Kevin Garn-Cheryl Maher Scandal Sets Utah Abuzz

U.S. Government

Updated 5:12 p.m. Eastern Time

Utah residents are buzzing about the admission by the state's House majority leader, Kevin Garn, that he paid $150,000 to a woman named Cheryl Maher to keep silent about an incident more than 25 years ago in which the two were naked in a hot-tub. At the time, Maher was 15 years old.

The story, as reported by the Salt Lake Tribune, is a sad one. Garn, a Republican, reportedly made the payment during his 2002 campaign for Congress after Maher threatened to go public; she kept quiet then but in recent days told her story to reporters.

The House majority leader, "visibly distraught and shaken," confirmed Maher's account Thursday on the statehouse floor.

"I expect to suffer public humiliation and embarrassment," he said. "Some lessons are hard to learn. This is something I should've done back in 2002 but I was scared."

Garn said he "did not want to be publicly judged" for his mistake, though he added that it was inappropriate and "my fault."

In 1985, according to the Tribune, Maher, then 15, worked for the married Garn at his business. They got to know each other, and one night Garn and Maher were together, naked, in a Salt Lake City hot tub. In the following years, Maher struggled with pills, alcohol and mental health issues, something she attributes to that incident.

Garn told the Associated Press that the skinny-dip was a "spur of the moment" decision and that "we sat there and that was it." He was 28 years old at the time.

Maher has not come forward with the details of her story, but she told City Weekly in Salt Lake City that Garn is lying.

"Let's just say this. He really loves to massage," she said. Maher also said she had been in love with Garn, her onetime Sunday school teacher.

After Garn, with his wife beside him, made his shocking admission Thursday, fellow lawmakers "gave him thunderous applause for his honesty and embraced him," according to the AP. Garn had been instrumental in passing a series of ethics bills through the legislature.

"While this payment felt like extortion, I also felt like I should take her word that the money would help her heal," he said. "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."

After the 2002 payment, the two reportedly had little contact, though Maher would sometimes pop up asking for money, including a 2007 request that Garn pay for her to travel from her home in New Hampshire to a Utah high school reunion.

Maher, who is in the midst of what the Tribune describes as a " difficult divorce and custody battle," claims that she has come forward now not for money but closure and says she thinks other women have gone through a similar experience, a charge Garn denies.

"I can unequivocally tell you there was no physical contact, there was no touching, there was no intercourse, there was none of those things. It simply did not occur," he said, according to the newspaper.

If Garn wants to run for reelection, he must file to do so by next Friday.

[diamruby]

She is a gold digger & you can bet your life it was not the first time she was naked in a hot tub with a male, in fact she probably planned it. At here age there is nothing she does not know about sex, and what is right or wrong and you can bet her parents were in on the money end. He belongs to the Mormon cult club and if he doesn't pay his dues his membership will be denied, as long as someone making his kind of money pays he will be allowed to stay. I am sure the girl is suffering all the made of illness mentioned as she needs more money to live on so she doesn't have to work.

[barryeco]

THE FACTS: I know the Maher family and understand the situation a bit.

The real issue is that Garn did not get excommunicated by the Mormon church as should have been done. Garn should have gone to prison; The Mormon church should have excommunicated him.

This "white wash" is what has been eating at Cheryl since the church knew of this incident in 2002. She needs this closure. Garn deserves it.

Instead, Garn was given a standing ovation by his political collegues last week. Disgusting...

[erb0087]

"The House majority leader, "visibly distraught and shaken," confirmed Maher's account Thursday on the statehouse floor.

==============================================

Poor guys sounds overwrought.

He needs an hour in a sauna.

[arizonacowgirl]

Uhmmm.... makes one wonder. There is a blog piece on this link on that subject.

http://mittromney2012potus.blogspot.com/

What I don't get is why the Utah legislature applauds the jerk for fessing up. Garn didn't fess-up, he paid off $150,000.00 to hush it up, where is the honor in that?! They have some strange thinking in Utah.

[stopthewaste]

What did she do with that much money? Did she report the money to the IRS? DID SHE PAY TAXES ON IT?

[arizonacowgirl]

Read the blog piece =--- it will help explain

http://mittromney2012potus.blogspot.com/

[yeah_sure]

The most important message here is this. Whenever you hear one of the Republican extremist right-wingers spewing their "pro-life" or "family values" crap, they are spouting that nonsense because they have some dark secret in their personal closets.

[yeah_sure]

Oh come on...he hot-tubs with a hot 15 year old and "there was no touching?" Is that because he used a condom?

[yeah_sure]

Oh come on...he hot-tubs with a hot 15 year old and "there was no touching?" Is that because he used a condom?

[thebob-bob]

Why didn't he just take her as a second wife? We're in Utah aren't we??

[muchach0]

For those who are defending the 28 yr old pervert: What if you caught your 15 yr old daughter naked in a hot tub with a 28yr old. I bet you would be a little upset... and maybe would call the authorities?

"Garn had been instrumental in passing a series of ethics bills through the legislature." AHHHHAAAHHHHAAAA!!! That's funny one.