THE House of Representatives should look into the sexual assault and abuse allegations against Rep. Edwin K. Propst, Grace Sablan-Vaiagae said in a letter to Speaker Edmund S. Villagomez Tuesday.
Sablan-Vaiagae was the NMI Republican Party candidate in the recent Precinct 3 special election. She lost to Democrat Corina L. Magofna.
Asked for comment, Propst said: “This is a political hit story coming at a time when we are investigating [Gov.] Ralph Torres for corruption. Nothing new here.”
Speaker Villagomez, for his part, said he had received the letter but did not have a chance to review it yet.
“This is something that I would also like to discuss with our legal counsel. That is all I have at the moment,” he added.
In her letter to the speaker, Sablan-Vaiagae said while campaigning for the special election, she had “the incredible opportunity to meet with community members to discuss their hopes and aspirations for the islands, as well as their concerns about local politics and governance.”
She said, “While listening to the families about their needs with regard to public safety, education, and healthcare, a consistent matter was raised that resonated deeply with me. As you are aware, I have spent much of my life counselling and aiding women who have been victims of abuse throughout our island. Abuse comes in many forms and its impacts and mental health implications are widespread among our families. This is a serious issue and the recognition that abuse of any form should not be accepted, especially by those in positions of power, is critical to ensure that no individual can corrupt an institution tasked with serving our people.”
“Time and time again,” she said, “the allegations and findings of sexual assault and abuse by sitting Rep. Edwin Propst arose in conversations I had with members of our community.”
Sablan-Vaiagae also mentioned a Jan. 13, 2021 memorandum issued by Attorney General Edward Manibusan on the allegations against Propst some of which dated two decades ago while he was employed by the Public School System and Northern Marianas College.
She noted that the investigation identified eight potential victims, seven of whom chose to provide details of the allegations.
Ultimately, she added, the AG declined prosecution, not because the information did not warrant it, but because of the “passage of substantial time, expiration of the statute of limitations, and the desire of the victims for confidentiality….”
According to Sablan-Vaiagae, “While the legal standard for prosecuting these offenses may have its limitations, there certainly should not be limitations in our system of governance to weigh the ethics and morality of an individual who has consistently, repeatedly, and dangerously demonstrated his propensity to be a sexual predator of young women in our community.”
She said, “Predators such as Edwin Propst are the epitome of what advocates against sexual assault fight against. Through his position of power as a high school teacher, college employee, and now as a member of the CNMI House of Representatives, he has abused his authority and exercised this authority to coerce and silence his victims.”
“We as a community must stand up to individuals such as Propst and hold them accountable for their crimes against the morals and ethical standards of our Commonwealth,” Sablan-Vaiagae said.
“Still, after receiving these reports and learning of the actions of Representative Propst, the House of Representatives has denied the possibility of holding an Ethics Committee hearing on him and has even allowed him to tarnish the body by being allowed prominent chairmanship positions in committees,” she added.
Sablan-Vaiagae said she promised community members who were concerned about the allegations against Propst that she would do something about it.
“While I was not given the opportunity to serve the Precinct 3 community in this last election, I intend to keep this promise. In part of filling this commitment to the many individuals whom I spoke with, I write to formally request that you establish an Ethics Committee to investigate the allegations [against] Rep. Propst to determine whether an individual with numerous allegations of coercion, sexual assault, and attempted rape should serve in the same manner as other members.”
Should the House not permit such an investigation, Sablan-Vaiagae said the House would be conceding that a member of its body is above the law and beyond reproach.
“I would like to believe that this is not the case and that our morals as a community have a place in determining who is fit to serve the interest of the people…. Time and time again, when victims of sexual assault are unable to speak for themselves, we as a community must advocate for them. I fully intend to do so here as I have done too often in the past and will continue to do so.”
Edwin Propst
