My personal business is none of your business! - Congressman Vance McAllister (R-LA). The Republican lawmaker rather be in the business of the president and those who aren't as privileged as he is. |
The junk food media is abuzz about the controversy with Tea Party Republican lawmaker Vance McAllister of Louisiana. The staunchly conservative lawmaker is caught fondling and kissing on a woman that's not his wife.
Earlier this year, the lawmaker brought a member of the Duck Dynasty clan to the State of The Union Address to insult the LGBT community and President Barack Obama.
McAllister represents the Louisiana's 5th congressional district. A resident of Swartz in Ouachita Parish in northeastern Louisiana, McAllister has a background in business and the military. He won a special runoff election held on November 16, 2013, for the seat vacated by fellow Republican Rodney Alexander. He defeated State Senator Neil Riser of Columbia in Caldwell Parish, who was the choice of much of the state's Republican leadership.
According to the office of Louisiana Secretary of State Tom Schedler in Baton Rouge, McAllister defeated Riser, 54,449 (59.7 percent) to 36,837 (40.3 percent), with all 981 precincts reporting.
On April 7, 2014, The Ouachita Citizen newspaper of West Monroe, published by Sam Hanna, Jr., posted online a copy of a surveillance video from an anonymous source which shows McAllister kissing a woman in his Monroe district office.
According to the news source, the video was recorded in McAllister's Monroe congressional office on December 23, 2013, five weeks after his election to Congress. McAllister is shown turning off the lights and then kissing a woman for approximately thirty seconds.
The newspaper identified the woman as Melissa Anne Hixon Peacock (born c. 1981), his district scheduler from Sterlington, previously a cosmetologist. Peacock contributed $5,200 to McAllister's campaign in 2013.
Her husband is Heath Peacock (born c. 1980), who also contributed $5,200 to McAllister's campaign.
Heath Peacock was reared three miles from McAllister in West Carroll Parish and both graduated from Forest High School but six years apart. He worked with McAllister for more than sixteen years at Mustang Engineering.
"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." McAllister said in a statement.
Chief of staff Adam Terry said that Peacock was removed from the payroll during the past twenty-four hours. Former opponent Neil Riser said, "I think right now we should be mindful and sensitive to the families who are involved.”
McAllister and his wife, Kelly were married in 1997 and they raised five children.
McAllister is a member of the North Monroe Baptist Church. He describes his decision to run for Congress as a "prayerful one. Many people make light of my spiritual faith, but that is okay with me.
I know the blessing that I have received from the good Lord and the inner peace that comes from being a believer. ... I knew there were a number of qualified people in the district to be congressman, but also I realized that I had the time and the financial capability ... that maybe [the others] didn't."
Seems like the freshman Congressman should have watched how Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) handles a "scandal". This is a textbook case of being caught on camera in the wrong place.
His own staffer betrayed him.
McAllister betrayed his wife, his longtime friend (the husband of the woman he was kissing) and his children.
But since he's a Republican (i.e. Mark Sanford), this is nothing. According to Republicans, we need to focus on Bill Clinton cheating! Because in their minds, he's biggest cheater of them all.
After all he's not running for president anymore. His wife could be!