Ex-Rep. Pickering's Wife Says He Cheated

Lawsuit Filed by Estranged Wife of Former Representative Claims He Had Affair While He Was in Office

(AP)  The estranged wife of former Rep. Chip Pickering claims in a lawsuit that the Mississippi Republican had an affair that ruined their marriage and derailed his political career.

Leisha Pickering seeks unspecified damages in the alienation of affection lawsuit she filed this week against Elizabeth Creekmore Byrd of Jackson. There was no immediate response from Creekmore Byrd or Chip Pickering. The Pickerings filed for divorce in June 2008, but the divorce is not complete.

The lawsuit says Chip Pickering and Creekmore Byrd dated in college, reconnected and began having an affair while Pickering was in Congress and living in a Christian building for lawmakers near the U.S. Capitol. Pickering, 45, was elected to Congress in 1996, retired in January and became a lobbyist for a firm that represents Cellular South, the company Byrd's family owns. The lawsuit does not say when the affair started.

The three-story red brick house at 133 C Street SE is registered in District of Columbia tax records as a religious and commercial building. It is affiliated with a Christian group of many names, including the "Fellowship Foundation."

The group sponsors the annual National Prayer Breakfast attended by the president, members of Congress and other dignitaries. Among those who have lived in the house are South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, another former Republican congressman who said last month that he had confided in C Street friends about an affair he has had with a woman from Argentina.

Pickering cast himself as a defender of decency, particularly on television and the Internet, and was among House members urging then-President George W. Bush to declare 2008 "the National Year of the Bible."

Leisha Pickering's lawsuit says that when Republican Trent Lott resigned from the U.S. Senate in December 2007, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour offered the seat to Chip Pickering, who declined. Barbour spokesman Laura Hipp said Thursday that the governor only offered the Senate seat to U.S. Rep. Roger Wicker, who accepted it.

The lawsuit contends that Creekmore Byrd gave Pickering an ultimatum, saying their relationship could not continue if he became a senator because he would have to stay married.

"Ultimately, Creekmore Byrd gave Pickering the option to remain a public servant or become a private citizen and continue relations with her," the lawsuit says.

The voice mail box at Creekmore Byrd's home was full Thursday and messages left for her divorce attorney and at Chip Pickering's Jackson and Washington lobbying offices were not immediately returned.

Creekmore Byrd, 45, is a member of Mississippi's wealthy Creekmore family, founders of the Cellular South phone company.

Creekmore Byrd and several relatives and Cellular South executives donated to Pickering while he was in Congress, and he had kind words for the company at a 2007 subcommittee hearing where invited speakers included Cellular South president Victor Meena.

He announced in August 2007 that he wouldn't seek another term. He and Leisha Pickering have five sons.

After leaving office in January, he joined the lobbying firm Capitol Resources LLC, in which one of Barbour's nephews is a partner. The firm lists Pickering as a member of its Washington and Mississippi teams.

In the House, Pickering specialized in telecommunications issues, including one dear to Cellular South: making sure Congress took into account the interests of cellular companies serving rural areas.

In Pickering's second term, he made it onto the House Commerce Committee, a post a senior Republican, Rep. Billy Tauzin, R-La., joked that he "had to fight like a demon" to get.

Creekmore Byrd and her husband, Dr. Douglas Byrd, were married in 1990 but stopped living together in June 2006. They were granted a divorce in 2007 on the grounds of irreconcilable differences.

[licht1]

There's nothing sinister about the C Street Fellowship. The group just believes that "love thy neighbor" trumps the Ten Commandments if you're rich, white, male and Republican.

See:

http://notionscapital.wordpress.com/2009/07/18/c-street-sex-scandal

[babooph]

Hey lets not put all this hanky panky on the family values republicans-I am a registered republican agnostic & step out a lot,like many of my fellow....

[TJphoto]

Republican or Democrat, I just love it when they run and talk about "Family Values"

[babooph]

That "Christian housing " -I bet it was one of those tax scams the religions have arranged -the public picks up the costs for these crooks ,wrapping their scam butts in the Bible !Church property not taxed-being that agnostics study at home lets not tax their place !!!

[cbsantispin]

When it rains it pours! Republicans are on a roll with their cheating sex scandals.

[get_down]

Chip Pickering from Mississippi who becomes another Republican politician bit the dust for committing adultery while in
office. I wonder what exactly the "Family Values" mean to crooked politician like him or his kind? "Do what I say - but
don't do what I do?" Hypocrite no doubt!

[cs4466]

Another cheating neocon, the only amazing part is that it isn't with a man this time. Larry Craig could have found his "soul mate".

*yawn* these neocon scandals are getting old! But I expect we'll see more. There's a lot of scum in the republican party that has yet to rise to the surface.

[fred-mertz]

The members of The Family include recently exposed slimeballs Pickering, Cornyn, Ensign, Sanford, and even Chuck Grassley of Iowa-- the man who has sworn he will prevent us from getting "socialized medicine", like HE already has!

The Family teaches their members that they are "chosen by God to rule over us all" and that morality is something for us little people-- NOT for the rulers!!

They are the SC-UM OF THE EARTH!

[Questionews]

If that's her in the above picture, she's not a bad looking chick. It won't take long for her to hook with someone. Him, good luck finding a chick that trust you. Better get used to wearing a dog leash!

[davcor2]

It's just another example of another conservative Republican with a liberal ***** . . . . .

[cs4466]

Anyone see the pattern in the neocon ideology yet?

(rhetorical question, of course)

[chonder2]

Did anyone hear about the new exorcist movie out this summer? Apparently a frantic mother hires the Devil to get a Evangelical minister out of her son!

[cs4466]

You don't need the devil for that, just a policeman.

[nanc12]

He was another member of "The Family." Those C-Streeters - Just have to wonder what was really going on in there, don't you? A place where a bunch of religious conservatives live together away from their families and "worship." Yeah, right.

[tonyatq]

Before long some more will be caught!

[antoniof123]

You know the reactionary party of America is toast next elections the only way that the Democrats will lose is if the do worst then Bush and his lock step congress.

Think about it the only way to do worst is to start WWIII, I mean Bush and his lock step congress attacked the wrong country and try to say bad intellegence. Yea right!!!

LOL......

Another blood bath for the reactionary party of America.

[chonder2]

I'm sorry but it looks like.......YOU IDIOTS JUST CAN'T WIN!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA MEN! HA! HA! HA!

[Henri_Rochard]

YES !! YES !!! Another Repub holy-roller down the tubes.

Just reading the headlines, I thought that this time it'd be a Dem for sure, but, no, the Repubs are keeping their string alive !!!

[gold_standard]

If there was a button I could push that would reveal every politician who has cheated on their spouse, I would be jamming my thumb on that button!

When Clinton threatened to reveal all the congress affairs during his impeachment trial, I was hoping he would make good on his threat (but he wimped out).

I am sure the FBI has excellent surveillance on all the fornicating officials, but they don't reveal it unless a politico gets out of line. I would love to publish it all and let the world know what kind of rulers we really have.

Full public exposure of all hypocrites and philanderers!

[aldon61]

Yep, you'd you know? Lucky guess?