Congressman admits affair, denies choking mistress

[Carter711]

Some unsettling news involving another Congressman...

Sept. 15, 2004: A 29-year-old woman locks herself in a Georgetown bathroom and frantically calls 911 reporting that her lover is trying to choke her.

Her assailant - none other than married four-term Republican Congressman Don Sherwood of Pennsylvania.

When police arrive the woman refuses to speak or cooperate with them. Sherwood insists that he was only trying to give her a "vigorous" backrub.

The incident goes unnoticed for months, Sherwood wins reelection easily in 2004, happy to never mention the incident to his constituents. Finally, late last year the police report turns up, and Sherwood eventually admits he had a 5 year extramarital affair with the woman, 36 years his junior. He denies he tried to choke her, though he does settle a $5.5 million lawsuit filed by the woman for allegedly doing just that. The terms of the settlement were not publicly released.

Ironically, Sherwood is considered very socially conservative, closely allied with organizations like the American Family Association and the Christian Coalition. Sherwood remains married to his wife of 33 years.

Now Sherwood is in the fight of his political life, defending what had been considered a very safe seat in Congress.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Sherwood

[waccamatt]

Vote him out; get all the trash out of office. He should resign - not because he had an affair; that's between he and his wife, but because he tried to choke the woman.

[Charlotteman]

A man who puts his hands on a woman like that isn't fit to be a garbage man, let alone a congressman. If he paid $5 million for her silence, then he must have done it.

The Reps are just imploding aren't they? I wouldn't be a bit surprised to see even more of these hypocrite snakes exposed for what they are....

[Cadeho]

Wow, when you're a Republican, you think they can get away with anything. What a gang, always bad news.

[peaceloveunderstanding]

Ironically, Sherwood is considered very socially conservative, closely allied with organizations like the American Family Association and the Christian Coalition.

Hilarious.

[Pillsbury]

Vote him out; get all the trash out of office. He should resign - not because he had an affair; that's between he and his wife, but because he tried to choke the woman.

Yeah, that is indicative of something very very very wrong with someone and then to claim it was a backrub?

What is it with the secret lives of politicians anyway? I mean, they seem to lead such wild lives, while I sit at home at night watching the Weather Channel. And look at the guy! He's not exactly JFK or anything. What woman in her right mind would have an affair with him?

[Charlotteman]

Gosh isn't that the truth pillsbury! The woman must have had blinders on to have an affair with Don~~

From his pic posted here, I get the impression he's not only a misogynist but probably an alcoholic as well. (as a psychiatric nurse, ya develop an eye for it)

Thanks for starting this thread Carter. This would have slipped by my partner and I, since it certainly hasn't gotten as much media coverage as one would think. This is a shocking story.

[Charlotte_native]

This would have slipped by my partner and I, since it certainly hasn't gotten as much media coverage as one would think. This is a shocking story.

I think it has been a chore for the media to keep up with congressmen choking mistresses, hitting on 16 year old pages, and spewing racial slurs. Seems like a lot of these guys are imploding

[nowensone]

Power corrupts, obviously these lawmakers feel above the law as the highest lawmakers. It is interesting what a person will do when they feel no one will ever see, or ever find out what they have done. This must be similar to what one with such power feels, not that they aren't seen, but that due to their power, they won't be caught because no one will say anything. Take Foley, how could he think that his conversations and actions would remain secret? Obviously he suffers the delusion that he is above people coming forward because of who he is. Sherwood probably figures that an affair for someone of his stature is OK, beyond the laws that bind mortal men. He only apologized once he was caught, there never would have been an apology otherwise, and he would happily denounce others who committed his same sin. And to the frequent references to Republicans and Democrats here, corruption does not care which party you belong to. It is of course interesting that repubs generally put more political stock in values and morals, but many dems do as well.

[Charlotte_native]

And to the frequent references to Republicans and Democrats here, corruption does not care which party you belong to. It is of course interesting that repubs generally put more political stock in values and morals, but many dems do as well.

Quite true, but Repubs tend to make their moral high-ground a big issue, so they fall harder when their true colors come out. It is hard to be the family values group when you can't even live up to your own lofty ideals.

[peaceloveunderstanding]

Honestly though, these ideals they break aren't the loftiest.

They just use the Cristian right to get elected.

[Charlotteman]

What I don't quite understand about this whole thing is why the 911 call recording has not been made public. During the "supposed" event Sherwood's mistress fled to the bathroom to call for help. The call must have been recorded. If we could hear it, the real truth can come out, since she has since stepped away from prosecuting anything.

An interesting sidenote is that not only had Bush come out strongly for Don Sherwood, but so did Rick Santorum (before this scandle became public knowledge) Now in Pennsylvania the three will be lumped together. Talk about an axis of evil~~~

[Charlotteman]

What I don't quite understand about this whole thing is why the 911 call recording has not been made public. During the "supposed" event Sherwood's mistress fled to the bathroom to call for help. The call must have been recorded. If we could hear it, the real truth can come out, since she has since stepped away from prosecuting anything.

