On Wednesday Congressman Chris Lee, R-NY, resigned after an online publication broke the story on the married Representative's 'shirtless' attempts to woo a woman on Craiglist in response to an ad in the 'Women for Men' section. Lee's scandal is the latest in a very long list. Sex scandals of varying magnitudes in connection with political figures have surfaced over the decades across the globe. In the United States alone, there is a massive history of sex scandals from the high-profile scandals of the Presidents to the flirty adventures of Senators.
Former President Bill Clinton's sexual relations with Monica Lewinsky is probably the first such affair that comes to mind. However, Clinton followed many others, including President John F. Kennedy who was rumored to have many different affairs while in the public eye. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's affair with his wife's social secretary Lucy Mercer is also among the widely discussed scandals, especially in books.
While the scandals and affairs of politicians at the highest level are much-publicized and well-known, this slideshow recalls a selection of non-Presidential political 'sexcapades' in the recent past.
Rep. Chris Lee's 'Shirtless' adventures was made public on Wednesday afternoon by Gawker. Gawker.comEric Mass resigned in March 2010, citing health reasons and pending investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct before the House Ethics Committee.The Democrat had told Fox News Channel host Glenn Beck that "not only did I grope [a staffer], I tickled him until he couldn't breathe."He, however, denied it a few hours later on CNN's 'Larry King Live' saying that "it is not true".He has stayed away from the press ever since his resignation.REUTERS/Ho NewMark Souder, a Republican, resigned in May 2010 after admitting to an affair with one of his part-time female staff members.The female staff member was Tracy Meadows Jackson, who had famously appeared alongside Souder in a public video in which they both extolled the virtues of abstinence."It is with great regret I announce that I am resigning from the U.S. House of Representatives as well as resigning as the Republican nominee for Congress in this fall's election....I sinned against God, my wife and my family by having a mutual relationship with a part time member of my staff. I am so shamed to have hurt those I love," Souder's written statement read.However, later on, when he was reading his statement at a press briefing he deviated from the written statement, stating, "I'm sick of politicians who drag their spouses up in front of the cameras rather than confronting the problem they caused."REUTERS/Paulo SantosFormer Democratic vice presidential nominee John Edwards admitted to extramarital affair in August 2008.The affair came to light in late 2007 after the media, quoting an anonymous source, reported that Edwards had engaged in the affair with Rielle Hunter, a filmmaker hired to work for his presidential campaign, and that the relationship had produced a child.Initially both Edwards and Hunter denied the allegations.Later on in August 2008, Edwards admitted that he did have an extended affair with Hunter, but denied he was the father of Hunter's baby.It was only in January 2010, that Edwards finally admitted that he was the father of Hunter's girl.REUTERS/CHRIS KEANEIn June 2007, Larry Craig, who was back then the a Senator from Idaho, was arrested for lewd conduct in a men's restroom at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. He was accused of what it categorized as 'cottaging', which is a gay slang term referring to anonymous sex between men in a public restrooms.In August 2007, Craig pleaded guilty plea to a lesser charge of disorderly conduct, tainting the 'holier-than-thou' image of the Republicans. As a consequence, Craig came under immense pressure from Republican leaders.Craig finally resigned over the airport bathroom sex sting in September effectively putting an end to a career in Congress spanning a quarter-century.“The people of Idaho deserve a senator who can devote 100 percent of his time and effort to the critical issues of our state and of our nation,” Craig said announcing his resignation with his wife Suzanne and two of their three children at his side. REUTERS/Ho NewLarry Craig pleading guilty in August 2010 brought to the focus gay sex scandals involving Republicans. The prominent scandals that took place in a span of one year (2006-2007) include that of Mark Foley, Ted Haggard, Glenn Murphy Jr. and Bob Allen.Mark Foley scandal broke out in September 2006, when the U.S. Representative was accused of sending sexually laced messages and e-mails to teenage boys in the Congressional page program for more than 10 years.In November 2006, Ted Haggard, the Leader of the National Association of Evangelicals, was accused of paying male prostitutes for sex and snorting crystal meth.In July 2007, Bob Allen, Member of the Florida House of Representatives and Florida Chairman of John McCain’s Presidential Campaign, was accused of offering an undercover cop $20 for a sexual favor.In the same month, Glenn Murphy Jr., National Chairman of the Young Republicans and Chairman of the Clark County Republican Party, was accused of getting a fellow Young Republican drunk and spending the night at his house.REUTERS/Marc Serota
