New York Congressman Resigns Over Shirtless Photo
By RAYMOND HERNANDEZRepresentative Chris Lee of New York, caught in the midst of a scandal involving a shirtless photo he reportedly sent to a woman on the Internet, has stepped down, according to a senior Congressional official.
Mr. Lee, a Republican, notified the Republican Speaker of the House of his decision in a letter he sent this afternoon after the scandal erupted.
Mr. Lee’s office released a statement late Wednesday in which the he asks for forgiveness. “I regret the harm that my actions have caused my family, my staff and my constituents,’’ he said. “I deeply and sincerely apologize to them all. I have made profound mistakes and I promise to work as hard as I can to seek their forgiveness.’’
Mr. Lee won his district, located in the western New York region, in 2008, when he ran in place of Thomas Reynolds, who announced his retirement.
Last year, another New York Congressman, Eric J. Massa, a Democrat, resigned amid accusations that he had groped a male aide.
Mr. Lee’s decision to step down came after a photo of him without a shirt appeared on Gawker along with e-mails exchanges that reportedly took place between him and a woman who had placed a personal notice in the “women seeking men” section of Craigslist.
In one of the e-mails, Mr. Lee describes himself as a lobbyist who is a “fit fun, classy guy.”
Mr. Lee also tells the woman that he is divorced.
When the woman asks him if he routinely sends shirtless photos of himself, Mr. Lee responds, “Sorry, it’s all I had.”
