Freshman Louisiana Congressman Vance McAllister will probably have some difficulty running again on his “Faith, Family and Hard Work” message this November after a video showing the Republican kissing a female staffer emerged on Monday. The revelation comes via the Ouachita Citizen newspaper in West Monroe, Louisiana, which posted a building surveillance video of McAllister and a woman—reportedly an aide—locking lips at, of all places, his congressional office in Monroe on Dec. 23 of last year.
The woman in the video is reportedly McAllister’s district scheduler. Here’s more from the Ouachita Citizen on McCallister, who has been married for 16 years and has five children.
Throughout last fall’s congressional campaign, McAllister, a Republican from Swartz, touted his Christian faith and in one television commercial, he asked voters to pray for him. At least two other campaign television commercials featured McAllister walking hand in hand with his wife, Kelly, while their five children walked along. One television commercial captured the McAllister family in the kitchen of their home preparing breakfast before attending church.
McAllister didn’t waste much time issuing a statement about the video saying, via the News-Star:
“There’s no doubt I’ve fallen short and I’m asking for forgiveness,” McAllister said in a statement. “I’m asking for forgiveness from God, my wife, my kids, my staff and my constituents who elected me to serve. “Trust is something I know has to be earned whether you’re a husband, a father or a congressman. I promise to do everything I can to earn back the trust of everyone I’ve disappointed. From day one, I’ve always tried to be an honest man. I ran for Congress to make a difference and not just be another politician.
McAllister’s chief of staff told the News-Star the congressman does not intend to resign.
