The Louisiana congressman who was caught on a surveillance camera allegedly kissing a female staffer issued a statement on Monday saying he was asking for forgiveness “from God, my wife, my kids, my staff, and my constituents who elected me to serve.”
Rep. Vance McAllister (R-LA) issued the statement a few hours after a local Louisiana newspaper, The Ouachita Citizen, published the video online. According to the Citizen, the video shows events that occurred Dec. 23 outside McAllister’s district office in Monroe, La. The Citizen identified the woman in the video as McAllister’s district scheduler Melissa Peacock.
“There’s no doubt I’ve fallen short and I’m asking for forgiveness,” McAllister said in his statement. “I’m asking for forgiveness from God, my wife, my kids, my staff, and my constituents who elected me to serve. Trust is something I know has to be earned whether your a husband, a father, or a congressman. I promise to do everything I can to earn back the trust of everyone I’ve disappointed.”
In his statement, McAllister did not directly address the content of the video itself, or the identity of the woman in it.
McAllister, who is married and five children, ran for Congress last year as a conservative Christian with the backing of stars from the “Duck Dynasty” reality show. He beat state Sen. Neil Riser in last November’s special election to fill Louisiana’s 5th District seat in the House, despite the support Riser enjoyed from powerful establishment Republicans. In an editorial last year, the Citizen endorsed Riser and denounced McAllister as a “liberal.”
“From day one, I’ve always tried to be an honest man,” McAllister said in his statement. “I ran for congress to make a difference and not to just be another politician. I don’t want to make a political statement on this, I would just simply like to say that I’m very sorry for what I’ve done. While I realize I serve the public, I would appreciate the privacy given to my children as we get through this.”
(Photo credit: The Ouachita Citizen)
