Thread: Congressman apologizes after compromising video posted

'Kissing congressman' Vance McAllister: Will voters forgive transgression?

Allegations that married Rep. Vance McAllister was kissing a staffer coincided with release of a poll that showed many voters are forgiving of adultery. But the particulars of this case might matter.

By Peter Grier, Staff writer / April 8, 2014

WASHINGTON

Rep. Vance McAllister (R) of Louisiana is in a lot of trouble. The married father of five was allegedly caught on surveillance tape kissing a staff member who was not his wife, and that tape has now been leaked to the world at large. Representative McAllister’s office in Washington was locked on Monday following the story’s release and in the afternoon he issued a lengthy apology.

“There is no doubt I’ve fallen short and I’m asking for forgiveness. I’m asking for forgiveness from God, my wife, my kids, my staff, and my constituents who elected me to serve,” said McAllister.

The alleged incident occurred in a district office in Monroe, La. The staff member was identified in the local Ouachita Citizen, which broke the story, as Melissa Peacock. Campaign finance records show that both Ms. Peacock and her husband have been staunch financial supporters of McAllister.

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McAllister has only been in office a few months. He won a special election in a heavily Republican district in November to replace Rep. Rodney Alexander (R), who resigned to take a position in the administration of Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal.

McAllister upset a favored candidate with ties to the state GOP establishment to get his seat in Washington, riding an endorsement by the Robertson clan of "Duck Dynasty" fame. His ads emphasized his family and support for traditional values.

While conservative, he has taken at least one surprising position: He has come out in favor of expanding Medicaid in the state as provided for by the Affordable Care Act, saying that to do otherwise would just divert some of his constituents’ taxes to other states.

On Tuesday, McAllister’s office announced that Peacock was no longer in his employ, and that the congressman planned to stay in office and run for reelection to a full two-year term in November. Will his apparent transgression hurt him with voters, making this effort an uphill climb?
Possibly not. In polls voters usually say they are less bothered by political extramarital incidents than by out-and-out monetary corruption.

A Quinnipiac survey released Tuesday (good timing) asked respondents to rate a hypothetical congressman who was only described as a married man of middle age who is working to develop policies to help middle-class families.

One group of respondents was told this congressman had been unfaithful to his wife. Of those, 49 percent said they would not, or probably would not, vote for him.

A separate group was told the congressman had created a new well-paid staff position to hire an unqualified family member. Of these voters, a whopping 67 percent said they would not or probably would not cast a ballot for the lawmaker.

“Voters clearly see a difference between personal and official scandals. Committing adultery is far less damaging to a politician than abusing their office,” said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll, in a statement.

Other surveys have found broadly similar results. Last year a BusinessInsider pollfound that only 28 percent of respondents would definitely stop supporting a candidate due to adultery.

Does that mean McAllister might win reelection? After all, he’s got a role model of sorts in Congress now. Rep. Mark Sanford (R) of South Carolina won a House seat last fall despite the revelation when he was governor that he had a long-running affair with an Argentine woman.

Well, McAllister’s future depends heavily on the circumstances of his particular case, not just general approval or disapproval of political adultery. And right now those circumstances, for him, may be pushing the meter towards “loser.”

Representative Sanford’s transgression took place long prior to his congressional election, for instance. For McAllister, November really isn’t that far away. His emphasis on his family during the campaign could also cause voters to see him a harsher light, due to the apparent hypocrisy involved.

In the Quinnipiac survey, when respondents were told that the congressman facing a sex scandal had promoted family values in his campaign, his vote share cratered, with only 28 percent of voters saying they would continue to support him.

In addition, there is video. That matters in today’s social media age.

Voters in his district will see the tape over and over prior to the 2014 election. And right now there is at least one aggrieved party: Peacock’s husband. He’s lashed out, saying his life has been “wrecked” by McAllister, according to CNN.

Voters do make a distinction between private and public behavior. Otherwise Bill Clinton’s presidency might have ended prematurely. Sen. David Vitter (R) of Louisiana remains in office despite his phone number surfacing during investigation of the “DC Madam” prostitution ring. Senator Vitter has even declared that he will run for governor of Louisiana in 2015 to replace the term-limited Jindal.

The question for McAllister will be whether voters make a similar distinction in his case.

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/DC-Deco...-transgression

McAllister district manager leaked kissing video

Reports: McAllister district manager leaked kissing video, staffer's husband says it 'has wrecked my life'


A video leaked to The Ouachita Citizen reportedly shows U.S. Rep. Vance McAllister kissing a congressional staffer. (The Ouachita Citizen)

By Lauren McGaughy, NOLA.com | The Times Picayune
Email the author | Follow on Twitter
on April 08, 2014 at 11:25 AM, updated April 08, 2014 at 1:44 PM

The story surrounding Louisiana's newest congressman Vance McAllister, his affair with a married staffer, and a video purportedly proving the infidelity is only getting stranger and more complex.

Less than 24 hours after the video showing the newly-elected 5th District congressman kissing staffer Melissa Anne Hixon Peacock was first leaked, new reports allege the evidence was purposely released by one of McAllister's district managers. But although he admitted to the affair, McAllister said he will not resign and claimed this was the first time he strayed from his wife of 16 years.

