Oregon Democrat faces report of sexual allegation

[undeterred]

Source: MSNBC.COM

PORTLAND — A source says Rep. David Wu, D-Ore., will likely be speaking with congressional leaders Saturday about a newspaper report that a young woman has accused the Democrat of an unwanted sexual encounter. The source, who is close to the congressman, spoke with The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

The Oregonian reported that a young woman from California has accused the Democrat of an unwanted sexual encounter last November. The newspaper said the information came from multiple sources familiar with the allegation. In a statement late Friday, Wu said, "This is very serious, and I have absolutely no desire to bring unwanted publicity, attention, or stress to a young woman and her family."

In its story the Oregonian said its sources "agreed to speak only on condition they not be named. They offered information about the alleged incident independently, and each said they had direct knowledge of its details."

Wu, 56, represents Oregon's 1st Congressional District, a secure Democratic district which includes southwest Portland and suburbs in Washington County. Wu has served in the House since 1999 and won re-election last November with 55 percent.


Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43866136/ns/us_news/

[Enrique]

1. AP is wrong

Wu is probably best known for his vote in 2003 when he cast the last vote in a three-hour roll call on President George W. Bush's Medicare prescription drug program, making him one of the few House Democrats to vote for the bill.

In fact, Wu is best known for his "Faux Klingons" speech:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p892dUiTMss

[comtec]

2. I remember that speech, it's a great speech!

and true.
and the allegations?
honestly I doubt them, but we;ll see,

[onenote]

10. why do you doubt the allegations?

Check out Wu's history. Its not pretty.

[comtec]

24. timing just seems so convenient that's all

no saying it's unlikely, just... the timing seems weird

[ChrisBorg]

3. I think he may be best known for this....

[undeterred]

6. oh my

thats not as bad as a weiner picture but its bad...

[Judi Lynn]

9. It's also not as bad as Republican Sen. David Vitter wearing a diaper at a New Orleans bordello. n/t

[Renew Deal]

4. When is the special election?

:shrug:

[Trajan]

5. David Wu has proved to be a tone deaf imbecile ....

An embarrassment to his constituency .... His name is Mud around these parts now ...

A number of Democrats have stepped up to take him on ...... I intend to support one of them ...

[undeterred]

7. blue dog?

[Freddie Stubbs]

8. No, Congressman Wu is not a Blue Dog:

http://ross.house.gov/BlueDog/About.htm

[PassingFair]

26. Correct, he is a "New Dem" n/t

[MurrayDelph]

22. Actually, I just recently met him

and I think he is a decent guy.

[Trajan]

23. Actually ... I met him twice ....

And .... I live in his district ...

I will work to toss him out in the primary .... Nice doesnt trump foolish and deluded ...

[BNJMN]

25. "Wu told his staff that the sexual encounter was consensual." (sigh)

http://www.blueoregon.com/2011/07/david-wu-accused-agressive-unwanted-sexual-behavior/

[Nancy Waterman]

11. what is an "unwanted sexual encounter"

Not rape, not sexual harassment, not sexual assault but an unwanted encounter. Is that a legal term? Or is this just the morning after regret?

[Igel]

28. Depends.

Is it *her* term, fudging things a bit so as to not say something jarring, something that could be litigated or the basis of criminal charges that she's not willing to support, something that does express post-hoc second thoughts?

Or did she actually say something a bit more well defined and edgy, and the term's nothing more than reportorial "coddle-speak," where the reporter doesn't want to say "sexual assault" because, well, that's a bad thing and either the paper doesn't want to run the risk of a slander suit, or the reporter or editor supports Wu, or they don't like getting involved in partisan politics that don't suit them--while an "unwanted sexual encounter" might just mean Wu's been sadly misunderstood.

[AlphaCentauri]

12. Woman accuses Oregon Congressman of unwanted sexual encounter

Source: Reuters

Democratic Oregon Congressman David Wu has been accused by a teenage girl of an unwanted sexual encounter, and has called the accusation "very serious."

News reports said the young woman is the daughter of a campaign donor and high school friend of the seven-term Congressman.

The unnamed accuser is from Orange County, California and graduated from high school in 2010, the Oregonian newspaper reported.

"This is very serious, and I have absolutely no desire to bring unwanted publicity, attention, or stress to a young woman and her family," Wu, 56, said in a statement obtained by Reuters on Saturday.

Reuters contacted Wu's office, but his spokesman declined further comment.

David Swanson, an Irvine, California attorney and spokesman for the girl's family also declined to comment.



Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/23/us-oregon-congressman-idUSTRE76M32520110723

[Taverner]

13. Packwood, and then this...

[jwirr]

15. First she is a woman and then they call her a teenage girl. Now I

understand that you can be both but why use the later which allows for a misunderstanding of child abuse. If she is underage then call it what it is. If not quit using loaded words.

