WASHINGTON, May 8, 2008
Rep. Admits To Affair, Fathering Child
N.Y. Rep. Vito Fossella, Who Was Arrested For Drunk Driving Last Week, Says He Has A 3-Year-Old Daughter With Woman In Va.
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13th Congressional district representative Vito Fossella listens to a question Friday, May 2, 2008, in the Staten Island borough of New York. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
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"My personal failings and imperfections have caused enormous pain to the people I love and I am truly sorry," said Fossella, a Republican, who lives in his Staten Island, N.Y., district with his wife and their three children.
Fossella is the only Republican member of Congress from New York City, and the paternity revelation could lead to the loss of a seat in Congress at a time when the House GOP faces the possibility of a second grim November of election setbacks.
House Minority Leader John Boehner said he expected Fossella to make decisions about his future in a matter of days, not months.
"I think Mr. Fossella is going to have some decisions to make over the weekend. And I would hope that, and frankly, expect that this is a decision between he, his family, and his constituents," Boehner said.
Fossella's private life came under scrutiny after he was arrested in the Virginia suburbs of Washington for allegedly driving drunk. Police said they stopped him after he drove through a red light.
When Fossella was pulled over, police said he told officers that he was going to see his daughter in the area. That prompted questions about who the daughter was.
"I have had a relationship with Laura Fay, with whom I have a 3-year-old daughter," Fossella said in his statement. It was Fay who got him out of jail after the arrest. She is a former Air Force lieutenant colonel and worked for a time as a liaison to Congress.
Police said Fossella's blood-alcohol level was twice the legal limit, and he could face a mandatory five days in jail if convicted. A court appearance on the drunken driving arrest that had been planned for next week was canceled, and he is now not expected back in court until June.
Fossella said he had no immediate plans to resign. The disclosures are a crushing blow to the career of a lawmaker once seen as a potential candidate for mayor of New York City. He faced a surprisingly tough re-election challenge in 2006, and Democrats have been hoping to unseat him this year.
"While I understand that there will be many questions, including those about my political future, making any political decisions right now are furthest from my mind. Over the coming weeks and months, I will continue to do my job and I will work hard to heal the deep wounds I have caused," he said.
There was little support from leaders of his party for him to remain.
A spokeswoman for the House GOP campaign committee said only that they expect the district to continue to elect conservative-minded lawmakers. A spokeswoman for the Democratic campaign committee declined to comment.
"He's politically dead. The only thing that hasn't happened is the autopsy report hasn't been written," said Doug Muzzio, a professor of politics at Baruch College in New York. "He can say he's going to stay all he wants, but come on ..."
Fossella, 43, was elected to Congress in 1997 in a special election to replace Rep. Susan Molinari, who resigned. His socially conservative positions squared nicely with his largely Catholic district. He serves as a member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Fossella's work in Congress shifted dramatically following the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.
Hundreds of Staten Island residents died in the attacks, and Fossella became a prominent advocate for families of those killed.
As more recovery and rescue workers got sick after toiling at the ground zero site, Fossella pushed for Washington to pay for their health care — an effort that has met with short-term success, but no long-term program.
©MMVIII, The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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See all 76 CommentsAnother sterling example of RepubliCON ''family values''!
Gee, I''m just surprised the GOP hasn''t nominated him for vice-president with McCain!
I know New Yorkers don''t expect much from their politicians, but maybe they need to start expecting a little more!
The DWI will be dealt with by the law; the unfaithfulness will be dealt with by his wife; end of story!!!
I wonder if he''s a family values Republican?
The DWI will be dealt with by the law; the unfaithfulness will be dealt with by his wife; end of story!!!
Posted by walker1209 at 12:29 PM : May 08, 2008
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My response: Maybe you''re a female Demo or just another lying extremist rightwinger misrepresenting your political identity like many do on this web site!
But I''ll take your word on that.
