A Republican House member apologized Monday after a newspaper published a video it said showed him kissing an aide late last year.
Rep. Vance McAllister, a freshman member who is married and has five children, made the apology in a statement that did not directly address the specifics of the newspaper's report.
"Trust is something I know has to be earned whether your [sic] a husband, a father, or a congressman," he said. "I promise to do everything I can to earn back the trust of everyone I've disappointed."
"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," he added.
The video published by the Ouachita Citizen showed a man the newspaper said was McAllister embracing a woman identified as district scheduler Melissa Anne Hixon Peacock. The newspaper obtained the video, reportedly taken at McAllister's district office, from an unnamed source.
Peacock is also married.
McAllister won a special election last November to take the seat left open when Rep. Rodney Alexander, R-Louisiana, resigned to work for the Jindal administration.
His full statement is below:
There's no doubt I've fallen short and I'm asking for forgiveness. 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.From day one, I've always tried to be an honest man. 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.
