Senator solicited his Office Director to Fly Away to Disneyland

Montana Senator Max Baucus was recently implicated in a Sex Scandal involving his Deputy Chief of Staff for his Senate office Melodee Hanes. Baucus has admitted to a longterm affair with Hanes. More damaging, he submitted her name at the time she was acting as his Mistress, to the Justice Department to serve as State Attorney General. It was reported on Tuesday that Baucus and Hanes even took "political junkets" to exotic vacation spots including Dubai and Vietnam.

Back in 1999, Baucus had another brief flurry of a Sex Scandal, and the story line is amazingly similar to the current flap with Ms. Hanes.

Salon.com covered the story that year:

Last week, the Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call broke the news that mild-mannered Montana Sen. Max Baucus, a Democrat, had fired his chief of staff, Christine Niedermeier, for what he described as management differences and she described as direct retaliation for refusing months of sexual advances.

At its core, it seemed like a classic "he said, she said" kind of tale... Niedermeier, 47 and single, says she was terminated because she rejected his advances and because he feared she was going to file a sexual harassment suit.

on May 3, 1999, she accompanied Baucus to an official White House dinner for Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi.

According to Niedermeier, Baucus asked her questions about her personal life and her relationships with boyfriends, commented on what she was wearing, compared her to his wife and, at times, implored her to go away with him for the weekend. One time he suggested they go to Disney World together.

Niedermeier went on to relay more background including accusations of stalking by a loyal Baucus aide, and Baucus himself, "calling her room repeatedly."

She also describes her last day when Baucus fired her over the phone at the airport. Then when she went to the Senate office to retrieve her private email communications between her and Baucus which included matters of a sensitive nature, she was stopped from entering by Capitol Hill police.

Niedermeier's case was eventually thrown out of court. She missed a 90-day deadline for filing.

Editor's Note - We are grateful to our source in Montana for giving us the background, and tipping us off to this story.