Rep. Massa's Mea Culpa

Reporting on Rep. Eric Massa (D-N.Y.) isn't easy on reporters - especially since the freshman lawmaker changes his story so much. As Washington scandals go, Massa's has all the right elements: 1. sexual inuendo 2. alcohol 3. a bridesmaid 4. a congressman 5. the word, 'fracking' Roll Call's Jennifer Yachnin has the gritty details, as heard on Massa's weekly radio show on WPKQ: "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,Â” he said. (The stomach flu is always a good time) (Read the rest of the explanation after the jump...) NBC's Luke Russert on MSNBC Monday morning after Massa blamed his departure on Democratic leadership's health care legislation: "It's very odd that Congressman Massa now makes this a case about health care. ...As you recall last week he made this a case about cancer." Russert describes the time line: "Cancer, denial, admission, conspiracy by Democratic leadership." Roll Call's Massa report as heard on WPKU: "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 guyÂ’s hair and left, went to my room, because I knew the party was getting to a point where it wasnÂ’t right for me to be there. Now was that inappropriate of me? Absolutely. Am I guilty? Yes."

Fishbowl

Rep. Massa's Mea Culpa

Betsy Rothstein

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Betsy Rothstein