Facing backlash over harassment claim, GOP congressman won't seek re-election

(Image credit: AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

published 26 January 2018

Rep. Pat Meehan (R-Pa.) announced Thursday he will not seek re-election, a week after The New York Times reported he used taxpayer dollars to settle a sexual harassment case involving a former aide.

Meehan, 62 and married with three sons, said the allegations have become a "major distraction" but he needs to "own it because it is my own conduct that fueled the matter." Speaking to The Philadelphia Inquirer earlier this week, Meehan denied any wrongdoing, but admitted he had strong feelings of affection for the woman, who is decades younger than him, and said he thought she was his "soul mate." He also said he settled the case on the advice of House attorneys.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.