Utah House GOP leader says he paid off woman

[Tx4obama]

Source: Huffington Post

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

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

Garn said the woman, who he didn't identify, has been contacting 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.

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20100312/us-majority-leader-confession/

---

Further down in the article it says that: House members gave him thunderous applause for his honesty and embraced him.
Unbelievable!
Why on earth would they applaud the fact that a 28 year old man was NAKED with a 15 year old?
GOP'ers are NOT the party of 'family values' no matter how many times they say so.
It appears that they are the 'party of perverts'.

[Hekate]

1. Wonder how he voted on that new Utah law that criminalizes miscarriages? nt

[northofdenali]

2. I wonder if Wimmer/Swimmer applauds him?

Who is going to STOP these people? Not our suPremo Court 5, for sure. The Utah governor just signed Wimmer's shit into LAW:

Utah Governor Signs Controversial Law Charging Women and Girls With Murder for Miscarriages

"Criminal Homicide and Abortion Amendments" or HB12, which previously also applied to miscarriages caused by "reckless" acts, was never "withdrawn" by its sponsor, Republican Representative Carl Wimmer (who is crafting similar "model legislation" for other states).

http://www.alternet.org/rights/145956/controversial_utah_law_charges_women_and_girls_with_murder_for_miscarriages_

Who supports these sick pedophiles? Their own religion supposedly denounces them, but agrees that children of 13, 14, 15 should be forced to marry?

What a game Joseph Smith invented for his misogynistic, pedophiliac, psychopathic, sociopathic, sadistic "religion". What a game ALL religions invent.

It makes me sick.

Repukes. The Party of God. The Party of Family Values.

Yeah. Right.

[Name removed]

13. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[upi402]

3. Do these guys never learn? n/t

[offog]

4. Eeew!

Christian conservatives complain that they don't get taken seriously and think it's the fault of that liberal news media. No, it's not a vast liberal-left conspiracy. The problem is that hypocrisy about sex is as integral to conservative culture as free-enterprise philosophy.

And I don't think we can dismiss Garn's behavior as some youthful indiscretion. 28 years old is old enough to know better.

[tomm2thumbs]

5. I hope there was video of this - it destroys everything they have to say about 'values'

the only reason he is 'coming clean' is because the gig is up - and he is trying to get ahead of what is obviously a train heading fast behind him

this video of thunderous applause for admitting this hopefully will find its way into purposeful hands

[Tx4obama]

29. MSNBC just played a short video clip. n/t

[No Elephants]

6. His HONESTY? A 28 year old man is nude in a hot tub with a nude minor.

He does not mention it for 27 years. And when he does mention it, he claims that was not sexual. And legislators applaud him for his---wait for it---HONESTY?

I'll retire to Bedlam.

[maseman]

7. Ok another lying asshole

I was in a hot tub naked with a hot young girl and paid her hush money....BUT I NEVER HAD SEXUAL CONTACT.

That's as ridiculous as saying...

I went to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, ordered the filet, and didn't eat it.
I went to the bar and ordered a cocktail, but didn't drink it.
I went to Friendly's and ordered a banana split but didn't eat it.
I went on vacation to the Virgin Islands but I sat in my hotel room all week.

Don't these skillet-heads realize how stupid they sound?

[No Elephants]

8. How would they realize it, when their colleagues applaud them for their HONESTY and their

voters keep returning them to office?

[mwb970]

9. It makes me think of the Wasilla Hillbillies.

Here's a trailer-trash tabloid family filled with petty crimes, grifting, out-of-wedlock births, ethics scandals - and the wackaloon conservatives cheer and cheer for them as if they were not violating every "family value" that these nuts claim to stand for.

Party of perverts, indeed. Once again: extreme conservatism is a mental illness, and should be classified and treated as such. These people need help.

[activa8tr]

26. No, it's not a disease, it's a crime, and these people should all be

put in a jail together. Let them eat each other up.

