RAPISTS!
GROOMERS!
But WAIT there is more...
1990–1999
- Arlan Stangeland, U.S. House of Representatives (1977–1991), (Republican-Minnesota) — Lost his campaign for re-election in 1990, mainly because of a scandal, having made several hundred long-distance phone calls on his House credit card to a female lobbyist in Virginia. He admitted making the calls but denied having a romantic relationship with the woman. After his loss, he subsequently retired from politics.[77][78]
- Robert Packwood, Senator (Republican-Oregon) — Resigned his office in 1995 after 29 women came forward with claims of sexual harassment, abuse, and assaults. His denials of wrongdoing were eventually contradicted by his diaries boasting of his sexual conquests.[83]
- Ken Calvert, Representative (Republican-California) — was involved with a prostitute in 1993 but claimed that no money was involved, and he was not arrested.[84] Calvert apologized several months later: "My conduct that evening was inappropriate.... it violated the values of the person I strive to be."[84]
- Helen Chenoweth-Hage, Representative (Republican-Idaho) — called for the resignation of Bill Clinton, and then admitted in 1998 to have had a six-year affair with a married rancher before she entered government.[85] Chenoweth said: "Fourteen years ago, when I was a private citizen and a single woman, I was involved in a relationship that I came to regret, that I'm not proud of.... I only wish I could have learned the lessons sooner."[86]
- Bob Barr, Representative (Republican-Georgia) — had an affair while married to his second wife. Barr was the first lawmaker in either chamber to call for Clinton's resignation due to the Lewinsky scandal. Barr lost a primary challenge less than three years after the impeachment proceedings (1999).[87]
- Dan Burton, Representative (Republican-Indiana) — In 1995, speaking of the then-recent affairs of Republican Robert Packwood and the unfolding experience of Democrat Bill Clinton, Burton stated: “No one, regardless of what party they serve, no one, regardless of what branch of government they serve, should be allowed to get away with these alleged sexual improprieties....” In 1998, Vanity Fair printed an article detailing an affair that Burton himself had in 1983, which produced a child. Before publication, Burton admitted to fathering a son with a former state employee.[88][89]
- Robert Livingston, Representative (Republican-Louisiana) — called for the resignation of Bill Clinton in 1998, and when his extramarital affairs were leaked, his wife pressed him to resign, and for Livingston to urge Clinton to do likewise.[90][91]
Newt Gingrich, Representative (Republican-Georgia) and leader of the Republican Revolution of 1994[92] — Resigned from the House after admitting in 1998 to having had an affair with a staffer while he was married to his (at the time cancer-stricken) second wife, and at the same time he was leading the impeachment of Bill Clinton for perjury regarding an affair with his intern Monica Lewinsky.[93][94]
- Henry Hyde, Representative (Republican-Illinois) — In 1998, Salon.com stated that from 1965 to 1969 (before Hyde won federal office), he conducted an extramarital sexual affair with a married woman who had three children from her marriage. Hyde, who was 41 years old and married when the affair occurred, admitted to the affair in 1998, describing the relationship as a “youthful indiscretion.” The revelation of this affair occurred as Hyde spearheaded President Bill Clinton's impeachment hearings over the Monica Lewinsky scandal.[95]
- Pete Domenici, Senator (Republican-New Mexico) — voted for the impeachment of President Bill Clinton in 1998 after his affair with Monica Lewinsky. In 2013, he confessed that in 1978, he fathered a son, Adam Laxalt, outside of his marriage; Adam Laxalt's mother is Michelle Laxalt, the daughter of Senator Paul Laxalt, and a prominent Republican lobbyist.[96][97]
- Ed Schrock, Representative (Republican-Virginia) — Announced he would terminate his 2004 attempt for a third term in Congress after allegedly being caught on tape soliciting sex with men, despite having aggressively opposed various gay-rights issues in Congress, such as same-sex marriage and gays in the military.[106]
- Strom Thurmond,(Republican-South Carolina) — Despite being a noted segregationist, Thurmond fathered a child, Essie Mae Washington-Williams, with a 16-year-old African American in 1925, who the Thurmond family employed. He was also reported to have sexually assaulted fellow freshman Senator Patty Murray in the elevator in 1994. (2003)[107]