An interesting sidenote is that not only had Bush come out strongly for Don Sherwood, but so did Rick Santorum (before this scandle became public knowledge) Now in Pennsylvania the three will be lumped together. Talk about an axis of evil~~~

What I don't quite understand about this whole thing is why the 911 call recording has not been made public. During the "supposed" event Sherwood's mistress fled to the bathroom to call for help. The call must have been recorded. If we could hear it, the real truth can come out, since she has since stepped away from prosecuting anything.

An interesting sidenote is that not only had Bush come out strongly for Don Sherwood, but so did Rick Santorum (before this scandle became public knowledge) Now in Pennsylvania the three will be lumped together. Talk about an axis of evil~~~

oops I don't know what happened there:)

[waccamatt]

What I don't quite understand about this whole thing is why the 911 call recording has not been made public. During the "supposed" event Sherwood's mistress fled to the bathroom to call for help. The call must have been recorded. If we could hear it, the real truth can come out, since she has since stepped away from prosecuting anything.

An interesting sidenote is that not only had Bush come out strongly for Don Sherwood, but so did Rick Santorum (before this scandle became public knowledge) Now in Pennsylvania the three will be lumped together. Talk about an axis of evil~~~

What I don't quite understand about this whole thing is why the 911 call recording has not been made public. During the "supposed" event Sherwood's mistress fled to the bathroom to call for help. The call must have been recorded. If we could hear it, the real truth can come out, since she has since stepped away from prosecuting anything.

An interesting sidenote is that not only had Bush come out strongly for Don Sherwood, but so did Rick Santorum (before this scandle became public knowledge) Now in Pennsylvania the three will be lumped together. Talk about an axis of evil~~~

oops I don't know what happened there:)

The reason she isn't pursuing the case is that he paid her off to the tune of like $5 million; he's such a generous guy.

[Charlotteman]

Yeah, and where did the $5 million come from? A congressman makes about $150,000 a year.

[dimebag1980]

You guys are quick to point out that he's a Republican. But you fail to recall a certain Democrat Representative named Gary Condit who killed an innocent girl... and got away with it like OJ did.

The fact is, these people are human like the rest of us and they make mistakes. Both Republicans and Democrats alike have their elected officials with skeletons in their closets. Take Ted Kennedy for example... must I bring up the things he's done? And the man is still in office.

So before you start making it a political thing, remember it's not. People hide under political affiliations all the time to keep their secret lives from being exposed, and a lot of politicians feel that the Republican party would create a great "trick mirror" for them to hide behind. Neither Republicans, nor Democrats, need people like that in office. Instead, we need people who get things done, regardless of their sex, race, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, or party affiliations.

By the way, the Christian Coalition and American Family Association are two of the most extreme right-wing Conservative groups out there, and they both disgust me. I delete emails people have sent me from these groups all the time without reading them, because their "causes" are as silly as those of the ACLU and PeTA in many cases. Like the ACLU and PeTA, every now and then I'll hear of something they're doing or saying that makes sense, but it's very rare. I feel the same way about the Christian Coalition and the AFA. They're bullsh*t organizations with their heads in the clouds and very little concept of reality.

[Charlotte_native]

If they Democrats are so good at pre-election trickery and are lynching Foley and are responsible for bringing out his problems, why is this being so hush-hush? I haven't seen it anywhere except on here. I guess I should assume in this tool's home state it is big news?

[Gusterfell]

You guys are quick to point out that he's a Republican. But you fail to recall a certain Democrat Representative named Gary Condit who killed an innocent girl... and got away with it like OJ did.

If anything was proven, condit would be in jail right now, and I'm sure most Democrats would be fine with that.

So before you start making it a political thing, remember it's not.

Cough! Bill and Monica.

The diffeerence between Republicans and Democrats on this sort of issue, and the reason it is indeed a political thing, is that Republicans would seek to legislate the sex lives of the American people. They publicly proclaim a higher standard, so privately they should be holding themselves to the same standards.

[dimebag1980]

If anything was proven, condit would be in jail right now, and I'm sure most Democrats would be fine with that.

The evidence was also there against OJ, and that murderous S.O.B. is still running free as well. gary Condit is a sneaky, squirrely little pipsqueak parading as a man. He got away with murder, and so did Ted Kennedy. Those are crimes just as much as is the Republican idiot choking a woman.

The diffeerence between Republicans and Democrats on this sort of issue, and the reason it is indeed a political thing, is that Republicans would seek to legislate the sex lives of the American people. They publicly proclaim a higher standard, so privately they should be holding themselves to the same standards.

