A Louisiana politician has called for the resignation of U.S. Rep. Vance McAllister, after video footage of the congressman kissing a woman who was not his wife surfaced.
Gov. Bobby Jindal told the Ouachita Citizen on Friday that the scandal wouldn't bode well for McAllister or his affiliates.
"Congressman McAllister's behavior is an embarrassment and he should resign," Jindal said this week. "He says he wants privacy to work on his issues with his family. The best way to get privacy and work on putting his family back together is to resign from Congress."
Jindal's statements came just hours after the Louisiana Republican Party officially suggested McAllister step down from his position in office. Chairman of the state GOP Roger Villere stated the 40-year-old politician's "extreme hypocrisy is an example of why ordinary people are fed up with politics."
"A breach of trust of this magnitude can only be rectified by an immediate resignation," Villere told the Citizen. "He has embarrassed our party, our state and the institution of Congress...I call on Mr. McAllister to put the interests of his nation, state and party over his own and step aside."
Villere also added that he'd tried to "resolve this matter privately and directly" with McAllister, but hadn't received a response.
A surveillance camera inside McAllister's office in Monroe reportedly recorded footage of the GOPer kissing 33-year-old Melissa Anne Hixon Peacock, who worked as a part-time aide.
McAllister released an official statement on Monday, a few hours after the Ouchita Citizen posted a video of McAllister allegedly "passionately embracing and kissing one of his congressional aides," on December 23.
"There's no doubt I've fallen short and I'm asking for forgiveness," McAllister, father to five children, wrote in his statement. "I'm asking for forgiveness from god, my wife, my kids, my staff and my constituents who elected me."
McAllister announced on Tuesday that he still intended to run for re-election, saying that he'd pursue a campaign "unless there is an outcry for me not to serve, and so far, there has been an outpouring of support, not for my actions, but for me to continue to represent the people."