Thread: Lawmaker: I went skinny-dipping with teen

Lawmaker: I went skinny-dipping with teen

Utah House majority leader admits paying $150,000 in hush money

updated 1 hour, 16 minutes ago

SALT LAKE CITY - Utah's House majority leader said late Thursday he paid a woman $150,000 to keep silent about going nude "hot-tubbing" with her when she was minor a quarter century ago.

In a statement on the House floor, Republican Kevin Garn, 55, said he paid her to keep quiet about the incident during his unsuccessful U.S. congressional bid in 2002, but did not have sexual contact with her.

Garn said the woman, who he didn't identify on the floor, has been calling news outlets and that he wanted to be open about the incident that occurred when he was 28 years old, before any stories appeared.

A woman identifying herself as Cheryl Maher told The Salt Lake Tribune that she and Garn were in a hot tub nude when she was 15 years old.

"This has just been a nightmare for me," Maher said in a telephone interview with the newspaper from New Hampshire. "I just want to tell the truth because it's part of the healing process for me."

'Spur of the moment'
Garn told The Associated Press early Friday that Maher was the woman and that they were nude during a "spur of the moment" skinny-dip. He said she worked for him in a warehouse.

"We sat there and that was it," Garn said.

Maher, who now lives in New Hampshire, also contacted Garn's hometown newspaper, the Ogden Standard-Examiner.

The Associated Press could not immediately reach Maher.

Garn's legislative future in highly conservative Utah with its strong Mormon influence is uncertain, but GOP Gov. Gary Herbert's spokeswoman, Angie Welling, said Herbert would not be asking for Garn's resignation.

Garn spoke on last night of the legislative session as a tearful House Speaker Dave Clark and their colleagues looked on.

Thunderous applause
House members gave him thunderous applause for his honesty and embraced him. As majority leader, Garn was the House's point man on a series of legislative ethics bills this year that were designed to restore the public's faith in the Legislature after recent accusations of bribery.

"While this payment felt like extortion, I also felt like I should take her word that the money would help her heal. She agreed to keep this 25-year-old incident confidential. Now that this issue is coming up again, it is apparent to me that this payment was also a mistake," Garn said.

"Although we did not have any sexual contact, it was still clearly inappropriate — and it was my fault," Garn said.

"I apologize to you, my colleagues, for any shame this brings to the Utah State Legislature. I have tried my best to serve my constituents in a way that brings honor to them and makes this great state better than the way I found it. I hope to continue to do that," Garn said.

The Utah Senate's former majority leader, Sheldon Killpack, resigned earlier this year after being arrested for driving under the influence.

"Although Rep. Garn made some bad decisions, first 25 years ago and then again in 2002, they do not diminish the good work he has done for the state of Utah," Welling said in a statement to the AP.

Filing for re-election begins Friday.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35831001/ns ... _politics/

SALT LAKE CITY - Utah's House majority leader said late Thursday he paid a woman $150,000 to keep silent about going nude "hot-tubbing" with her when she was minor a quarter century ago.

Gee, I guess that was money NOT well spent!

Originally Posted by SicNTiredInSoCal

SALT LAKE CITY - Utah's House majority leader said late Thursday he paid a woman $150,000 to keep silent about going nude "hot-tubbing" with her when she was minor a quarter century ago.

Gee, I guess that was money NOT well spent!

She should be prosecuted for extortion of a candidate for federal office. That's a federal crime, she'll do time for it, and rightly so. Where is Eric Holder? That's his job you know, to prosecute criminals extorting elected officials.

Garn spoke on last night of the legislative session as a tearful House Speaker Dave Clark and their colleagues looked on.

Thunderous applause
House members gave him thunderous applause for his honesty and embraced him. As majority leader, Garn was the House's point man on a series of legislative ethics bills this year that were designed to restore the public's faith in the Legislature after recent accusations of bribery.

WOW! What a tear jerker!

Originally Posted by NoBueno

Garn spoke on last night of the legislative session as a tearful House Speaker Dave Clark and their colleagues looked on.

Thunderous applause
House members gave him thunderous applause for his honesty and embraced him. As majority leader, Garn was the House's point man on a series of legislative ethics bills this year that were designed to restore the public's faith in the Legislature after recent accusations of bribery.

WOW! What a tear jerker!

I know. You couldn't write a play as silly as this real life non-drama. 25 years ago, when he was a hot 28 year old, he skinny dipped in a hot tub with a hot teenage employee. Happens somewhere to someone every day, probably more often in Utah on a per capita basis than anywhere else in the country.

In any event, the only public issue here is that when this employee was an adult 32 year old she extorted a candidate for federal office to buy her silence about a 17 year old encounter to help her "heal". Then in 2010 she breached her contract $150,000 silence and healing contract, and started chirping again.

This is why you never pay them and why men in authority positions should always wear boxers and keep them on in the hot tub.

Originally Posted by Judy

Originally Posted by NoBueno

Garn spoke on last night of the legislative session as a tearful House Speaker Dave Clark and their colleagues looked on.

Thunderous applause
House members gave him thunderous applause for his honesty and embraced him. As majority leader, Garn was the House's point man on a series of legislative ethics bills this year that were designed to restore the public's faith in the Legislature after recent accusations of bribery.

WOW! What a tear jerker!

I know. You couldn't write a play as silly as this real life non-drama. 25 years ago, when he was a hot 28 year old, he skinny dipped in a hot tub with a hot teenage employee. Happens somewhere to someone every day, probably more often in Utah on a per capita basis than anywhere else in the country.

In any event, the only public issue here is that when this employee was an adult 32 year old she extorted a candidate for federal office to buy her silence about a 17 year old encounter to help her "heal". Then in 2010 she breached her contract $150,000 silence and healing contract, and started chirping again.

This is why you never pay them and why men in authority positions should always wear boxers and keep them on in the hot tub.

ROTFLMAO!!! I can just hear it now! Politician to the American people: Yes... While it's true I did take a hot tube with an underage subordinate, I'll have you know that at no time was my boxers ever removed! LOL. Kind of like... yes, I smoked pot, but you can find comfort in the fact that I never inhaled.

You couldn't make this stuff up if you tried!

Originally Posted by NoBueno

Originally Posted by Judy

Originally Posted by NoBueno

Garn spoke on last night of the legislative session as a tearful House Speaker Dave Clark and their colleagues looked on.

Thunderous applause
House members gave him thunderous applause for his honesty and embraced him. As majority leader, Garn was the House's point man on a series of legislative ethics bills this year that were designed to restore the public's faith in the Legislature after recent accusations of bribery.

WOW! What a tear jerker!

I know. You couldn't write a play as silly as this real life non-drama. 25 years ago, when he was a hot 28 year old, he skinny dipped in a hot tub with a hot teenage employee. Happens somewhere to someone every day, probably more often in Utah on a per capita basis than anywhere else in the country.

In any event, the only public issue here is that when this employee was an adult 32 year old she extorted a candidate for federal office to buy her silence about a 17 year old encounter to help her "heal". Then in 2010 she breached her contract $150,000 silence and healing contract, and started chirping again.

This is why you never pay them and why men in authority positions should always wear boxers and keep them on in the hot tub.

ROTFLMAO!!! I can just hear it now! Politician to the American people: Yes... While it's true I did take a hot tube with an underage subordinate, I'll have you know that at no time was my boxers ever removed! LOL. Kind of like... yes, I smoked pot, but you can find comfort in the fact that I never inhaled.

You couldn't make this stuff up if you tried!

Exactly!