As we all know, Vito Fossella had a little drunken driving incident last week, but know the story is growing, and as it turns out, it is all tied to a baby-momma problem.
Embattled Staten Island Rep. Vito Fossella isn't saying whether he fathered a love child - but his alleged gal pal is doing enough talking for the both of them.
Shapely former Air Force Col. Laura Fay has been frantically phoning friends and relatives, urging them not to talk to the media about the identity of her baby's daddy, a relative told The Post yesterday.
Fay's flurry of calls is designed to shore up a wall of silence since details of her relationship with Fossella emerged when she curiously signed him out of jail after his arrest for drunk driving in Alexandria, Va. last Thursday, the relative said.
As a result, local and national Republicans are making contingency plans in the event of a resignation.
Many party bigwigs are standing behind the embattled congressman - who faces re-election in the fall - but others are deeply concerned that Fossella's political career could be doomed if it emerges that Fay's 3-year-old daughter is his.
"He's got a real reservoir of strength [in his district] to rely on. There's no moves against him within the party," insisted fellow Republican Rep. Peter King, a close friend. "He's not making excuses, none of that."
But one of the state's top Republicans told The Post, "He's not going to be able to win re-election if he is the father."
Sources said party officials have privately discussed who could best hold onto the seat for the GOP should Fossella end up in deeper trouble.
Names being bandied about include Staten Island DA Daniel Donovan and city Councilman James Oddo.
And now, the
Washington Post is reporting that Fossella may drop out.
GOP aides speaking on the condition of anonymity said they expected Fossella would announce imminently that he won't seek reelection. But Fossella spokesman Craig Donner tells the Sleuth that no announcement or press conference is planned.
Now, I personally don't care about Fossella's personal life, though the drinking, driving and abusive behavior toward a police officer are other issues. Staten Island is a cultutally conservative portion of NYC, and I think they will care a lot. Ideally, we would run against a wounded Fossella in November, but I do not see it happening. The local GOP machine will make it clear that they don't want him running. However, barring a stuborn move, we could still get the next best scenario which is an open race in a 50/50 disctrict. Now, what we eed to do is recruit a strong candidate. Time to get to work.