- Steven C. LaTourette, Representative (Republican-Ohio) — was elected in 1994 and had voted to impeach Bill Clinton for the Lewinsky scandal. He had a long-term affair with his chief of staff, Jennifer Laptook, while married. He married Laptook after his divorce. (2003)[108]
- Don Sherwood, Representative (Republican-Pennsylvania) — failed to win re-election following revelations of a five-year extramarital affair with Cynthia Ore, who accused him of physically abusing her. (2004)[109]
- Jeff Gannon — A conservative blogger who did not qualify for a legitimate press pass but was routinely allowed to ask “softball” questions at White House press conferences. Further scrutiny revealed that Gannon had posted naked pictures of himself on multiple male escort websites. (2005)[110]
- Mark Foley, Representative (Republican-Florida) — Resigned his House seat when accused of sending sexually explicit e-mails to teenage male congressional pages. He was replaced by Tim Mahoney. (2006)[111]
- Jim Gibbons, Representative (Republican-Nevada) — was campaigning for Governor when he walked waitress Chrissy Mazzeo to her car. She claimed he threw her against a wall and threatened to assault her sexually. He claimed she tripped, and he caught her. The civil lawsuit was settled with the payment of $50,000 to Mazzeo. Six weeks later, he was elected governor.[112][113][114]
- David Vitter, Senator (Republican-Louisiana) — Took over the House seat of former Congressman Robert Livingston, who resigned in 1999 following revelations of an extramarital affair. At the time, Vitter stated, “I think Livingston's stepping down makes a compelling argument that (Bill) Clinton should resign as well....”[115] Vitter's name was then discovered in the address book of Deborah Jeane Palfrey (the "D.C. Madam"). (2007)[116]
- Randall L. Tobias (Republican), Deputy Secretary of State and former "AIDS Czar" appointed by George W. Bush — Stated that U.S. funds should be denied to countries that permitted prostitution.[117] He resigned on April 27, 2007, after confirming that he had been a customer of Deborah Jeane Palfrey (the "D.C. Madam").[118]
- Larry Craig (Republican-Idaho), a U.S. Senator for 18 years — was arrested on June 11, 2007, and charged with lewd conduct arising from his behavior in a men's restroom at the Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport.[119][120][121] Craig pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of disorderly conduct; he unsuccessfully sought to withdraw his guilty plea.[122][123][124] He announced his resignation three months later on September 1, 2007. Still, he changed his mind again, although he did not seek re-election in 2008. (2007)[125][126][127][128][129][130][131]
- Vito Fossella, Representative (Republican-New York) — was arrested for drunken driving. Under questioning, the married Congressman and father of three admitted to an affair with Laura Fay that produced a daughter. (2008)[133]
- John Ensign, Senator (Republican-Nevada) — Resigned his position as chairman of the Senate Republican Policy Committee on June 16, 2009, after admitting he had an affair with the wife of a close friend, both of whom were working on his campaign.[135] Under investigation, he resigned his Senate seat 20 months early in 2011.[136] In 1998, Senator Ensign had called for President Bill Clinton (Democrat) to resign after admitting to sexual acts with Monica Lewinsky. (2009)[137]
- Chip Pickering, Representative (Republican-Mississippi) — On July 16, 2009, it was announced that his wife had filed an alienation of affection lawsuit against a woman with whom Chip allegedly had an affair.[138] The lawsuit claimed the adulterous relationship ruined the Pickerings' marriage and his political career. (2009)[139]
- Mark Sanford, Governor (Republican-South Carolina) — In June 2009, after having disappeared from the state for nearly a week, Sanford publicly revealed that he had engaged in an extramarital affair. Sanford had led his staff to believe that he was going hiking on the Appalachian Trail but went to visit his mistress, Maria Belén Chapur, in Argentina. While the scandal made national headlines, led to his censure by the South Carolina General Assembly, and led to his resignation as chair of the
Republican Governors Association, Sanford did complete his second term as governor.[140]
2010–2019
