Why Did Christopher Lee Resign So Fast?

Christopher Lee abruptly resigned from Congress mere hours after news broke that he was advertising for sex on Craigslist. Apparently, he was looking for trannies.

Earlier this month, New York Republican Christopher Lee abruptly resigned from Congress mere hours after news broke that he was advertising for sex on Craigslist.

Much speculation ensued as to why he didn’t fight harder to save his career. If this Gawker report is true, we have a pretty good idea:

Chris Lee’s resignation from the House on Feb. 9 may be the quickest political downfall in history: It came just three hours after Gawker published a photo of Lee standing in the mirror shirtless, along with a story about how the married congressman dabbled in a little online dating on Craigslist.

Lee’s sudden exit took many people by surprise. Hadn’t other members of Congress admitted to worse than an unconsummated, PG-13 flirtation and managed to stay in office? It turns out Lee may have had good reason to step out of the spotlight so quickly: It wasn’t just women that the Craigslist Congressman was hunting for on the Internet.

In the past 10 days, two D.C.-area transgender women contacted us, each with a separate story about exchanging emails with the ex-congressman. One sent us an ad that Lee allegedly posted on Craigslist in search of trans women; the other sent us a never-before-seen photo that she says Lee sent her after they started chatting by email. Taken together, they present a possible explanation to those who have wondered why such a tame “sex scandal” forced Lee’s hand so quickly.

Much more at the link, but I think you get the point.

via Taegan Goddard

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James Joyner
About James Joyner
James Joyner is Professor and Department Head of Security Studies at Marine Corps University's Command and Staff College. He's a former Army officer and Desert Storm veteran. Views expressed here are his own. Follow James on Twitter @DrJJoyner.

Comments

  1. michael reynolds says:

    Jesus, I had to look up CD. TS I got. Apparently there’s some sort of conflict between the two.

    I don’t care if the man has some kinks. Not my business, his wife’s business and his.

    But seriously, WTF is going on with Republicans? Sexual repression is becoming a major contributing factor to Republicanism.

    What’s next, we find out Joyner is a (really large, unattractive) Lady GaGa impersonator?

    Sorry I even put that picture in anyone’s head. Especially with the meat dress.

  2. Trumwill says:

    I assumed at the get-go that he resigned because he knew that there were stories out there that he wanted uncovered. Given that he did resign and that he did not deny infidelity, I think that this is a case where you let sleeping dogs lie. If anything, we want to encourage quick retirements in cases like this. Going after them anyway is not the best way to do that.

  3. Gustopher says:

    Is this worse than Vitter in diapers? Consenting adults, I don’t care if money was exchanged or one likes dressing as a baby.

    I’m more bothered by the reports of Mitch Daniels having been arrested in college for possession of two large shoeboxes of pot, getting a $350 fine, and now supporting laws and sentencing that would ruin a kids life if that happened today. That’s immoral.

  4. Brian Knapp says:

    Michael, apology would have been accepted, but then you go and say “meat dress”…and suddenly this is a 13 year old Madlib…

  5. michael reynolds says:

    Gustopher:

    You obviously haven’t read the Official Republican Morality Manual.

    Diapers and a hooker is okay because it’s not gay.

    Beating a dealing rap is okay because Daniels was a middle-class white kid.

    Advertising for transexuals is not okay, because it’s gay.

    And if Daniels were black, that’d be life without parole.

  6. PD Shaw says:

    michael, abstinence allows one to channel one’s sexual energies into defeating the vast liberal horde (the MSM, the teacher’s union, children’s book authors . . .); similar concept is used in sports. And then sometimes a gear just slips and the results just ain’t pretty.

  7. michael reynolds says:

    The children’s book authors are a notorious bunch. Someone needs to watch those assholes.