text: FILE - In this March 4, 2015, file photo, Rep. Elizabeth Esty, D-Conn. speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington about bipartisan legislation on gun safety. Esty is apologizing for failing to protect female... (Associated Press) 
   
   FILE - In this March 4, 2015, file photo, Rep. Elizabeth Esty, D-Conn. speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington about bipartisan legislation on gun safety. Esty is apologizing for failing to protect female employees who say they were harassed by her former chief of staff. Current chief of staff Timothy... (Associated Press) 
   
   FILE - In this March 4, 2015, file photo, Rep. Elizabeth Esty, D-Conn. speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington about bipartisan legislation on gun safety. Esty is apologizing for failing to protect female employees who say they were harassed by her former chief of staff. Current chief of staff Timothy... (Associated Press) FILE - In this March 4, 2015, file photo, Rep. Elizabeth Esty, D-Conn. speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington about bipartisan legislation on gun safety. Esty is apologizing for failing to protect female... (Associated Press) 
   
   HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty, an outspoken advocate for the #MeToo movement, has found herself in the awkward position of apologizing for not protecting female staffers in her Washington office who say they experienced violence, death threats and sexual harassment by her former chief of staff. 
   
   She dismissed calls Friday to step down. 
   
   The Democrat has issued press releases calling for tougher harassment protections for congressional staff and was among those demanding that then-U.S. Rep. John Conyers of Michigan resign amid allegations of misconduct with staff. She issued her own public mea culpa Thursday following newspaper reports she did not suspend or fire the chief of staff until three months after learning about allegations against him in 2016. 
   
   Esty said she regrets not moving along an internal investigation into the allegations, which revealed more widespread alleged abuse, and regrets providing "even the slightest assistance to this individual as he sought a new job." 
   
   In advance of the news stories published by Hearst Connecticut Media and the Washington Post, Esty made it a point to call or meet with representatives of at least three grassroots Connecticut groups that have been allies of hers on issues affecting women. 
   
   "I felt that she wanted to let me know what the situation was as someone who is involved in women's issues," said Cindy Wolfe Boynton, president of CT Now, a group that has endorsed Esty in past elections. "She did say more than once during the telephone call how she felt that she really did handle the situation poorly and was extremely remorseful for that." 
   
   Boynton said it seemed Esty was "doing her best to handle the situation" in her office, but the group wants to know more about what happened. 
   
   "As things stand now, I think there's a lot more information about the case that needs to come out," she said. 
   
   In her apology, Esty said she was "horrified and angry" to learn in 2016 that a former employee had been harassed and physically harmed, allegedly by former chief of staff Tony Baker. She said she demanded Baker receive counseling. 
   
   She then conducted an internal review of her office practices, later learning "the threat of violence was not an isolated incident" but a pattern of behavior by Baker affecting many female staffers. 
   
   She said she was advised by the Office of House Employment Counsel to enter into a nondisclosure agreement with Baker, who then went to work as the Ohio state director of Sandy Hook Promise, an anti-gun violence advocacy group created in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Esty's district. He no longer works for the group. 
   
   A spokesman for Baker told Hearst Connecticut Media and the Washington Post that he denies some of the allegations. A number listed for a Tony Baker in Columbus, Ohio, was disconnected. 
   
   Karen Jarmoc, executive director of the coalition against domestic violence, said Esty reached out to her last weekend and asked to meet at Jarmoc's office. 
   
   "This is a really troubling circumstance, but my sense that I received from her on Monday is that her priority was looking out for the survivor ultimately. Initially there were clearly some missteps," Jarmoc said. "What I received from her on Monday was a genuine desire to make things better" for employees the workplace. 
   
   In an editorial calling on Esty to resign, the Hartford Courant said Esty's answers so far have been disappointing, saying "she has blamed the system and hasn't taken nearly enough responsibility for her own actions." The Courant added that "time was up for John Conyers and now time is up for Elizabeth Esty." 
   
   JR Romano, the state's Republican Party chairman, also has called on Esty to step down. The state GOP sent out emails, accusing Esty of being "complicit in covering up assault." 
   