- Jack Tarpley Camp Jr., (R) Judge of the U.S. District Court for the North District of Georgia — Pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting a felon's possession of a controlled substance and to two misdemeanors: illegally giving a stripper his government-issued laptop and possession of illegal drugs. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail, 400 hours of community service, and resignation from the bench. (2010)[141][142][143]
- Mark Souder, Representative (Republican-Indiana) — was a staunch advocate of abstinence and family values,[146][147] Souder resigned to avoid an ethics investigation into his admitted extramarital affair with a female staffer. (2010)[148][149][150]
- Chris Lee, Representative (Republican-New York) — Resigned hours after a news report stated that he had sent a shirtless picture of himself flexing his muscles to a woman via Craigslist, along with flirtatious e-mails.[151] He did not rely on a pseudonym or a false e-mail address, but used his official Congressional e-mail for all communication. Lee said: “I regret the harm my actions have caused my family, staff, and constituents.... I have made profound mistakes and promise to work as hard as possible to seek their forgiveness.”[152] (2011)
- Scott DesJarlais, Representative (Republican-Tennessee) — Admitted under oath to at least six affairs, including two experiences with his patients and staffers. At the same time, he was a physician at Grandview Medical Center in Jasper, TN. Additionally, while running on a declared "pro-life" (anti-abortion) platform, DesJarlais coerced his ex-wife into having two abortions, and tried to persuade a mistress, who was his patient, into an abortion as well.[157][158][159]
- Vance McAllister, Representative (Republican-Louisiana) — Although married and the father of five, was caught on surveillance camera deeply kissing a married staffer. Several prominent Republicans asked McAllister to resign. In response, he stated he would not seek re-election in 2016.[162] McCallister said: “There's no doubt I've fallen short, and I'm asking for forgiveness. I'm asking for forgiveness from God, my wife, my kids, my staff, and my constituents who elected me to serve.” (2014)[163]
- Blake Farenthold, Representative (Republican-Texas) — was reported to have paid $84,000 of taxpayer money via the House of Representatives Office of Compliance to settle a sexual harassment complaint from a former staffer. Farenthold's former communications director, Lauren Greene, sued the congressman in December 2014,[164] and a settlement was reached in 2015. The identity of Farenthold concerning taxpayer involvement was made public in 2017. This was the first documented case of taxpayer funds being used to settle sexual harassment complaints against a member of Congress. (2014)[165]
- Dennis Hastert, former Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (Republican-Illinois) — Pled guilty to structuring bank withdrawals to conceal deliberately-unspecified misconduct by Hastert against an unnamed individual years earlier.[166] At a sentencing hearing in October 2015, Hastert admitted that he had sexually abused boys while he worked as a high school wrestling coach decades earlier. (2015)[167][168]
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Donald Trump (Republican), the 45th President of the United States — was accused of sexual assault by 25 women during the 2016 election, and he denied the allegations.[169] (See Donald Trump sexual misconduct allegations.) The allegations arose after The Washington Post released a 2005 video of Trump, recorded on a hot microphone by Access Hollywood, in which he allegedly bragged about groping women.[170][171][172] Trump himself renewed the controversy a year later by alleging that the video was fake,[173] to which Access Hollywood replied: “Let us make this clear—the tape is genuine. Remember, his excuse at the time was 'locker-room talk.' He said every one of those words.”[174][175] The first reports of an alleged 2006 affair between Donald Trump and adult film star Stormy Daniels were published in October 2011 by the blog The Dirty and the magazine Life & Style (see Stormy Daniels–Donald Trump scandal).[176][177]
- Tim Murphy, Representative (Republican-Pennsylvania) — Had an extramarital affair with Shannon Edwards, a 32-year-old forensic psychologist. The self-identified "pro-life" (anti-abortion) Murphy asked Edwards to have an abortion after she became pregnant. The information was revealed as part of Edwards's divorce proceedings and published by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette after it fought in Pennsylvania state court to have the documents unsealed. Murphy resigned his seat in Congress.
