NH GOP senator stripped of committees amid staff harassment allegations

The state senator says his removal from committees was politically motivated, but he didn’t refute the claims.

State Sen. Tim McGough (R-Merrimack) was quietly removed from both of his Senate committee assignments this week following allegations that he harassed Senate staff. However, in a lengthy public statement responding to his removal, the first-term senator never addressed the claims made against him.

McGough was stripped of his seats on the Commerce Committee and the Executive Department and Administration Committee by Senate President Sharon Carson (R-Londonderry). The move came months after McGough had been denied staff support entirely — making him the only member of the New Hampshire Senate without assigned staff — due to allegations of ill-treatment of the staffers previously assigned to him.

One lawmaker told the Granite Post that they were aware that lawyers were involved with McGough’s alleged abusive interactions with staff, and central to a decision to forbid the Senator from interacting with staff. McGough had reportedly previously been investigated for harassing Senate staff and was formally ordered not to speak to staffers directly.

In a statement released Wednesday, McGough framed the removal as political retaliation, calling it a “witch hunt” and accusing Carson of creating a hostile environment for members who challenge her authority.

“This is not the first witch hunt against a Senate colleague led by Senator Carson,” McGough wrote. “It’s the same playbook, different season and now I’m the target.”

McGough cited specific policy disagreements he believes put a target on his back: his decision to side with Gov. Kelly Ayotte over Carson during a budget battle over Group II retirement benefits for police and first responders, and public criticism of a House committee chairman he accused of being an ally to the insurance industry. He said those stands cost him politically within the caucus.

Notably absent from his statement was any reference to the conduct that, according to multiple sources, prompted the staff removal in the first place. McGough did not deny the harassment allegations, did not address the investigation, and did not explain the circumstances under which he was ordered not to speak directly to Senate staff.

Carson’s office has not publicly explained the reasons for the removal, and said in a statement those details would not be forthcoming from her office. She also expressed no concern for the wellbeing of Senate staff allegedly harassed by McGough.

“I made the difficult decision to remove Senator McGough from his senate committees and commissions. This was not a decision I made lightly. Nor is it one that I can discuss in any detail, as it is a personnel matter and disclosure of underlying details would constitute an invasion of privacy for several individuals,” Carson said.

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Democratic Minority Leader Rebecca Perkins Kwoka said she found the reports troubling, and sought more information, but also did not express concern for the wellbeing of Senate staff affected.

“It’s troubling to hear that this has been going on inside the Senate and I think we’d like to know more about what’s happening,” Perkins Kwoka said in an interview Thursday. “We have families that really need help and are struggling through an affordability crisis and so I think that’s where we need our public service focus. We look forward to finding out more and we hope that we can understand exactly what’s been occurring.”

Shannon Chandley, a former senator who previously represented District 11 and has announced her candidacy for the seat again in November, issued a sharper response.

“I am deeply troubled over reports that the current Senator representing District 11 has been removed from his committee assignments by his own party’s leadership over serious allegations of harassment,” Chandley said. “The dedicated public servants who support the work we do for the people of New Hampshire deserve better, and our community deserves a Senator who is focused, effective, and accountable to Granite Staters.”

McGough is a first-term senator representing a swing district that includes Amherst, Merrimack, Milford, and Wilton. He defeated Chandley in 2024 after the seat had changed hands multiple times in recent cycles.

Chair for the New Hampshire Democratic Party Ray Buckley issued a statement saying putting staff in harms way “unacceptable.”

“Clearly, the Republican Senate President thought there was enough evidence to shield staff by restricting their interaction with Senator McGough and stripping him of committee assignments. Senator McGough clearly poses a threat, and putting staff in harm’s way is absolutely unacceptable. Whether he resigns or not, there’s one thing everyone knows – Tim McGough is not going to be representing District 11 come November.”

Senator Donovan Fenton, State Senator for District 10 said staff safety needed to be the priority coming out of this. 

“I’m not going to comment on individuals, but I will say this: every staff member deserves to be treated with respect, and it’s our duty to uphold that standard.”

The nature of the harassment allegations — including whether any conduct was physical or sexual — has not been made public. Granite Post has reached out to Carson’s office for comment and has asked McGough directly whether the allegations involved physical or sexual conduct. Neither responded to those specific questions.