Posted on 08/12/2004 2:31:07 PM PDT by swilhelm73
NEW YORK -- In a stunning declaration, Gov. James E. McGreevey announced his resignation Thursday and acknowledged that he had an extramarital affair with another man. "My truth is that I am a gay American," he said.
"Shamefully, I engaged in adult consensual affairs with another man, which violates my bonds of matrimony," the married father of two said at a news conference. "It was wrong, it was foolish, it was inexcusable."
The Democrat said his resignation would be effective Nov. 15.
McGreevey, 47, said that "it makes little difference that as governor I am gay," but added that staying in office and keeping the affair and his sexual orientation secret will leave the governor's office "vulnerable to rumors, false allegations and threats of disclosure."
"Given the circumstances surrounding the affair and its likely impact upon my family and my ability to govern, I have decided the right course of action is to resign," he said.
McGreevey did not elaborate on what the circumstances were.
The former suburban mayor took office 21/2 years ago, and despite inheriting a $5 billion budget deficit, he steadfastly refused to boost income taxes for most New Jerseyans. He instead raised taxes on millionaires, casinos and cigarettes.
But he has been dogged by several scandals involving fund-raising.
Among those caught up in recent scandals were his first chief of staff and former counsel; a top Democratic fund-raiser and former high school classmate; and real estate developer Charles Kushner, McGreevey's biggest campaign contributor, who was charged with trying to thwart a federal campaign-finance investigation by luring a grand jury witness -- his own brother-in-law -- into a compromising position with a prostitute and sending video and photos to the man's wife.
McGreevey is the second governor to announce his resignation in recent weeks, following the resignation in June of Connecticut GOP Gov. John Rowland amid corruption investigations and threats of impeachment.
McGreevey rose from suburban mayor to state chief executive by his tenacious pursuit of party politics, maintaining a power base days after he narrowly lost to Republican Christie Whitman in 1997.
McGreevey never truly stopped that campaign until he won in November 2001, beating Republican Bret Schundler by 15 percentage points.
Born in Jersey City, McGreevey graduated from Columbia University in 1978. He earned a law degree from Georgetown University in 1981 and a master's degree in education from Harvard University a year later.
After briefly serving as a county prosecutor, McGreevey became a lobbyist for a pharmaceutical company, then a state government official. While in the Legislature, McGreevey voted for Gov. Jim Florio's $2.8 billion tax hike that prompted a voter rebellion against Democrats.
Gay as an Ungaro spring frock.
It's all about sex, we need to move on.
LMAO
And you are a liar and you are a Democrat, nothing that we haven`t heard before.
It amazes me how the contrast can be so obvious...and yet so many will hold tightly to their pride and misery...their ambitions and lust for power...even while they are being destroyed by those very choices.
Yes!
Oh dear GOD, Its starting!
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1190256/posts
Echoes of the 42nd.
Must be New Jersey's worst kept secret.
We even knew that up here in Canada.
Why wait? Doesn't he believe the system could take his sudden departure? Is he trying to steal spotlight from sKerry? Remember when it was thought a detriment to sKerry--now it will be welcome news.
I couldn't beleive it...did you see his wife standing there, HE IS A FOOL, she was "very attractive".
Not to mention loyal enough to stand by his foolish _ _ s.
Did anyone notice his father rolling his eyes?
Southern Demorcrats need to see the Gays, etc are taking over their party. Maybe this will open more of their eyes.
Curious he got married not once, but twice. Maybe the first wife had it figured out, but the second wife was still clueless. I'll bet the second thing his wife did after finding out was get tested for aids. You can speculate on what the first thing was.
Why resign? I thought this kind of behavior was protected up there. (/sarcasm)
The People of New Jersey will be denied their opportunity to vote as the Democrats game the system with a well timed appointee... Act up New Jersey!
The radio was talking about a sexual harassment lawsuit about to be filed by one of the guys whose fudge McGreevy has been packing
I guess McGreedy broke one of the cardinal rules of politics put forth by Edwin Edwards of Louisiana: Never get caught in bed with either a dead woman or a live man.
The giveaway for the first wife was his vast Judy Garland album collection. The second wife only figured out that he may be a metrosexual.
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