In an unrelated report, the website Gawker is claiming it has secured texts sent between an anonymous source known only as "Teflon Man" and McAllister in which the congressman admits to the incident.
In an exclusive interview Monday with Greg Hilburn of The Monroe News-Star, McAllister said this was "absolutely" his first infidelity and made clear he intended to run for election to what would be his first full congressional term in November, "unless there is an outcry for me not to serve."

Melissa Peacock's husband Heath Peacock -- with whom McAllister worked and attended the same high school -- has since told CNN the incident has "wrecked his life" and put the couple on the path to divorce.

But the strangest turn of events might be the speculation around who and how the video was first leaked. The Monroe News-Star reported Tuesday that a local minister is claiming Leah Gordon, who manages McAllister's Monroe District Office, planned to leak the video to several sources as a means to push the congressman out of office.

"He has wrecked my life...We're headed for divorce." -- Heath Peacock, husband of McAllister staff, to CNN

Gordon told Pastor Danny Chance of Christian Life Church in Monroe that she planned to send the video to local weekly newspaper The Ouachita Citizen -- which first posted the video Monday -- along with state Sen. Mike Walsworth, R-West Monroe, and a staffer in Rodney Alexander's office, according to The News-Star. Alexander, who previously occupied McAllister's seat, stepped down last year to become Gov. Bobby Jindal's Veterans Affairs Secretary. McAllister racked up the surprise victory against a state senator in November special election to replace Alexander.

"I'm not taking up for the congressman; what he did was wrong," Chance told The News-Star. "But I just feel like there is a conspiracy to bring Vance down and destroy him. For someone on his staff to do that is wrong."

Walsworth and Alexander's staffer both denied seeing the video before Monday, however, and McAllister campaign manager Adam Terry told Hilburn the office is sussing out who leaked it: "Clearly, what the congressman did was wrong and he's taking responsibility for his actions. However, a breach in security in a federal office is a grave concern for us."

Only Gordon, the landlord and his employee had access to the video; the latter two have denied releasing it and have promised to take a polygraph to prove it, according to The News-Star.

Also on Tuesday, Gawker released a series of texts it said documents a conversation between McAllister and a stranger known only as "Teflon Man." According to Gawker, Teflon Man told them he secured McAllister's cell phone number online -- the congressman was well-known for handing it out to press and public -- and proceeded to text him as though he was a friend.

Before realizing he didn't know who was texting, McAllister allegedly responded, "I messed up," and admitted Heath Peacock "doesn't want to talk to me and I understand."

Gawker staff writer Adam Weinstein texted the alleged McAllister number Tuesday morning, after which Terry called him. He didn't confirm the number belonged to his boss.

Days before the video was leaked, Peacock was removed from McAllister's payroll. The congressman apologized for the incident Monday, and after missing a couple of votes late Monday, his staff told NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune he is currently in Louisiana spending time with his family.

On Tuesday, GOP leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., told The Associated Press he thought McAllister's apology was appropriate, but stopped short of saying the congressman should step down.

http://www.nola.com/politics/index.s...r_staffer.html

State GOP leaders may urge 'kissing congressman' to resign

The Advocate

- ‎16 minutes ago‎

Embattled U.S. Rep. Vance McAllister faced flagging support Wednesday within his own political party, as the “kissing congressman” video scandal commanded national attention for a third day and caused growing consternation among state Republican ...

http://www.alipac.us/f9/kissing-cong...ection-301784/

McAllister Defies Cantor, Says He Won't Resign

WASHINGTON April 29, 2014 (AP)
By MATTHEW DALY Associated Press



House Majority Leader Eric Cantor has told Louisiana Rep. Vance McAllister he should resign in the wake of a video showing him kissing a married female aide, but the embattled Republican husband and father says he won't give up his seat.

"I'm not going to run away. And I believe that I'm not going to leave my district voiceless again for the second time," McAllister said Tuesday after meeting with Cantor, R-Va. A Cantor spokesman said the majority leader told McAllister he should step down.

McAllister had already said he would not run for re-election and apologized for conduct he called a "personal failure."

Cantor spokesman Rory Cooper said the majority leader believes that Republicans should hold themselves to a high moral standard and that McAllister's conduct didn't meet that standard.

Cantor's comments were first reported by Politico.

McAllister was elected to Congress last year after Rodney Alexander, R-La., resigned to join Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal's cabinet. Alexander said Monday he will not seek election to Congress.

Jindal and state Republican Party Chairman Roger Villere called on McAllister to resign after a Louisiana newspaper released a grainy security tape that showed McAllister kissing Melissa Peacock, an aide and family friend, in the congressman's district headquarters.

McAllister apologized and Peacock resigned, along with the congressman's district director, who was suspected of releasing the video.

McAllister had stayed out of public sight since the scandal erupted three weeks ago, canceling events for therapy sessions and spending time with his wife and five children during Congress' Easter recess. McAllister returned to Washington late Monday and has voted on several bills.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/cantor-louisiana-rep-mcallister-resign-23521188

http://www.alipac.us/f9/%91kissing-c...l-term-305904/