FL-16: ABC News sez FBI Reported to Begin Probe of Mahoney

[Sam Spade]

http://www.abcnews.go.com/Blotter/Politics/story?id=6034123&page=1

Pursuing Reports Mahoney Paid Hush Money to Alleged Mistress
By EMMA SCHWARTZ, RHONDA SCHWARTZ and VIC WALTER
October 14, 2008

The FBI has reportedly begun its own preliminary investigation into an ABC News report that West Palm Beach Congressman Tim Mahoney (D-FL) hired an alleged mistress to work on his official staff and then paid her $121,000 to keep her from going public and filing suit after she was fired.

The FBI has begun its own investigation into an ABC News report that West Palm Beach Congressman Tim Mahoney (D-FL) hired an alleged mistress to work on his official staff and then paid her $121,000 to keep her from going public and filing suit after she was fired. Collapse

FBI agents have reportedly contacted members of Mahoney's staff and Tuesday sought legal files surrounding the secret settlement, according to current and former Mahoney Congressional and campaign staff workers.

A spokesperson for the FBI said she had been instructed to say "no comment" to press inquiries.

It would be unusual but not unprecedented for the FBI to open an investigation into a member of Congress three weeks before the election.

Yesterday, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi called for an "immediate and thorough" investigation of Mahoney by the House Ethics Committee.

According to the Mahoney staffers, his secret agreement with the woman, Patricia Allen, began in 2006 when he was campaigning for office, vowing to remove the "ethical cloud" he said had been left over the district by Republican Mark Foley, who resigned after it was revealed he had written lewd internet instant messages to Congressional pages and teenage boys.

Mahoney today said he took "full responsibility" for his actions but did not admit the affair and took no questions from reporters.

Mahoney's spokesperson did not have an immediate response about the FBI's probe.

[Spaghetti Cat]

When I read the title (didn't really notice FL-16) I was thinking that it was referring to someone else and thought "nail through the coffin."  But it wasn't.  So I'm relieved.

[Sam Spade]

When I read the title (didn't really notice FL-16) I was thinking that it was referring to someone else and thought "nail through the coffin."  But it wasn't.  So I'm relieved.

I decided to change the title to prevent confusion.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

We didn't have to lose this one either. Mahoney had a 20 point lead supposedly. Then again we weren't supposed to hold it anyway and we'll pick up a ton more.

[Nutmeg]

Manhoney, we hardly knew ye.

[Lunar]

Mahoney just had another affair revealed by AP, this one with a County Official while he was helping FEMA....

[JSojourner]

ABC and the AP reporting this.  And --   "Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi called for an "immediate and thorough" investigation of Mahoney by the House Ethics Committee"


Paging States' Rights...paging States' Rights...

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

He's going down hard in the latest polls. Having a crappy Democrat lose isn't a loss.

[Sam Spade]

Mahoney admitted to the affairs today, but said he did nothing illegal.

I doubt that changes his fate any.

[Lunar]

Odds are his opponent is also having extramarital affairs, best to devote all of his oppo research into finding them.  It's inevitable in FL-16.

[Nym90]

Stick a fork in him, he's done.

Though Foley almost got "reelected" (his name was on the ballot still). That's probably more due to the GOP bent of the district than it is to any tolerance of sex scandals peculiar to this district, but who knows, it could be somewhat the latter.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Stick a fork in him, he's done.

Though Foley almost got "reelected" (his name was on the ballot still). That's probably more due to the GOP bent of the district than it is to any tolerance of sex scandals peculiar to this district, but who knows, it could be somewhat the latter.

I think the reason "Foley" came so clause to winning has to with the quality of the replacement. Joe Negron who was running against a Blue wave and running with the name of a disgraced pedophile on the ticket still got within 2%. Had he ran again under his own steam this would have been lean GOP all year long without the new scandal. Now it looks like Rooney will be able to win it anyway so I am relieved I guessed.

[Mr.Phips]

This was probably going to be a district that Democrats were going to lose in 2010 anyway. 

[Sensei]

meh, scumbag.

[Eraserhead]

The guy was and always has been an absolutely worthless Congressman. Goodbye, Mahoney.

[The Mikado]

Safe R -> Super-ultra lock R

[Lunar]

Mahoney's wife files for divorce.

[Alcon]

Is it too late to remove Mahoney from the ballot, like it was with Foley?

Because that would be super extra hilarious.

[Lunar]

I wonder who Mahoney's ex-wife is going to vote for.

Again, odds are that the GOP  challenger is also having a sex scandal cooking, Mahoney needs to invest all of his remaining campaign funds into digging up that story before November.

[JohnnyLongtorso]

Is it too late to remove Mahoney from the ballot, like it was with Foley?

Because that would be super extra hilarious.

Foley withdrew in September, so yes.