First, it''s important because he makes, votes, and passes laws. We don''t need politicians who break the laws they pass to regulate us!
Second, we''ll see whether or not the LAW deals with him or let''s him OFF! I wouldn''t bet on it.
Third, again, maybe the wife will deal with it. Maybe not! So, the legal system better!
And finally, in all probability he''ll pay little penalty for it, therefore; he should at least have to put up with public ridicule---which, he brought onto himself! It''s up to the voters to kick him out!
It used to be that only the Whimpo-crats had that problem, but apparently, the neocon Fascist Nazis think they have a lot of "catching up" to do!
SIG HEIL, BUSH!!!!
sig heil, DEFINITELY MORE OF THE SAME, McCain!!!
Despite having a lesbian sister who has a long-time, same-gender partner (with whom his sister gave birth to twins last year) Vito has:
--voted for an amendment to prohibit any funds to be used to carry out any joint adoption of a child between individuals who are not related by blood or marriage. (1998);
--voted on an amendment banning adoptions in District of Columbia by *** or other individuals who are not related by blood or marriage. (1999);
--Vito voted to withhold federal housing funds from San Francisco unless it repeals its domestic partnership law;
--Vito voted to deny the District of Columbia the option of establishing domestic partnership laws;
--voted to overturn President Clinton''s executive order banning job discrimination against lesbian and gay federal employees;
--voted to interfere with Terri Schiavo''s husband''s decision to end life-support for his wife.
Yup, he''s a real family values guy alright!
But I''''ll take your word on that.
Posted by stn_sage at 01:28 PM : May 08, 2008
Hilarious. How could you possibly know something like that when reading these posts?
Taking Wider and Wider Stances for Family Values...
Where''s the hypocracy? Looks like his sister is gay and he disagrees. Wouldn''t it only be hypocracy if he was gay?
But I''''''''ll take your word on that.
Posted by stn_sage at 01:28 PM : May 08, 2008
Hilarious. How could you possibly know something like that when reading these posts?
Posted by BeStillandno at 01:42 PM : May 08, 2008
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My response: Touched a nerve with you, huh? Perhaps you''re one of them?! But, if you reread my post, I
say, MAYBE YOU''RE A ...! No one but the poster---and the govt spying on him/her---knows for sure! Understand now rightwinger?!
Posted by blazercoach1 at 01:00 PM : May 08, 2008
You are a very huge disgrace to the Repug Party ...... Already forgotten about the bashing y''all gave Bill when he''d gotten his BJ - now you''re talking about compassion. Craig, Vitter and this clown are all still at their jobs - While the few Dem fckups are gone ..... Go Figure. Cheers!
Mark Foley resigned. Cunningham resigned.
Let''s look at the Dems: Detroit Mayor....fighting. House Rep who last year slapped a security guard....fought and played the race card. Jefferson down in Louisianna.....fighting that he took bribes and put them in his freezer. Barney Frank....still going! Garry Studs...remember him...didnt just text a page...actually had an affair with a congressional page.....he stayed in office and was applauded by the democrat leadership when he left.
Fact is...some fight, some resign. No party has a monopoly on scum-bags. But some seem to have a problem with recognizing it within their own party...
say, MAYBE YOU''''RE A ...! No one but the poster---and the govt spying on him/her---knows for sure! Understand now rightwinger?!
Posted by stn_sage at 01:51 PM : May 08, 2008
Uhhh....no, not really, but you have fun with your paranoid delusions now, okay?
we don''t call it hypocritical....we call it wrong...even if it''s our own.
He is human and has human frailties; unlike some people I don''t expect politicians to be any different from anyone else. They lie, cheat, steal and are hypocritical (any of you ever heard of Thomas Jefferson?); some are also God-fearing, upstanding, faithful, and hardworking. All Christians have a set of standards they should live by, they are called the TEN COMMANDMENTS. If you have never broken one, then you have every right to be outraged by this human.
