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 Family
Values Congressman Admits To Affair, Illegitimate Child
by The Associated Press
Posted: May 8, 2008 - 5:00 pm ET
(Washington) Rep. Vito Fossella of New York ran a
red light, and wrecked his life. A drunk-driving arrest last week led to talk of
an extramarital affair, and then finally Thursday, an admission of a child from
that affair.
"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.
In Congress Fossella voted in
favor of a constitutional amendment that would bar same-sex
marriage and against the Matthew Shepard Act which would add
gay under hate crime law.
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.
©365Gay.com 2008
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