Kicking Massa While He's Down

Eric Massa, forever a punchline.

H/T Hot Air.

Pelosi on Massa: 'This is a Very Sick Person'

Heard this clip on Rush Limbaugh today and it comes from an interview scheduled to air with Charlie Rose.

Projecting much, Nancy?

I mean the point is, this is a very sick person. He has been diagnosed with cancer, perhaps his judgment is impaired, because of the ethical issues, and he is no longer in the Congress...poor baby, poor baby.

Watch the clip here. This comment is at the end of the 10-minute clip.

I'd say anyone dumb enough to tell us to pass a bill to find out what's in it is the one with impaired judgment.

Massa Claims Democrats Railroaded Him

Could well just be sour grapes, though at the same time the guy did vote against ObamaCare and we know the Democrats have said they'll do anything to pass this crap sandwich.

Rep. Eric Massa, D-N.Y., under investigation for alleged sexual harassment of a male staffer, accused House Democratic leaders of lying about the charges against him and using them to run him out of Congress because he voted against health care reform when it last came before the House.

Roll Call reports this morning that on the local radio show he hosts in his district, Massa said he had not been informed of the sexual harassment allegations before they became public. He claimed that Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., spoke falsely when he said he had brought the matter to him previously, Massa said. “Steny Hoyer has never said a single word to me, at all, ever, not once," Massa said. "Not a word. This is a lie. It’s a blatant, false statement."

He also railed against Hoyer for discussing Ethics Committee business with the press. "Never before in the history of the House of Representatives has a sitting leader of the Democratic Party discussed allegations of House investigations publicly before findings of fact. Ever."

Massa, who voted against health care reform in November, accused Democratic leaders of driving him out of office in the cause of passing health care reform. "With the departure of Congressman Neil Abercrombie (D), who is running for the governorship of Hawaii, and with the tragic and very sad passing of my personal friend Jack Murtha (D-Pa.), mine is now the deciding vote on the health care bill and this administration and this House leadership have said, quote-unquote, they will stop at nothing to pass this health care bill. And now they’ve gotten rid of me and it will pass. You connect the dots."

Massa describes the sexual harassment allegations here.

“On New Year’s Eve, I went to a staff party. It was actually a wedding for a staff member of mine; there were over 250 people there. I was with my wife. And in fact we had a great time. She got the stomach flu,” he said.

Massa explained that he then danced first with the bride, who was not identified, and then with a bridesmaid. He said multiple cameras recorded the incident.

“I said goodnight to the bridesmaid,” Massa continued. “I sat down at the table where my whole staff was, all of them by the way bachelors.”

“One of them looked at me and as they would do after, I don’t know, 15 gin and tonics, and goodness only knows how many bottles of champagne, a staff member made an intonation to me that maybe I should be chasing after the bridesmaid and his points were clear and his words were far more colorful than that,” Massa said. “And I grabbed the staff member sitting next to me and said, ‘Well, what I really ought to be doing is fracking you.’ And then [I] tossled the guy’s hair and left, went to my room, because I knew the party was getting to a point where it wasn’t right for me to be there. Now was that inappropriate of me? Absolutely. Am I guilty? Yes.”

But Massa said that the staff member whom he made the comments to “never said to me that he felt uncomfortable,” and charged that incident was raised by another aide who had witnessed the incident.

“It was a third-party political correctness statement,” Massa said. Massa’s former deputy chief of staff, Ron Hikel, has been identified in media reports as the source of the ethics complaint.

Instapundit links. Thanks!

Democrat Resigns in Disgrace

Nancy Pelosi's swamp-draining continues.

New York Democratic Rep. Eric Massa, the subject of a harassment complaint by a male staffer, is stepping down from his seat, The Associated Press has learned.

Knowledgable Democratic officials told AP that Massa, who has announced he will not seek reelection due to a recurrance of cancer, is resigning his seat, effective Monday.

Massa's resignation comes as the House ethics panel was reviewing a harassment complaint by a male staffer who reportedly felt uncomfortable in a situation with Massa that had sexual overtones.

Massa, who had initially dismissed the rumors, will resign effective Monday evening, according to three Democratic officials with knowledge of his plans. They spoke on condition of anonymity because no formal announcement had yet been made.

The ethics committee issued a brief statement Thursday saying it is "investigating and gathering additional information concerning matters related to allegations involving" Massa.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said Wednesday that he was told the week of Feb. 8 by a staff member in Massa's office about allegations of misconduct. Hoyer directed Massa to report the allegations to the House ethics committee within 48 hours. Hoyer said he got confirmation within that time frame that the committee received the report and would review the allegations.

Massa, naturally, put the blame on the evils of talk radio and the internet.

What a dick.

As Obama Speaks, Another Endangered Democrat Announces Retirement; Update: Sexually Harassed Male Staffer?

Mere minutes before the Clown-in-Chief walked out with his props dressed in lab coats today to lie through his teeth some more, word leaked an endangered Democrat announced his retirement.

Rep. Eric Massa is poised to announce this afternoon that he will not seek re-election in the 29th Congressional District this fall as planned, a Democratic source confirms.

The freshman congressman is going to make his announcement at 3 p.m., according to the source. It's unclear if that event is taking place in the district or in Wahsington, D.C. A call to Massa's spokesman has so far not been returned.

UPDATE: Massa's office says he will be speaking with the press on a "very important" conference call at 3:30 p.m. He's in Washington.

Massa is calling around the district to inform party leaders and supporters of his decision.

The source said he assumed that Massa's move is "health related," but said the congressman also gave him a rather nebulous warning that he would be "hearing things that aren't true."

Sources close to the congressman say there has been talk of an ethics investigation, but a staffer in Massa's district office contacted yesterday insisted he had no knowledge of that.

Ironically a guy who might have ethics problems announces he's leaving while a bum like Charlie Rangel plans apparently to die in office. Curious how Massa has filled his campaign coffers with donations from Rangel.

Citing federal Election Commission records, former Corning mayor Tom Reed said in a news release that Massa accepted a total of $67,822 from several of Rangel's fundraising committees during the 2008 and 2010 election cycles.
Last week, a House Ethics Committee report found Rangel guilty of violating gift rules by accepting corporate-sponsored trips to the Caribbean in 2007 and 2008.

Massa is one of many to accept money from Rangel.

Update: Oh my.

According to several House aides – on both sides of the aisle – the House ethics committee has been informed of allegations that Massa, who is married with two children, sexually harassed a male staffer.

NY Democrat: 'I Will Vote Adamantly Against the Interest of My Constituents'

Unbelievable. Did this dummy think telling the truth to these nutroots clowns wouldn't get out?

Hope he enjoys his stay in Congress. It will end next year.

As he notes himself, Massa is in a very conservative district. I'm sure the folks there will be thrilled to see this video.

A Wikipedia page.

A former Republican, he left his party over the issue of the Iraq War and campaigned in New Hampshire during the campaign of his former boss, Wesley Clark's failed presidential bid.

During the 2006 campaign, Massa positioned himself as strongly opposed to the Iraq war and unrestricted "free trade," favoring instead "fair trade". Other issues in his platform included expanding farm aid programs, as well as bringing homeland security money to the 29th District. Massa is also active in Band of Brothers/Veterans for a Secure America whose goal is to help veterans who are running for Congress as Democrats. He also supported a system for universal health care.

Aww, isn't this cute, he's got himself a Daily Kos diary.