Two days after saying that he would not run for re-election because of health reasons, Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY) has announced that he is resigning his seat in Congress on Monday. Reports in recent days have focused not on Massa's health, but on allegations of misconduct involving Massa and a male staff member of his office.
Massa did not directly address that in his resignation announcement, which was placed on his official U.S. House website. That follows below.
The resignation of Massa is actually a blow for opponents of health care reform, because Massa was an opponent of the health bill, a Democrat who said he would vote no.
His departure also means the House will have 431 members, making 216 the majority, one less than with 432.
Two days ago as I sat reading my new annual CAT scan, having been told
that the anomalies in the films may or may not be scar tissue, I
decided to finally take the advice that my doctors have repeatedly
given me, and that is to take care of my family and myself before my
profession. After I decided not to run again I was told, for the first
time, that a member of my staff believed I had made statements that
made him feel "uncomfortable." I was told that a report had been
filed with the Congressional Ethics Committee. At no point prior to
this had any member of the Ethics Committee communicated with me
directly - if fact I first read it on the internet.
I own
this reality. There is no doubt in my mind that I did in fact, use
language in the privacy of my own home and in my inner office that,
after 24 years in the Navy, might make a Chief Petty Officer feel
uncomfortable. In fact, there is no doubt that this Ethics issue is my
fault and mine alone. But in the incredibly toxic atmosphere that is
Washington D.C., with the destruction of our elected leaders having
become a blood sport, especially in talk radio and on the internet,
there is also no doubt that an Ethics investigation would tear my
family and my staff apart. Some would say that this is what happens
when you stand apart from political parties, which I have done. Others
will say that this is what happens to a non politician when they go to
Washington DC. I want to make something perfectly clear. My
difficulties are of my own making. Period. I am also aware that blogs
and radio will have a field day with this in today's destructive and
unforgiving political environment. In that investigators would be free
to ask anything about me going back to my birth, I simply cannot rise
to that level of perfection. God knows that I am a deeply flawed and
imperfect person.
During long car rides, in the early
hours of the evening, late at night and always in private, I know that
my own language failed to meet the standards that I set for all around
me and myself. I fell short and I believe now, as I have always
believed, that it is not enough to simply talk the talk, but rather I
must take action to hold myself accountable.
Therefore,
effective at 5 PM on Monday the 8th of March I will resign my position
as the Federal Representative of New York's 29th Congressional District
in the 111th Congress. I do so with a profound sense of failure and a
deep apology to all those whom, for the past year, I tried to represent
as our Nation struggles with problems far greater than anyone can
possibly imagine. I hope that my family, constituents, and fellow
Members of Congress can accept this apology as being both genuine and
heartfelt and I wish for them and all Americans only the best. I will
take all actions possible to ensure that my personal health is secured
in that I know that mine is a far more fragile lifeline than most. For
the millions of fellow cancer survivors with whom I share this
experience, they, more than anyone else, will understand the honesty
and openness in this statement.
I ask that members of the press respect the privacy of my family, my staff, and me at this time.
-Congressman Eric Massa
Two days after saying that he would not run for re-election because of health reasons, Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY) has announced that he is resigning his seat in Congress on Monday. Reports in recent days have focused not on Massa's health, but on allegations of misconduct involving Massa and a ...
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