I thought from the headline that Pelosi would be investigated as well. Ah, I’m disappointed to see that’s not what you meant :-).
Investigated? No. Hard on the case - oh, YES! (This could go 24/7 just like the Foley thing did!)
Pelosi Calls for Inquiry Into Claims About Mahoney's Alleged Ex-Mistress
Florida congressman allegedly paid more than $100,000 to his ex-mistress and former staff aide who sued after he threatened her job.
FOXNews.com
Monday, October 13, 2008
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Monday called for an investigation into claims that Rep. Tim Mahoney paid $121,000 to a former mistress who worked on his staff and sued him after he threatened her job when she tried to end the relationship.
Mahoney, D-Fla., also called for the probe into his own activities.
Former and current staff aides made the claims to ABC News on Monday. Mahoney won his congressional seat in 2006 after Rep. Mark Foley, a Republican, was forced to resign in the wake of a scandal involving a congressional page.
"I just learned today about the serious allegations concerning Congressman Tim Mahoney," Pelosi said in a statement. "These charges must be immediately and thoroughly investigated by the House Ethics Committee."
According to ABC News, Mahoney, who is married, started an affair with Patricia Allen while campaigning against Foley on a morality platform. Allen came on to his staff after he won the election in 2006, but when complaints about the alleged affair surfaced, Mahoney moved Allen to the campaign staff, aides told the broadcast network.
ABC reported Allen tried to break off the affair after learning Mahoney was supposedly cheating on her and his wife with other women. In response, he threatened her job, ABC reported.
"You work at my pleasure," Mahoney told Allen in a taped Jan. 20, 2008, telephone call played for Mahoney staffers, ABC reported.
House Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel spoke to Mahoney in early 2007 about his personal conduct, FOX News confirmed Monday. Emanuel formerly headed the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the panel charged with electing Democrats to Congress.
**SNIP**
"Upon hearing a rumor, Congressman Emanuel confronted Congressman Mahoney, told him he was in public life and had a responsibility to act accordingly and appropriately, and urged him to do so. They had no further conversations on this topic," an aide to Emanuel said in a statement.
Asked about the affair, Pelosi earlier said she didn't know anything about the financial settlement.
"This is completely news to me," Pelosi said when pressed on whether the Democratic leadership kept quiet about the affair so as not to hurt his re-election chances.
Maryland Rep. Chris Van Hollen, who chairs the DCCC this year, declined to answer a question about Mahoney.
Mahoney is one of the most endangered Democrats in this election cycle.West Palm Beach is a conservative-leaning community that gave Bush an 8-point margin of victory in 2004.
It's widely argued that Mahoney won in 2006 less on his own merit than because of the scandal surrounding Foley. Knowing he'd be in the GOP crosshairs this cycle, Mahoney raised $2.5 million for re-election, but he faces a stiff challenge from Republican Tom Rooney, whose family owns the Pittsburgh Steelers.
http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/10/13/report-rep-took-foley-seat-gets-sex-scandal/