated he’s against the still-in flux agreement, which would include aid for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and the border — all top priorities for McConnell.

Rep. Kelly Armstrong won’t seek reelection to North Dakota’s sole House seat and will run to replace Doug Burgum as governor, he announced Tuesday.

“North Dakotans will always do better when we are in charge of our own destiny,” Armstrong (R-N.D.) said in a statement. “That’s why I’ve decided to come home to run for Governor.”

The announcement came mere hours after Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) told POLITICO he would not run for the office. Burgum said he would not seek a third term on Monday.

Armstrong first came to the House in 2019 after previously serving as chair of the North Dakota Republican Party. He voted to certify President Joe Biden’s win in the 2020 election and voted to codify the right to same-sex marriage in 2022.

Jordain Carney contributed to this report.