David Wu was resigns!

PORTLAND, Ore, July 26 – David Wu, Oregon Democratic congressman, accused of an unwanted sexual encounter with a campaign donor’s teenage daughter, announced that he would resign his seat to defend himself against “these very serious allegations”.

The decision by Wu, 56, to step down came a day after he announced he would not seek an eighth term in office, as Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic House leader, referred the matter to the House Ethics Committee for investigation.

Wu becomes the latest in a long line of politicians from both parties to be caught in sex scandals, and the second House Democrat in little over a month to have his political career cut short as a result.

Anthony Weiner, former Democratic congressman from New York, resigned in June after he admitted lying about sending lewd photos of himself to women over the internet.

Wu’s conduct has been called into question previously.

He acknowledged earlier this year he was undergoing psychiatric treatment after his staff complained of erratic behaviour, including his e-mailing of a picture of himself dressed in a tiger costume.

Wu, the first Chinese-American elected to Congress, did not give a precise date for his resignation, saying only that he planned to step down “effective upon the resolution of the debt-ceiling crisis”.

Congress faces an August 2 deadline to pass legislation that would raise the nation’s debt ceiling to avoid a default on its obligations.

While he made no explicit mention of the exact misconduct he is accused of, Wu said in his statement, “I cannot care for my family the way I wish while serving in Congress and fighting these very serious allegations.”

Details of the nature of the alleged encounter have not been disclosed. Wu has not denied the accusation but has acknowledged more than once that the allegation is “serious”.

Wu represents Oregon’s first congressional district, which encompasses the western side of Democratic-leaning Portland, the state’s largest city, as well as more rural areas in Oregon’s northwestern corner.

Oregon’s governor will call for a special election to fill Wu’s seat for the remainder of his term.

Two other Democrats already had declared their intention to challenge Wu in next year’s primary race before the scandal broke – state labour commissioner Brad Avakian and state lawmaker Brad Witt of suburban Portland.source http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2e359b3c-b7c1-11e0-8523-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1TFTmg2Fq