By the way - I am a Black, female Democrat (and very proud of it) who has no need to hide behind anything!
No. It appears to me that he of all people should see through his sister''s example that while he has been living a duplicitous lifestyle, she has not.
While his "family values" are corrupt, his sister''s seem to be firmly intact.
W
Well said.
I get your point, but we really don''t know anything about how "in tact" her family values are. We do know, however, that she will never be under a microscope as she is not a political figure.
Uhhh....no, not really, but you have fun with your paranoid delusions now, okay?
Posted by BeStillandno at 01:59 PM : May 08, 2008
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My response: ...''paranoid delusions'', I think NOT!
It has been common knowledge for months now, that both the CIA and FBI have been engaged in widespread illegal spying both domestically and internationally!
Don''t get out much, huh? Or, READ, either I suppose?!
You really should, then you could interact with the adults!
Wow-o-wow, nice going guys, proud day to be from life long from NY!!
Maybe DHS ought to figure a way to better fasten these Republican US Congressional zippers!! lol
Wow-o-wow, nice going guys, proud day to be from life long from NY!!
Maybe DHS ought to figure a way to better fasten these Republican US Congressional zippers!! lol
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Posted by macusweil at 02:23 PM : May 08, 2008
How do you know he had a wife?
You are so 100% missing the point.
We are angry. These guys & gals of the so called ''Republican / Conservative Leadership'' have been ramming family values down America''s throat for years now while ignore real issue that effect US families.
They set up phony not-for-profit family value lobby groups and funnel the money to pay for golf outings to Scotland. They ignore our economy and working class issues like health care and spending (wasting) billions on defense programs that end up putting soldiers and America in harms way.
We are angry at their hypocrisy, ignorance and arrogance. We are tired of being lied to by these hypocrites whose only special interest is mainly in themselves.
Now do you understand?
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Posted by macusweil at 02:46 PM : May 08, 2008
HOW DO YOU KNOW HE HAD A WIFE?
Nice sentiment, but the reason it IS newsworthy is because the GOP has made a point to pretend to be the champion of the "Christians"-- so successfully that over 90 percent of the evangelicals in this country voted for Bush to lead them all into Armageddon!
As long as the GOP pretends to represent "family values", it is very definitely going to be newsworthy when one of theirs gets caught, revealing the hypocrisy.
Try READING the story: "blah, blah, blah... said Fossella, who has three children with his wife in Staten Island."
Let''''s look at the Dems: Detroit Mayor....fighting. House Rep who last year slapped a security guard....fought and played the race card. Jefferson down in Louisianna.....fighting that he took bribes and put them in his freezer. Barney Frank....still going! Garry Studs...remember him...didnt just text a page...actually had an affair with a congressional page.....he stayed in office and was applauded by the democrat leadership when he left.
Fact is...some fight, some resign. No party has a monopoly on scum-bags. But some seem to have a problem with recognizing it within their own party...
Posted by blazercoach1 at 01:56 PM : May 08, 2008
Try this - you''d be shocked at the many bad apples that have belonged to your party. CXheers!
www.ArmChairSubversive.com
Posted by mbcsmith at 02:50 PM : May 08, 2008
Awesome show of ignorance there. Not surprising, though...mbcsmith is, after all a Bush apologist. The two conditions seem to go hand-in-hand.
RED GOPer''s are really just Reagan Democrats. Real GOP/Conservatives are guys like Barry Goldwater and William F. Buckley. The rest are only GREAT pretenders.
REDREPUBs like Vito can be found consistently voting for ballooning the budget, reckless use of the military for preemptive invasion/occupation, expanding BIG government, hidden tax increases on middle class and poor, voting against the best interests of American soldiers & American defense, ignoring NYC & New Orleans after major disasters. These all go against true Republican values.
The only real "non-RINO" left standing in our federal government is Congressman Ron Paul of Texas.
GET OVER YOURSELVES!!!!
Obviously not lucky for him.
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