There goes another one

Already embroiled in a sexual harassment scandal [for reportedly using $39,000 of taxpayer dollars to settle sexual harassment claims from a former aide] that forced him to withdraw from a reelection bid, Rep. Pat Meehan (R-PA) abruptly announced his resignation Friday.

“While I do believe I would be exonerated of any wrongdoing, I also did not want to put my staff through the rigors of an Ethics Committee investigation and believed it was best for them to have a head start on new employment rather than being caught up in an inquiry,” he said in a statement. “And since I have chosen to resign, the inquiry will not become a burden to taxpayers and committee staff.”

  TPM

So selfless.

He promised to pay back the money, though he refers to it as “severance,” denying any wrongdoing.

Blake Farenthold resigned when it was learned he used $84,000 of that fund, and he promised to pay it back, too (which he hasn't, and don't hold your breath).

I bet any congressman who's used the fund is sitting on pins and needles waiting to be outed.  That, along with the trouncing they're expecting in 2018 may be a factor in why so many are "retiring" this year.

I don't understand this.  There's a fund for this; why can't they use it?  There shouldn't be any such fund.

I wonder if these two things are connected

This:

Rep. Blake Farenthold, a Texas Republican who was facing an ethics investigation after using taxpayer funds to settle a sexual harassment claim from a former staffer, abruptly resigned his seat Friday.

Farenthold had announced in December that he would not seek reelection, but until Friday he appeared determined to serve out his fourth term in the House.

He said in a statement Friday that he had sent a letter to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) resigning his seat effective at 5 p.m.

[...]

In December, the House Ethics Committee said it would probe not only the allegations of sexual harassment and retaliation but also whether Farenthold might have lied or omitted facts while giving testimony to the panel, as well as whether he improperly used House resources to benefit his political campaign. Farenthold’s resignation brings that probe to an immediate end.

  WaPo

Rep. Blake Farenthold announced Friday he would resign immediately from Congress, after an ethics inquiry was opened into allegations of sexual harassment and other inappropriate behavior from former staff members.

The Texas Republican had said he would not run for reelection, but he had previously resisted calls to step down.

“While I planned on serving out the remainder of my term in Congress, I know in my heart it’s time for me to move along and look for new ways to serve,” he said in a statement.

[...]

"I want to be perfectly clear. The charges that were made are false," he said in a statement posted to Facebook in December. Farenthold did admit he "allowed a workplace culture to take root in my office that was too permissive and decidedly unprofessional."

[...]

Lauren Greene, the former aide, said Farenthold told another staffer in the office that he had “sexual fantasies” and “wet dreams” about her — and that she could wear shirts that showed her nipples anytime she wanted.

Farenthold has denied the allegations, but he ultimately settled with Greene, who received $84,000 from a congressional fund dedicated to resolving workplace disputes.

The settlement included a confidentiality agreement barring Greene from talking about her accusations, but she later spoke with POLITICO about how she had been blackballed on Capitol Hill after coming forward.

  Politico

And this:

U.S. law enforcement agencies have seized the sex marketplace website Backpage.com as part of an enforcement action by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, according to a posting on the Backpage website on Friday.

[...]

The Department of Justice will provide more information at 6 p.m. EDT (1000 GMT), according to the website posting, which said U.S. attorneys in Arizona and California, as well as the Justice Department’s section on child exploitation and obscenity and the California and Texas attorneys general had supported shutting down the website.

Lawmakers and enforcement officials have been working to crack down on the site, which is used primarily to sell sex and is the second largest classified ad service in the country after Craigslist.

  Reuters

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.

Really??

I'm going to go ahead and say it.  Knock me if you will, and I will deserve it, but when you see a guy like this in Congress, you KNOW he's using his position to try to get some sex.

I remember HIM!