[MaineDem]

16. Thank you.

If she was underage, say it. If not, don't call her a girl.

And if he's guilty he's a jerk.

[trud]

18. 17-19?

If it happened this year and she graduated high school in 2010, she's probably 17-19.

[chrisa]

14. Good job MSNBC. What the heck is an "unwanted sexual encounter?"

Derp.

[Kingofalldems]

17. Republicans are having a bad week, what with the Murdoch thing--

Boehner, and a freeper sympathizer murdering people. Not surprising they get all giddy over a Democrat in a bit of trouble.

[trud]

19. let's see

Rape accusation when he was a student.
Unwanted sexual encounter alleged by 17-19 year old this year when he's 56.

[alp227]

20. never learned about the first allegation, found it on Wikipedia

Here's a news report, "Allegation of assault on woman in 1970s in college shadow U.S. Rep. David Wu" (10/12/2004). Damn this is disgusting, and since Wu's not as rich as Dominique Strauss Kahn he's probably gonna have to fight harder in his defense. As an Chinese-American I am embarrassed that such a man gets to be in Congress and wish that he would leave.

[Judi Lynn]

21. When did any news source ever write a "Republican" was charged with a sexual offense,

even when the Republican mayor in Waterbury, Connecticut, Phil Giordano, paid a prostitute to sell him her 8 year old daughter, and her 10 year old niece, in the taxpayers' office?

http://www.the40yearplan.com.nyud.net:8090/img/P__Philip-Giordano.jpg
Memory refresher:

Giordano Receives 37-Year Prison Sentence

~snip~
The FBI was investigating municipal corruption -- a probe it labeled "Operation LandPhil" -- when it stumbled upon phone calls in which Giordano set up meetings with Jones, her daughter and her niece. Neither Giordano nor anyone else has been charged with corruption.

On one of the taped conversations, Giordano talks with Jones while his sons can be heard in the background playing. On another call, Giordano told her, "I want one of the little girls."

On their last recorded conversation, Giordano warns the woman: "If my name gets mentioned, you might as well put a knife through your throat and kill yourself."

http://www.scam.com/showthread.php?t=123930

[24601]

27. Lots and lots of times Judi Lynn. Just to make the point,

here's a few links from Fox - which not only didn't hide the (R) in scandals - but also puts the political affiliation in the lead sentence:

"That's our top story tonight. Republican Senator Larry Craig from Idaho has pleaded guilty to a disorderly conduct charge stemming from a recent incident in the men’s room of the Minneapolis Airport." http://www.foxnews.com/on-air/oreilly/2007/08/29/idaho-senator-larry-craig-busted-gay-sex-sting-two-reporters-have-detailshellip

"Rep. Christopher Lee resigned from office Wednesday just hours after a report claimed the married Republican congressman sent a shirtless photo of himself to a woman on Craigslist." http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/02/09/rep-lee-declines-comment-report-claiming-sent-shirtless-photo-craigslist/

"SEAN HANNITY, HOST: In September of 2006, Florida republican Congressman Mark Foley abruptly resigned after he was accused of sending sexually explicit internet messages to a former teenage male congressional page." http://www.foxnews.com/on-air/hannity/transcript/hannity-mark-foley-breaks-his-silence

"Louisiana Democrats are seizing on Sen. David Vitter's role in a 2007 prostitution scandal for a new campaign attack ad that seeks to cut into the Louisiana Republican's commanding lead over his election opponents." http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/09/02/dems-seek-undermine-vitters-momentum-highlighting-prostitution-scandal/

When the most conservative network leads a story with the "R" in the topic sentence, the premise that media hides or blurs the political affiliation of Republicans involved scandals just isn't so.

Check for yourself - throw out a sex scandal (of someone who's actually in office) and read the affiliated stories. On the Giordano case, a small-town former mayor out of office 10 years doesn't seem to fall into a current political scandal.

[Igel]

29. It's confirmation bias.

It's background when a (R) is named, and only stands to reason. It says something known about all about a group bad people that doesn't include you, and so it neither attracts attention nor causes any kind of internal distress on your part. You assume it's true; and since the (R) is unremarkable, you don't remark it.

But if it's a (D) it contradicts what you believe and is jarring; you're in that group, so it smears the group that you're in and that you support. It says something about you. You assume it's false; and since the very fact that the person accused is a (D) is remarkable, you remark it.

If you peruse conservative sites you'll find the same kind of cognitive sieve in place: They pitch a fit every time a (D) accused of wrong doing isn't publicky marked as a Democrat because it just shows that the press is protecting "their own"; meanwhile they pitch a similar fit when a (R) is so described because, well, that's just calumny against an entire party that is actually superior and more moral. Same views, mutatis mutandis.