Republican Louisiana Rep. Vance McAllister was previously best known for being endorsed by stars of A&E's "Duck Dynasty," but on Monday the married congressman made national headlines after the Ouachita Citizen newspaper published a video it described as showing him "passionately kissing and embracing a member of his congressional staff." McAllister subsequently released a statement to the newspaper apologizing and asking for "forgiveness."
"There's no doubt I've fallen short and I'm asking for forgiveness," McAllister said. "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."
McAllister was elected in November and said afterwards that having the endorsement of the reality television stars famed for their outspoken conservative views "didn't hurt." He brought "Duck Dynasty's" Willie Robertson as his guest to President Barack Obama's State of the Union address in January.
The Ouachita Citizen said it"obtained the video recording from an anonymous source" and that the "incident" in the clip "occurred at roughly 1:39 p.m. on Dec. 23, 2013, inside McAllister’s congressional office at 1900 Stubbs Ave., Suite B, in Monroe." According to the newspaper, the woman in the clip was McAllister's district scheduler, Melissa Peacock. The newspaper said Peacock is also married.
Neither McAllister's office or Peacock responded to requests for comments from Business Insider. However, in the statement he provided to the Ouachita Citizen, McAllister asked for privacy.
"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," he said. "While I realize I serve the public, I would appreciate the privacy given to my children as we get through this."