三级aa视频在线观看-三级国产-三级国产精品一区二区-三级国产三级在线-三级国产在线

  Home>News Center>World
         
 

US governor resigns, admits gay affair
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-08-13 11:31

In a stunning declaration, Gov. James E. McGreevey announced his resignation Thursday and acknowledged that he had an affair with another man. "My truth is that I am a gay American," he said with his wife by his side at a nationally televised news conference.


New Jersey Gov. James. E. McGreevey speaks at a news conference at the Statehouse in Trenton, N.J. , Thursday, Aug. 12, 2004, where he announced he will resign Nov. 15. McGreevey also admitted that he is a homosexual and had a consenual affair with another man. [AP Photo]
"Shamefully, I engaged in adult consensual affairs with another man, which violates my bonds of matrimony," the twice-married father of two said. "It was wrong, it was foolish, it was inexcusable."

McGreevey, a Democrat, said his resignation would be effective Nov. 15.

McGreevey, 47, refused to answer questions at the Statehouse news conference. He said "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 without elaborating on what the circumstances were.

Two sources close to McGreevey, both speaking on condition of anonymity, said the man involved in the affair was Golan Cipel, an Israeli poet who worked briefly for the governor as a homeland security adviser despite having no security experience.

One source, a senior McGreevey political adviser, said Cipel threatened McGreevey several weeks ago that unless he was paid "millions of dollars," Cipel would file a lawsuit against the governor charging him with sexual harassment.

That source said a lawyer for Cipel "indicated that should the money be paid, Cipel would disappear until after the 2005 election."

The second source, a high-ranking member of the McGreevey administration, said Cipel made several threats about a lawsuit and demanded "an exorbitant sum of money to make it go away." Cabinet members and administration officials learned of that threat Wednesday night, the official said.

A phone number for Cipel could not immediately be found, and he could not be reached for comment.

Senate President Richard J. Codey, a Democrat, will become acting governor and serve out the remainder of McGreevey's term, which ends in early 2006. If McGreevey were to leave office before Nov. 15, a special election would be held.

Former Republican Gov. Christie Whitman said McGreevey "made a courageous decision" but criticized his plan to wait until Nov. 15 to leave office, saying it "smacks of politics." She said it "would be in the best interests of the state" for the governor to step aside immediately.

Rumors had been circulating for several years that McGreevey was gay, reaching the level of open hints on New Jersey talk radio shows.

A Roman Catholic, McGreevey had a daughter with his first wife, Kari, who lives in British Columbia with the child. He has another daughter with his current wife. McGreevey spokesman Micah Rasmussen declined to answer any questions about the future of McGreevey's marriage.


Gina Matos McGreevey, left, stands next to her husband Gov. James E. McGreevey as he announces he will resign Nov. 15 during a news conference at the Statehouse in Trenton, N.J. Thursday, Aug. 12, 2004. McGreevey also admitted he is homosexual and had a consensual affair with another man. [AP]

As a candidate and governor, the former altar boy proudly discussed his Catholic faith but publicly disagreed with church leaders over his support for abortion rights and same-sex partnerships. He pushed for the state's domestic-partnership law, which went into effect this year.

In an announcement that at times was deeply introspective, McGreevey referred to his lifelong struggles with his sexuality.

"Throughout my life, I have grappled with my own identity, who I am," he said. "As a young child, I often felt ambivalent about myself, in fact, confused.

"At a point in every person's life, one has to look deeply into the mirror of one's soul and decide one's unique truth in the world, not as we may want to see it or hope to see it, but as it is," McGreevey added.

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 Whitman in 1997.

McGreevey never truly stopped that campaign until he won in November 2001, beating Republican Bret Schundler by 15 percentage points.

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 and provided millions of dollars worth of property tax rebates that have been showing up in residents' mailboxes in recent weeks.

But scandal marred McGreevey's tenure following questions over a series of questionable appointments, including the naming of Cipel to the newly created post of homeland security adviser. Cipel was named to the job without any background check or official announcement.

Reporters soon questioned what Cipel did to earn his US$110,000 salary and in March 2002, he was reassigned to a "special counsel" job. A few months later, Cipel left his state government position.

McGreevey also came under fire in 2002 for hiring a state police superintendent who had a criminal record. Earlier this month, the governor's commerce secretary quit amid reports he funneled money to businesses he owned with family members.

Among others caught up in recent scandals were McGreevey's 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.

New Jersey residents expressed disbelief at the news. "We thought it was a joke," said Jeanne Montana, who heard the announcement on her car radio on the way to Atlantic City.

"Get out of here," Jim Nerney said when told the news by an Associated Press reporter at a rest stop. Convinced it was true, he shook his head.

Gay rights groups expressed support and compassion for McGreevey, but their reactions were tinged with sorrow because McGreevey announced his resignation just as he became the nation's first openly gay governor.

"It is a very sad to thing to watch. It is kind of stunning, sad to me that in 2004 people are still having to struggle because of homophobia in society to come to terms with who they are," said Kevin Cathcart, executive director of Lambda Legal.



 
  Today's Top News     Top World News
 

Typhoon kills 63, injures 1,800 in Zhejiang

 

   
 

Experts: Consumer prices reach peak

 

   
 

Quake cracks reservoirs, 50,000 in danger

 

   
 

US governor resigns, admits gay affair

 

   
 

Chlorine leakage injures 70 in Jiangsu

 

   
 

Int'l patent fair opens with eye on technology

 

   
  Iraq's Sadr said wounded in US Najaf bombing
   
  Sharon furious over call to close more settlements
   
  Sudan says West after country's oil, gold
   
  Hurricane Charley menaces Cuba, Floridians flee
   
  Long-awaited Google auction begins Friday
   
  US governor resigns, admits gay affair
   
 
  Go to Another Section  
 
 
  Story Tools  
   
  Related Stories  
   
Asia's biggest gay party starts in Singapore
   
Gay men get fast HIV tests in Hangzhou
   
Bush presses case against gay marriage
   
Marriage, theme in gay pride parade
   
Gay marriage opponents gear up for fall
  News Talk  
  American "democracy" under the microscope...  
Advertisement
         
主站蜘蛛池模板: 欧美亚洲精品在线 | 97婷婷色 | 成人午夜国产福到在线 | 国产真实伦偷精品 | 久久久99精品免费观看 | 六月丁香婷婷综合 | 夜色www| 最新精品在线 | 毛片a级 | 精品视频专区 | 久久综合色之久久综合 | 男女性高爱潮免费网站 | 欧美精品1区 | 婷婷综合社区 | 亚洲国产三级 | 国产精品亚洲二区 | 91短视频黄 | 亚洲日本国产 | 一级女性黄色生活片免费的 | 久久久久国产一级毛片高清片 | 欧美成人xx禁片在线观看 | 国产v亚洲v欧美v专区 | 国产高清精品一区 | 午夜性刺激小说 | 国产羞羞视频在线观看 | 黄色一级片在线播放 | 日韩在线亚洲 | 国产人免费人成免费视频 | 草草视频免费看 | 在线视频国产一区 | 亚洲人成网站999久久久综合 | 日韩一级黄色录像 | 综合婷婷丁香 | 91日本在线精品高清观看 | 日韩毛片一级 | 国产亚洲青色国产 | 四色婷婷| 91精品一区二区三区在线 | 国产精品久久久久久久免费大片 | 任我鲁精品视频精品 | 故意坐公交忘穿内裤被挺进小说 |