GOP staffer wants $1.75 million because of Sen. Pam Roach

OLYMPIA, Wash. — A Senate Republican senior attorney is seeking to settle with the state for $1.75 million, arguing Senate Republicans have created a hostile work environment by allowing Sen. Pam Roach back into the caucus in exchange for a vital vote on their budget plan last month.

In a document obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press, an attorney for Republican Senate Counsel Mike Hoover says that Hoover felt pressured to quit so that the caucus "could more easily make a trade with Senator Roach."

Roach was banned from the Republican caucus two years ago after an investigation determined that she had mistreated staff. GOP leaders wrote a letter to her at the time saying she should remain physically separated from other members and staff. Documents show she was allowed back into the caucus on Feb. 29, and that sanctions were lifted against her on March 2, the same day the Senate began debate on the budget.