Is Representative Eric Massa a Gay Predator? (Update: Or Is He Just Dying?)
Eric Massa, a one-term Democratic congressman from New York's southern tier, is retiring. He says for health reasons (he has non-Hodgkin's lymphoma). Also people have accused him of sexually harassing a male staffer. Updates: Massa's denial is kind of wonderful.
Massa is married (to a lady), and he has kids, and he is also a 20-year Navy veteran. According to Politico, who heard it from "several House aides" "on both sides of the aisle," the House ethics committee "has been informed of allegations that Massa... sexually harassed a male staffer."
Those are all the details we get. According to people, someone told a committee about "allegations." Way to win the afternoon, Politico!
Massa's district is pretty conservative—in 2008 he barely beat Randy Kuhl, a man who once pointed a shotgun at his ex-wife's head.
Update: Eric Massa's cancer is back. "I will now enter the final phase of my life," he just said on a conference call. Oof. If the harassment thing isn't true, we will feel really bad.
Update 2: Now we love this guy, basically: "Said Massa: 'I made my statement. The allegations are totally false. I'm a salty old sailor. That's that.'"