House Majority Leader Eric Cantor Asks Vance McAllister To Resign
House majority leader Eric Cantor has asked embattled Louisiana Rep. Vance McAllister, dubbed the “Kissing Congressman” to resign.
McAllister (R-LA) announced Monday he would not seek reelection in November but said he would not step down.
Politico was the first to report the story and quoted Cantor “I did just meet with (McAllister), I asked to meet with him” Cantor said in a hallway interview on Tuesday. “When we took the majority, I had said that I believe we ought to hold ourselves to a higher standard. And I think what has happened in his instance doesn’t meet the standard. So I told him that I thought he should resign.”
McAllister released a statement saying “I did meet with Leader Cantor this morning. He asked me why I would want to put myself through this for the next eight months if I’m not running for reelection. He did ask me to consider resigning, but I respectfully disagree with him and my family is behind my decision. I do not feel it’s in my constituents’ best interest to leave them without representation for the second time in less than a year. My district deserves a voice and a fair election process, not an expensive potential special election that benefits the establishment.”
McAllister is new to the political world, in fact he promoted that he is not a politician in a campaign ad. He beat state Senator Neil Riser in a special election to fill Louisiana’s 5th district seat in the house in November, 2013.
The Ouachita Citizen received a surveillance video showing McAllister kissing Melissa Anne Hixon Peacock outside his campaign office in Monroe, Louisiana on December 23, 2013.
Peacock was on his staff as a district scheduler. She resigned shortly the video came out.
Cantor has not called on Rep. Michael Grimm to resign (not yet). As previously reported in the Inquisitr, Grimm was charged in 20-count indictment of evading taxes of more than $1 million from a New York restaurant he owned.
“With Michael Grimm, he’s going to have to make his case to his constituents and make his case in court,” Cantor said.
Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) ducked the question on Grimm’s future on Tuesday, noting that the New York Republican have already given up his seat on the Financial Services Committee.
“I think all members should be held to the highest ethical standards,” Boehner told reporters. “Mr Grimm is under indictment. He resigned from his committee assignment and I think he made the right decision.”
[Image via foxnews.com]