Treat then like the criminals they are, don't make them eligible for ADA rights.

[SpiralHawk]

10. Republicon Family Values hypocrisy AGAIN

When they do it, they give themselves a standing O.

[bulloney]

11. I can give you 150,000 reasons why I think he's lying about not having sex with the girl.

Why is he coming out with it now after all of these years? Why the hush money?

[City Lights]

12. Another GOP hypocrite exposed.

And even more hypocrites exposed for giving this pervert thunderous applause for his so-called honesty. :puke: He comes clean only because he's afraid the story was going to come out anyway. Republicans disgust me.

[MaineDem]

14. Just being naked with her is sexual

Maybe he did or did not physically touch her but just looking at her nude body IS a sort of sexual contact. And he is a predator!

[lunatica]

15. He took a bow to thunderous applause

That's just too far to the evil side of Good and Evil. It's one thing to do the acts, but altogether another thing to support it. Reminds me of Michael Vick's friends. There ought to be a readily available word or phrase to classify these people. Something that describes the particular perversion of this class of people who believe that someone telling the truth for once in their 55 year old life deserves accolades as if he had been the most honest man in the world all along, but he was just waiting for the opportunity to show it.

[Ian David]

16. (Utah) House Majority Leader Kevin Garn (Republican) admits to incident w/girl in past

Source: Deseret News

SALT LAKE CITY — House Majority Leader Kevin Garn admitted as the Legislature adjourned Thursday night to a nude hot tubbing incident with a teenage girl 25 years ago.

In a tearful statement in a packed House chambers, Garn said the mistake has "now come back to haunt me" as the woman has gone public with the story. The Layton Republican said he entered into a confidentiality agreement with the woman in 2002 and paid her $150,000.

"I was 28 years old and I foolishly went hot-tubbing with a young woman nearly half my age. Although we did not have any sexual contact, it was still clearly inappropriate, and it was my fault," Garn said in a statement.

"One of the consequences of that decision was the negative impact it had on this young person's life. Years later, when I was running for Congress, she decided to bring this incident to the attention of the media.

"Shortly thereafter, my wife and I met with her, and at her demand, I paid her $150,000. 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."


House Majority Leader Rep. Kevin Garn, right, is consoled by fellow Reps. Gregory Hughes, left, and Brad Dee at the Capitol late Thursday night.



Read more: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700016009/House-Majority-Leader-Kevin-Garn-admits-to-incident-with-girl-in-past.html?pg=2

---

Hat-tip to:

Top GOP politico in Utah went in hot tub w/ teen girl, then paid her $150,000 in hush money--and newspaper covered up. http://is.gd/akQZH
http://twitter.com/GregMitch/status/10371062344

[CBGLuthier]

17. nearly half his age of 28

Personally I have not lusted after 13-year olds since I was 12 or so (always liked older women).

What a nasty asshole but since it is Utah I doubt it will matter one bit.

[babylonsister]

18. This trend is interesting. Better to admit to foibles now than to wait

until they're unearthed by someone else? Darn the bad luck that he paid this person off and she still went public.

:nopity:

[Fridays Child]

19. Consoled? They're consoling him?

That "R" after the name comes with a completely separate set of rules, I guess.

[Democat]

22. The underage girl obviously seduced him! It must have been her fault!

He's a Republican, he's never to blame for his own actions.

[activa8tr]

27. Isn't it always the woman's fault? Ever since Eve was tempted.

:sarcasm:

[True_Blue]

28. And don't forget Pandora and that box

That certainly didn't help matters any either.

[Soylent Brice]

20. so he admits to fucking up, then he admits that he fucked up again by paying her off, and

they console him, like he's the victim in all this.
the mind boggles.

[TheCowsCameHome]

21. Looks like Kevin Garn is gonna get screwed after all.

but not in the way he was hoping for.

[salguine]

23. How long till he finds Jesus? Five , four, three, two...

[Name removed]

24. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[JTFrog]

25. Go pound spam. n/t