Congressman's $121,000 Payoff to Alleged Mistress

[RamboLiberal]

Source: ABC News

West Palm Beach Congressman Tim Mahoney (D-FL), whose predecessor resigned in the wake of a sex scandal, agreed to a $121,000 payment to a former mistress who worked on his staff and was threatening to sue him, according to current and former members of his staff who have been briefed on the settlement, which involved Mahoney and his campaign committee.

Mahoney, who is married, also promised the woman, Patricia Allen, a $50,000 a year job for two years at the agency that handles his campaign advertising, the staffers said.

A Mahoney spokesperson would not answer questions about the alleged affair or the settlement, but said Allen resigned of her own accord and "has not received any special payment from campaign funds."

Senior Democratic leaders in the House of Representatives, including Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-IL), the chair of the Democratic Caucus, have been working with Mahoney to keep the matter from hurting his re-election campaign, the Mahoney staffers said.



Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=5997043&page=1

[NMDemDist2]

1. ooops n/t

[IndianaGreen]

2. Love those GOP family values!

Teen pregnancy in Palin's family because Sarah was too busy to pay attention to her daughter.

[sabra]

3. in this case he is a Dem {Tim Mahoney (D-FL)}

[IndianaGreen]

9. Well, hypocrisy is bipartisan, e.g., John Edwards

Mahoney opposes marriage rights for LGBTs, most of whom would be more faithful to their partners than Mahoney or Edwards ever were.

[emilyg]

20. He's a Dem - carry on.

[MNDemNY]

4. Fuck his re-election,if this is a fact, he should withdraw.

:spank:

[bemildred]

5. "has not received any special payment from campaign funds."

Well, I'm glad he used his own money.

[lifesbeautifulmagic]

6. he is a blue dog (I beleive)

maybe we can get a more progessive dem in that district.

[Winterblues]

7. If his wife can't trust him how can the people?

Is it too late for a Primary challenge?

[ryanmuegge]

12. Kennedy had a lot of affairs, too. Does that mean he was a bad president?

To tie somebody's private sex life with the substance of their job performance is completely absurd.

[bean fidhleir]

14. Yes, actually. Both factors came from the same place in his head

Namely, the belief that he was entitled to have whatever he wanted, need not look out for anyone else, and could do no wrong. He had the kind of psychopathy many born-wealthy people have: superficially charming, but fundamentally uncaring.

[verges]

17. Newsflash!

Poor and middle income people of both sexes often cheat on their spouses also. It's not right, but it has nothing to do with their day jobs.

[LanternWaste]

18. JFK was consistently worried about the political decisions he made...

"...but fundamentally uncaring."

According to the book, 'An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy, 1917-1963', by Robert Dallek, JFK was consistently worried about many of the decisions he made. Among them, his concern resulting from his initial support of Ngo Dinh Diem, later rescinded; and his oft-advertised worry (within XCOM) of whether he was making the correct decision concerning the Cuban Missile Crisis and what the final consequence would be.

Additionally (according to Dallek), those many months in his youth and early adulthood spent in medical wards from his then undiagnosed Addison's disease left him with a deep introspection which, in my opinion, is the direct antithesis of a belief of entitlement.


Not that I know any born-wealthy people, but I do know quite a few born-poor people who much more accurately fit your description "superficially charming, but fundamentally uncaring" than of what I know of JFK.

Maybe your sources are quite different. :shrug:

[bean fidhleir]

25. My sources are Gore Vidal and various bio snippets I've read

His collusion with the family to hide the virtual murder of his sister, his evasion of medical standards to get a combat assignment for which he was unfit but that would be useful to him later politically (something I wasn't aware of til recently), his taking credit for a ghostwritten book, his sexual history, his and RFK's treatment of Marilyn Monroe - these paint a picture of someone whose sense of privilege and entitlement was absolute.

His life was thoroughly mythologized, and one must peer steadily at it to see through the glow of hagiography.

[LanternWaste]

26. I look at his life as objectively as possible

I look at his life as objectively as possible-- with neither mythology nor trendy revisionism to guide me.

It seems that maybe we could both do with a few more volumes of knowledge re: JFK in our library...

[FloridaGrl]

8. oh friggin no!

OMG this is the worst news. I was looking forward to voting for him next week; please say it ain't so.

Edit to ask: What can happen now to ensure the Dems will keep this seat? Because I know he will not win with this scandal. OMG this man replaced Mark Foley now this.

[Virginia Dare]

10. What an idiot.....n/t

[YDogg]

11. pathetic. on the other hand, vitter and larry craig are still in office. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[xxqqqzme]

13. Forget Kansas!

What's wrong w/ Florida? Seriously, that state is in dire need of extensive therapy.

[JDPriestly]

15. Once someone makes an accusation against a man, the man

has to respond publicly to the accusation. These behind the scene settlements do not work when the man in question is a politician or other prominent figure.

Even when the accusation is false, a back-room deal forever clouds the reputation of the man in question. Unless the women is very wealthy, the damage to her reputation and future employment is enough to discourage a false accusation. It's not smart for a prominent man to make these kinds of deals. It buys a little time, but sooner or later the facts become public.

Unfortunately, there really is a lot of sexual harassment in the workplace. And for the woman, it can be extremely humiliating and can destroy her career. Women should not just sweep these things under the rug. The only way to stop sexual harassment is to make those who do it pay a great deal and pay publicly.

[Psephos]

19. Good points

Another way to stop sexual harassment in this case would have been for the woman also to exercise some judgment.

Of course, that's easy to say, harder to do, when the emotions of attraction kick in. :o

I don't get why something that's common and tolerated (if not exactly admirable) in general society becomes a news event when it involves a politician.

[JDPriestly]

21. I don't know the details. The individual who is in a supervisory or

superior position (if one party is) has, in my opinion, a responsibility to make sure rules are followed including rules against sexual harassment.

[JDPriestly]

22. Also, sexual harassment is not generally tolerated.

It is illegal.

[Psephos]

23. Fully agreed - my comment was toward affairs between married people, not harassment n/t

[Turbineguy]

16. She worked on his staff?

Nice choice of words...

[struggle4progress]

24. Scandal Embroils Congressman (WaPo)

Fla. Democrat Accused of Paying Ex-Mistress to Keep Quiet

By Christopher Lee
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, October 14, 2008; Page A15

... "While these allegations are based on hearsay, I believe that my constituents need a full accounting," Mahoney, who is married, said in a statement yesterday that did not address whether the allegations were true. "As such, I have requested the House Ethics Committee to review these allegations. I am confident that when the facts are presented that I will be vindicated."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) also called for the ethics committee to investigate the "serious allegations." ...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/13/AR2008101302421.html