   Esty received mild criticism from fellow Democratic members of Connecticut's congressional delegation, with nearly all noting that Esty acknowledged she had made mistakes. 
   
   "I'm deeply disappointed. I'm just learning the facts," U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal told reporters while attending an event in Connecticut. 
   
   Asked whether Esty should resign, the senator said, "what she does in the future is really a decision for her constituents. She needs to talk to her constituents." ||||| FILE - In this March 4, 2015, file photo, Rep. Elizabeth Esty, D-Conn. speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington. Esty on Monday, April 2, 2018, asked the House Ethics Committee to investigate whether she... (Associated Press) 
   
   FILE - In this March 4, 2015, file photo, Rep. Elizabeth Esty, D-Conn. speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington. Esty on Monday, April 2, 2018, asked the House Ethics Committee to investigate whether she did anything wrong in her handling of the firing of her former chief of staff accused of harassment,... (Associated Press) 
   
   FILE - In this March 4, 2015, file photo, Rep. Elizabeth Esty, D-Conn. speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington. Esty on Monday, April 2, 2018, asked the House Ethics Committee to investigate whether she did anything wrong in her handling of the firing of her former chief of staff accused of harassment,... (Associated Press) FILE - In this March 4, 2015, file photo, Rep. Elizabeth Esty, D-Conn. speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington. Esty on Monday, April 2, 2018, asked the House Ethics Committee to investigate whether she... (Associated Press) 
   
   HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — The Latest on Rep. Elizabeth Esty's handling of a sexual harassment case in her office (all times local): 
   
   4:55 p.m. 
   
   Connecticut U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty says she won't seek re-election amid calls for her to resign because of her handling of a sexual harassment case involving her former chief of staff. 
   
   The Democrat issued a statement Monday saying she has determined it's in the best interest of her constituents and her family to end her time in Congress at the end of this year "and not seek re-election." Esty is in the middle of her third term. 
   
   Esty is again apologizing to a former female member of her staff who said she was punched in the back and received death threats in 2016. The man accused of punching her was not fired for several months, pending an internal investigation. 
   
   Esty says she'll work to improve workplace protections during her final months in office. 
   
   __ 
   
   11:30 
   
   Connecticut U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty is asking the House Ethics Committee to investigate whether she committed any wrongdoing in how she handled the firing of a former chief of staff accused of harassment, threats and violence. 
   
   The 5th District congresswoman's formal request on Monday comes amid calls for her resignation from state politicians, including fellow Democrats. 
   
   In her letter to committee members, Esty says she learned through a third party in 2016 about possible misconduct involving her then-chief of staff. Esty has said she fired him three months later, after an internal investigation revealed widespread harassment allegations from staff. 
   
   Esty says questions have been raised about her handling of the dismissal and she wants the panel to decide whether she violated any law, rule or other standard of conduct.
target: – Rep. Elizabeth Esty announced Monday she will not seek re-election this year amid calls for her resignation over her handling of the firing of a former chief of staff accused of harassment and violence against female staffers in her office, the AP reports. The Democrat from Connecticut and an outspoken #MeToo advocate was accused of not protecting female staffers from the ex-chief of staff. Esty has said she regrets not moving along an internal investigation into the allegations, which revealed more widespread allegations of abuse, and regrets providing "even the slightest assistance to this individual as he sought a new job." Esty said she determined "that it is in the best interest of my constituents and my family to end my time in Congress at the end of this year and not seek re-election." Her announcement came hours after she asked the House Ethics Committee to review her actions. "Although we worked with the House Employment Counsel to investigate and ultimately dismiss this employee for his outrageous behavior with a former staffer, I believe it is important for the House Ethics Committee to conduct its own inquiry into this matter," Esty said in a written statement, acknowledging "it certainly was far from a perfect process." Esty said she wants the committee to "clarify whether there was any wrongdoing" on her part. A lawyer for the committee said he could not comment on Esty's request for an investigation. It's unclear whether an investigative subcommittee will be created or how long the process might take.