Rep. Murphy Will Retire After Mistress Revealed He Urged Her to Have an Abortion
The seat will more than likely remain Republican.
Rep. Tim Murphy (R-PA) has received praise and endorsements from pro-life and pro-family groups since he came into Congress in 2003.
But Murphy announced he will not seek re-election after texts leaked between him and the woman he was having an affair with revealed that he urged her to have an abortion during a pregnancy scare.
Affair
The affair came to light last month during the divorce proceedings of forensic psychologist Shannon Edwards, Murphy’s mistress, and her husband Jesse Sally, who “sought to have Murphy testify in a deposition earlier this year.” Murphy admitted the affair:
“Last year I became involved in an affair with a personal friend,” the Republican lawmaker said in a statement released through his lawyer, after a court hearing in Allegheny County on Wednesday. “This is nobody’s fault but my own, and I offer no excuses. To the extent that there should be any blame in this matter, it falls solely upon me.”
The congressman added, “I ask the media to respect the privacy of my family. They have done nothing wrong and deserve to be left alone.”
On Tuesday, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette published leaked text messages between Edwards and Murphy from January over a pro-life Facebook post on his work page:
“And you have zero issue posting your pro-life stance all over the place when you had no issue asking me to abort our unborn child just last week when we thought that was one of the options,” Shannon Edwards, a forensic psychologist in Pittsburgh with whom the congressman admitted last month to having a relationship, wrote to Mr. Murphy on Jan. 25, in the midst of an unfounded pregnancy scare.
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A text from Mr. Murphy’s cell phone number that same day in response says, “I get what you say about my March for life messages. I’ve never written them. Staff does them. I read them and winced. I told staff don’t write any more. I will.”
No Re-Election
Murphy made his announcement on Wednesday evening. From Politico:
“After discussions with my family and staff, I have come to the decision that I will not seek reelection to Congress at the end of my current term,” Murphy said in his statement. “I plan to spend my remaining months in office continuing my work as the national leader on mental health care reform, as well as issues affecting working families in southwestern Pennsylvania.”
Murphy added: “In the coming weeks I will take personal time to seek help as my family and I continue to work through our personal difficulties and seek healing. I ask you to respect our privacy during this time.”
The scandal had some on the Hill privately wish that Murphy would resign or retire.
Murphy spoke to House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) before he made his announcement. He also spoke with his Pennsylvania colleagues Bill Shuster and Charlie Dent.
Republicans dominate Murphy’s district so the party will more than likely keep the seat. Murphy did not have an opponent in 2014 and 2016. One Democratic strategist even said the party couldn’t win the seat even if Murphy did run again.
Some Democrats still have hope. Politico continued:
“It’s a tough district, no doubt about it, but Democrats have been able to keep it close in other races,” said Mike Mikus, a longtime Democratic operative in the state. “I think you’ll see more Democrats taking a look at this and considering jumping in now.”
A handful of Democrats are already in the race, including Pam Iovino, a Navy veteran and former Veterans Affairs official; Mike Crossey, a former member of the Allegheny County Council; and Bob Solomon, a physician.
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Comments
Hypocrisy never seems to bother democrats for some reason.
That would require having a conscience.
Does anyone have any character in Washington anymore?
Try the Marine Barracks.
The conservative coalition does.
The democrats are warped fascists trying to destroy our Constitution and our freedom – and cash-in, in the process.
The Republicans are corrupt, spoiled poodles, sell-outs and backstabbers, personified by boehners, ryans, mcconnells, mccains, etc etc
Our nation’s high offices should not be for sale, nor occupied by the likes of this a-hole. We can’t control who the democrats vote for, but we can certainly see to it that only self-less patriots are elected to Republican high office.
Tough or indelicate situations may on occasion build character. More often they reveal character.
There are lots of creeps in Congress. I have no problem in GOP holding their own to their own standards. Democrats are worse, but that is why they are Democrats (Mary Jo Kopechne is unavailable for comment).
Good riddance. I am currently taking a discipleship class (some info about it here: https://www.unshackledaction.com/navigators-discipleship ) and part of it simply involves regular Bible reading. One thing that is getting pounded into my head reading the NT letters is the importance of living our lives with good character and setting a good example.
Murphy is far, far worse than a mere bad example. I hope he genuinely gets right with God after this, but he should do that as a private citizen, not on the taxpayer’s dime.
Two things. One, if Murphy was a Demorat he would be congratulated for using the services of Planned Parenthood. Two, is there no one with any integrity left in DC? In most of our daily lives, we encounter more upstanding trustworthy people than in all of DC. Shouldn’t there be a law to protect the voter from these slimy critters after we elect them? How about making them give back every cent they were paid while in office?
THIS is why Mike Pence has such strong rules about his marriage and women he works with. Even if you think “I won’t give in to temptation” it happens.
Murphy is better off gone. if you cannot control your personal life, what right do you have making laws that control mine?
Ive no idea who this guy is BUT is he part of the swamp machinery or was he a Trump friendly congressman?
Republican Rep. Murphy has one sex scandal (with accompanying hypocrisy) and he’s gone one week later.
Democrat Minority Leader Pelosi has lost several election cycles in a row and exhibits signs of senility, but remains in office.
This is why the GOP is better than Democrats.
You know, it’s a good thing that the Republicans have the Democrats to run against, otherwise they would lose all the time.
Murphy was either lying when he said he was pro-life or he’s a hypocrite. In either case, he’s an idiot for laying that out in a text. Scheiss for brains.
Two married people, not to each other, at their respective stations in life…..SMH
Well, it’s weaker. The GOP has no plans to replace this guy with anyone with more character – just someone like him, to do the bidding of a handful of their supporters.
The GOP is rotten to the core: the guy resigned because he’s a pussy. Another pussy and GOP idiot Jack Ryan got caught in a minor scandal, and bailed in the Senate race, enabling long-shot candidate and serial nose-picker barry obama to become elected to the US Senate.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Ryan_(politician)
The GOP is not ‘better.’ They’re just less obviously corrupt.
Murphy’s problem is that he apparently has a conservative mind and conservative heart, but a liberal and unruly penis. It happens.
It means he’s full of crap, and always has been.
Any man can say they oppose it up to the time their mistress is pregnant. Then given a choice of a child support payment the wife is surely going to discover or making the problem disappear, expediency trumps principles all the time. Age old problem, age old hypocrisy.
There is a majority and minority bipartisan interest in sustaining the “final solution” established by the Pro-Choice Amendment, under a layer of privacy, no less, pulled from the twilight fringe.
And another tombstone litters the High Road. But I’m sure his constituents won’t mind another few weeks of Ramen noodles – such a small price to pay for his righteous resignation.
Maybe he can send them leftover steak from dinner parties of whichever lobbying firm he joins.
We should follow his ‘career,’ and give hell to whoever hires him.
I wonder if this Gift-to-the-People will vote to outlaw ‘bumpstocks’ – before he resigns – even though his is still working…
Should look into cancelling pensions and healthcare benefits for these retired ‘servants of the people’.