A Louisiana pastor says he knows who leaked the video of Rep. Vance McAllister (R-LA) kissing one of his female staff members. Danny Chance, pastor of Christian Life Church in Monroe, La., says another McAllister staffer did it.
Chance told The Monroe News-Star that Leah Gordon, McAllister’s Monroe district office manager, leaked the surveillance video, which was taken in December at McAllister’s office in Monroe. Chance also accused Gordon of saying she would take the video to two men who once worked for McAllister’s opponent in last year’s special election to fill Louisiana’s 5th District seat in the House.
“I’m not taking up for the congressman; what he did was wrong,” Chance told the News-Star. “But I just feel like there is a conspiracy to bring Vance down and destroy him. For someone on his staff to do that is wrong.”
Chance said Gordon also spoke of taking the video to state Sen. Mike Walsworth (R) and Jonathan Johnson, who both worked for state Sen. Neil Riser (R), who ran against McAllister last year. They were running to fill the seat left vacant by former Rep. Rodney Alexander (R-LA) — who is also Gordon’s former boss.
Both Walsworth and Johnson denied seeing the video before it was published online Monday by a local Louisiana newspaper.
“It’s an absolute lie,” Walsworth told the News-Star. “He knows it’s not true. I can’t believe a minister would outright lie like that. Maybe I didn’t go to his church as often as he wanted. I didn’t see that video until (Monday) like everybody else.”
“It’s the craziest thing I’ve heard in my life,” Johnson said. “The bottom line is it’s ridiculous. They’re looking for someone to take the blame to get the attention off of them, and I guess they’re looking for me to take the fall, but I didn’t see the video until [Monday].”
TPM’s attempts to reach Gordon on Tuesday were unsuccessful.
Adam Terry, McAllister’s chief of staff, said he knew about the allegation that Gordon had leaked the video. He told the News-Star that the only people with access to the security video besides Gordon were the building’s landlord and the landlord’s employee. But as of Tuesday, Gordon was still on McAllister’s payroll. Terry told the newspaper that McAllister’s office is currently talking with attorneys to figure out if federal laws were broken when the video was taken.
