Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal Calls on McAllister to Resign
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Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call(BATON ROUGE, La.) — Top Republicans in Louisiana, including the state’s governor, called on embattled Louisiana Republican Rep. Vance McAllister to resign Thursday in the wake of a scandal involving the congressman and one of his staffers.
“Congressman McAllister’s behavior is an embarrassment and he should resign,” Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said in a statement. “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.”
“The Republican Party of Louisiana calls on Vance McAllister to resign his seat in Congress,” Roger F. Villere, Jr., chairman of the Louisiana GOP, said. “Mr. McAllister’s extreme hypocrisy is an example of why ordinary people are fed up with politics.”
McAllister, who initially gained national attention after he was endorsed by the stars of Duck Dynasty and won a special election last fall, is now fighting to keep his seat after he attracted headlines when a video surfaced this week showing him making out with a woman staffer, who has since resigned.
Addressing the scandal for the first time Thursday, House Speaker John Boehner did not publicly call on McAllister to resign — but said he has had a private conversation with the kissing congressman and put the decision to continue serving back on the freshman lawmaker.
“I expect all members to be held to the highest ethical standards and this is no different,” Boehner, R-Ohio, answered when asked whether he has confidence is McAllister’s ability to serve his constituents in Louisiana. “I’ve talked to Rep. McAllister. I don’t share with you the kind of conversations I have, but I have had a conversation with him and, you know, he got decisions that he has to make.”
A senior aide to Majority Leader Eric Cantor confirmed that Cantor also briefly spoke with McAllister on Tuesday evening, and the two agreed to speak again when McAllister returns to Washington.
After votes wrap up Thursday, the House of Representatives will go on spring break for a two-week recess for the Easter holiday, returning to session on April 28.
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