Rep. David Wu (D-Oregon) announced this week that he will resign from Congress, post-debt ceiling vote, after an allegation that he had an unwanted sexual encounter with his friend's 18-year-old daughter.
According to The Oregonian, which broke the news of the scandal last week, Wu was visiting his friend and political donor in Orange County last Thanksgiving when the incident took place. The newspaper reported that the woman, whose name has not been published, left a distraught voicemail message at the lawmaker's Portland office in the spring, accusing him of “aggressive and unwanted sexual behavior.” When confronted by his senior aides, Wu acknowledged a sexual encounter, but insisted it was consensual, according to the report.
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The young woman is being represented by OC attorney David Swanson. He told The Oregonian that the family is “not interested” in speaking with the press.
Boxed in by a pending ethics investigation, Wu announced his resignation on Tuesday. In a statement, he wrote, “The wellbeing of my children must come before anything else. With great sadness, I therefore intend to resign effective upon the resolution of the debt-ceiling crisis. This is the right decision for my family, the institution of the House, and my colleagues.”