- Joe Barton, Representative (Republican-Texas) — Acknowledged he took and emailed nude photos of himself in 2015, following leaks of the photos in November 2017.[181][182][183] He decided not to seek re-election in 2018.[184]
- Trent Franks, Representative (Republican-Arizona) — was investigated by the House Ethics Commission about allegations of improper conduct. Before the study concluded, Franks abruptly resigned. (2017)[187][188][189]
- Pat Meehan, Representative (Republican-Pennsylvania) — In January, 2018, it was revealed that US Representative Pat Meehan used taxpayer funds to settle a sexual harassment claim levied by a female staffer. He was removed from the House Ethics Committee but remained in office until he resigned on April 27, 2018, stating that he would repay the taxpayer money used to settle the suit. (2018)[190][191][192][193]
- Jim Jordan, Representative (Republican-Ohio) — was accused of covering up and failing to report sexual abuse of minors by former members of the Ohio State University wrestling team by the team physician. There were multiple victims during the period when Jordan was Assistant Coach of the team from 1987 to 1995. On February 12, 2020, allegations surfaced from one of those former members that Jordan (was) "repeatedly crying and begging him not to corroborate accounts of sexual abuse against the university’s wrestling team doctor that occurred when Jordan was a coach."[194]
- Roy S. Moore, Republican candidate for the US Senate — was accused by nine women of sexual contact and assault in the 1980s, when the women were teenage girls. Though Moore denied the allegations, he lost the election. (2017)[195][196][197]
- Alex Kozinski (R) US Judge in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals appointed by Republican Ronald Reagan, retired following allegations of sexual misconduct from several women, including former clerks. (2018)[199]
- Madison Cawthorn, Representative (Republican-North Carolina) — In August 2020, during Cawthorn's campaign for Congress, several women accused him of sexually aggressive behavior, sexual misconduct, and sexual assault.[207] These allegations arose once more in February 2021 after a BuzzFeed News investigation found 20 people who said that Cawthorn had harassed his female classmates during college; the reporters spoke to four women who said he had harassed them. It was alleged that Cawthorn often recklessly drove women in his car to remote areas off campus while asking them sexual questions: he reportedly called these journeys "fun drives". Two resident assistants said they warned women to avoid Cawthorn and not to ride in his car. A male acquaintance said Cawthorn bragged about pulling a woman into his lap and putting a finger between her legs.[208] On May 4, 2022, a sex tape of Cawthorn began circulating online. The video shows a naked Cawthorn in bed with another man, thrusting his genitals in the man's face. Cawthorn acknowledged the film's veracity but said the video was made "years ago" when he was "being crass with a friend."[209]
- Matt Gaetz, Representative (Republican-Florida) — In March 2021, reports surfaced of a federal investigation into allegations that Gaetz had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl in 2019.[212] The New York Times reported that Gaetz was being investigated by the Department of Justice (DOJ). Investigators examined whether he had violated federal sex trafficking laws.[213] Gaetz denied any wrongdoing, asserting he and his family were "victims of an organized criminal extortion involving a former DOJ official seeking $25 million."[212] As of 2022, Gaetz has not been charged.[214]
- Tom Reed, Representative (Republican-New York), was accused of sexual harassment on March 19, 2021, by a lobbyist for an incident at a bar. In a statement made on March 21, 2021, he apologized to her and said he would not seek re-election in 2022. On May 10, 2022, he announced his resignation on the House floor effective immediately.[215][216]
- Van Taylor, Representative (Republican-Texas) — In February 2022, days before the primary election in Texas, counter-extremism activist Tania Joya claimed that she and Taylor had an extramarital sexual affair in 2020 and 2021. The media circulated her allegations. Taylor won a plurality but not a majority in the primary and faced a runoff election, but suspended his campaign.[217] He formally withdrew from the runoff days later.[218]
