Ohio Rep. Marcy Kaptur: 'Under no circumstances' is it victim's fault if they're harassed

Rep. Marcy Kaptur said Wednesday that victims are not to blame for any harassment they experience, hours after reports surfaced that she had suggested women’s clothing are an “invitation” to harassment.

“Under no circumstances is it the victim's fault if they are harassed in any way,” the Ohio Democrat said in a statement provided to USA TODAY.

Kaptur’s statement comes after Politico reported that she said some members of Congress and staffers were wearing suggestive clothing that led to harassment.

"I saw a member yesterday with her cleavage so deep it was down to the floor,” Kaptur said at a private Democratic Caucus meeting, according to Politico. "And what I’ve seen … it's really an invitation."

Kaptur reportedly said there should be a stricter dress code on the Hill.

In her statement to USA TODAY, Kaptur described the mistreatment she experienced when she was first elected to Congress.

"I became a refuge for female staffers who had been mistreated by their bosses, some of them in tears many days," she said. " It is something I carry with me to this day and something I brought up during our Caucus meeting."

Kaptur has served in Congress since 1983.