In what may be the fastest-moving sex scandal ever, Rep. Christopher Lee (R-NY) has announced that "effective immediately," he is resigning from the U.S. House of Representatives:
"It has been a tremendous honor to serve the people of Western New York. I regret the harm that my actions have caused my family, my staff and my constituents. I deeply and sincerely apologize to them all. I have made profound mistakes and I promise to work as hard as I can to seek their forgiveness.
"The challenges we face in Western New York and across the country are too serious for me to allow this distraction to continue, and so I am announcing that I have resigned my seat in Congress effective immediately."
It was only a few hours ago that Gawker reported that:
Rep. Christopher Lee is a married Republican congressman serving the 26th District of New York. But when he trolls Craigslist's "Women Seeking Men" forum, he's Christopher Lee, "divorced" "lobbyist" and "fit fun classy guy."
... and now, he's gone. No doubt to discover the identity of the miscreant who hacked his email account.
Update: Gov. Cuomo will call a special election to fill Lee's seat, which John McCain carried with 52% of the vote in 2008. Although he has wide discretion as to the timing of when he calls for the election, it must be held within 30 to 40 days of his proclamation. --Jed