Bill Clinton's affair wasn't a political issue either! The man is a pervert, but that didn't affect his Presidency. A lot of people tried to make it an issue, but he was never forced out of office. As well he shouldn't have been. What happened between Monica and him stays between Monica, Hillary, and him. It's his business. The same thing in this case, it's this politician's business... not mine or yours.

By the way, I know many Democrats who also wanted to make an issue of Bill Clinton's games of "hide the cigar." It wasn't just a Republican thing, it was a decency thing. It was inappropriate, but in the end it didn't affect his duties as President.

[Carter711]

No party has a clean house on sex scandals. Remember Sen. Brock Adams (D), or Sen. Bill Packwood of the 90's. Those guys sexually harassed anything that walked.

Do Republicans take more heat when they get caught in these situations? Probably, but that's because they present themselves as authority figures on good moral values in order to get elected. For that hypocracy deserve a little extra grief.

A lot of people say you have to separate what a person does in office from their inappropriate sexual exploits. In other words, when you're at the polls, forget about that affair, forget about the time your congressman got caught with the 3 Asian prostitutes in the seedy motel, forget about that, and remember all the great things he's done in office. I can't do that. That's like saying... well the guy's a complete a**hole, but he gets a lot done. I think people are fair to expect that their elected officials act decently and honorably both in and out of the office.

[MadVlad]

Bubba the Love Sponge had a hooker from DC on one day and she was saying the more wild and out of control of the legislators she knew were the more conservative ones. This isn't to say that every conservative, or liberal for that matter, are involved in this nonsense, but it shows the hypocracy that prevails in Washington.

[dimebag1980]

Do Republicans take more heat when they get caught in these situations? Probably, but that's because they present themselves as authority figures on good moral values in order to get elected. For that hypocracy deserve a little extra grief.

I do agree with this 100%. The Republican party tries to be the party of "God, good, and family values." When a scandal hits a member of this party, it exposes the true hypocrisy of some people and it is very much deserved.

I couldn't agree with you more. This is one of the things I hate about my political party. I'm not religious, so most Republicans would probably label me a Democrat right there. But that's not what makes one a Democrat and I realize that.

In the end, no one is perfect... we all make mistakes. But when you're in public office and you make these mistakes, you really open yourself up for ridicule and criticism. And I have to believe it's very well-deserved for making yourself a public figure and then acting like a total idiot.

[monsoon]

If one is indeed concerned about one's party, the way to fix it is to vote out the idiots that support the nonsense. This means voting for the candidate of the other party. Otherwise nothing changes.

I once voted Republican back in the Ronald Reagan days. However by the time that Bush Sr. took office, I had given up on this party because they had turned into the party of special interests and religious extremists. Anyone that thinks this is a party for the common person is deluding themselves and in the long run will pay more taxes, have less freedoms, and get less for it the longer this party stays in control.

This is an observation for all of you of either party when it comes time to nominate someone for president in 2008. The last election where there wasn't either a Bush or a Clinton on the ticket, was in 1976. I say its time to end the dynasty of both these families.

[dimebag1980]

If one is indeed concerned about one's party, the way to fix it is to vote out the idiots that support the nonsense. This means voting for the candidate of the other party. Otherwise nothing changes.

I don't understand that. If there are problems with certain individuals within your party, you don't jump party lines for that reason alone. There are some good candidates on both sides in many races, and you have got to vote based on the person, not the party. Well, now that I think of it, I suppose you're saying that sometimes drastic times call for drastic measures. And while I don't know that I believe it necessarily means voting for the other party just to teach your party a lesson, I do think there has to be something that can be done. But what, I don't know.

I once voted Republican back in the Ronald Reagan days. However by the time that Bush Sr. took office, I had given up on this party because they had turned into the party of special interests and religious extremists. Anyone that thinks this is a party for the common person is deluding themselves and in the long run will pay more taxes, have less freedoms, and get less for it the longer this party stays in control.

This is an observation for all of you of either party when it comes time to nominate someone for president in 2008. The last election where there wasn't either a Bush or a Clinton on the ticket, was in 1976. I say its time to end the dynasty of both these families.

Are you saying you voted for Reagan? Just curious... that's just what that sounded like.

Anyway I agree with you on this. I am not a fan of political dynasties.

[monsoon]

Are you saying you voted for Reagan? Just curious... that's just what that sounded like.

Yes, in 1980, and 1984. I was stupid and believed anti-Carter rhetoric in 1980 just like several of the teenagers that post here believe the Bush bullcrap that goes on today. In my mind, we would be much better off today if Carter had won the 1980 election. I voted for Reagan again in 1984 because Mondale was so undesirable. At least Reagan had a counterbalance in the House known as Tip O'Neal.

I did not vote for Bush Sr in 1988 as it was clear to me that he was a crook. This was the guy that was responsible for arming Saddam, the Taliban, and even giving weapons to the Iranians when they are supposed to be the enemy. And worse, the son he raised is even more extremist.