Early reports today hinted that Eric Mass, a freshman Democrat Congressman from New York who announced he was retiring at the end of his term in office, wasn't seeking re-election because "according to several House aides – on both sides of the aisle – the the House Ethics Committee has been informed of allegations that Massa, who is married with two children, sexually harassed a male staffer."
Massa held a very brief teleconference this afternoon and announced that his early retirement was not due to any inappropriate behavior on his part, but strictly for health reasons. From the NYT:
"Addressing a report that he had been accused of sexual harassment by a
male aide, Mr. Massa denied it, though he acknowledged having “used
salty language” and said he had apologized for it. In a defiant tone,
he added, “Those kinds of articles are a symptom of what is wrong with
this city,” saying that it was why other politicians had “decided like
I, ‘I do not have the life energy to fight all the battles all the
time.' ”
