Getty/Chip Somodevilla
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand
An upcoming book written by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-New York) reportedly details some shocking incidents of sexual harassment in the halls of Congress.
In excerpts of the book, "Off the Sidelines", that People magazine provided to Business Insider on Tuesday, Gillibrand recalled a time when an older senator approached her and discussed her recent weight loss with crude remarks. According to Gillibrand, the unnamed lawmaker walked up behind her, squeezed her waist, and said, "Don't lose too much weight now, I like my girls chubby!"
Gillibrand said still more harassment occurred when she was forced to us the men's gym.
"The women's congressional gym happened to be closed for renovations, so I had to work out in the men's. [While I was] on the elliptical, many of my colder male colleagues felt compelled to offer advice, such as this gem: 'Good thing you're working out, because you wouldn't want to get porky!' Thanks, a--hole," Gillibrand wrote.
However, Gillibrand wrote that the biggest moment of harassment came when she was still a member of the House.
"The prize comment came from a southern congressman who said, as he held my arm, walking me down the center aisle of the House chamber, 'You know Kirsten, you're even pretty when you're fat,'" she recalled.
These were not the only times male colleagues have made inappropriate comments about Gillibrand's looks. According to Politico, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) once called her "the hottest member" of the Senate at a fund-raising event.
Still, Gillibrand insisted to to People magazine that she was not insulted by Reid.
"Harry was just trying to be nice," she said.