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NJ Governor Admits Gay Affair & Resigns
(submitted by Vurginne)
NBC, MSNBC and news services
TRENTON, N.J. - New Jersey Gov. James E. McGreevey announced his resignation Thursday afternoon, saying he had had an extramarital affair with another man that could leave the state government vulnerable to undue outside influences.
“My truth is that I am a gay American,” McGreevey, a Democratic former prosecutor who has seen several political aides and fund-raisers accused of corruption, said at a televised news conference.
“Shamefully, I engaged in adult consensual affairs with another man, which violates my bonds of matrimony,” said McGreevey, 47, the married father of two. “It was wrong. It was foolish. It was inexcusable.”
McGreevey said his secret — both his sexuality and his affair — left the governor’s office vulnerable. “I am removing these threats by telling you about my sexuality,” he said.
Specter of lawsuit
WABC-TV of New York reported that McGreevey was expecting a lawsuit by a former aide accusing him of sexual harassment. The station identified the former aide as Golan Cipel, who resigned as McGreevey’s security adviser in 2002 after months of questioning about his credentials and job qualifications.
The governor, who was married once before, said he had long struggled with the thoughts of his sexuality.
“Because of my resolve and also thinking I was doing the right thing, I also forced what I thought was an acceptable reality onto myself,” he said.
Steven Fisher, a spokesman for the Human Rights Campaign, which advocates for gay and lesbian causes, told MSNBC-TV: “Coming out is a deeply personal journey, and Governor McGreevey today showed enormous courage.”
Earlier this year, McGreevey signed a domestic partners law granting gay and lesbian couples many of the same rights as married couples. But he explicitly opposed same-sex marriages throughout the 2002 campaign and his administration.
McGreevey called on judges in 2002 to reject petitions seeking to legalize same-sex marriages, saying they would have a “detrimental impact ... in the state of New Jersey.” He stepped into the national controversy over same-sex marriages last March when he directed the state attorney general to order local officials not to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
Veteran New Jersey politician
The resignation is effective Nov. 15, McGreevey said. State Senate President Richard Codey will serve the rest of his term, which ends at the end of next year.
“My heart goes out to Jim McGreevey and his family during this difficult personal time,” Codey said. “Jim McGreevey is a good person and good friend, and today’s events sadden me.”
McGreevey, who appeared at the news conference with his wife and parents, will spend the weekend with his family, said his spokesman, Micah Rasmussen.
James E. McGreevey
Party: Democrat
Birthdate: Aug. 6, 1957, in Jersey City, N.J.
Education: BA, Columbia University, 1978; JD, Georgetown University, 1981; MA, Harvard University, 1982
Political experience: New Jersey governor, 2002-04; Woodbridge mayor, 1992-2001; state senator, 1994-97; state Assembly member, 1990-91
Other experience: Assistant prosecutor, Middlesex County, 1982-83; executive director, New Jersey Parole Board, 1985-87; lobbyist, Merck & Co., 1987-89.
Family: Married to Dina Matos McGreevey; two children, Morag Veronica and Jacqueline Matos.
SOURCE: Associated Press
Rasmussen declined to answer any questions about the future of McGreevey’s marriage. McGreevey himself refused to answer questions at the news conference.
McGreevey, the state’s 51st governor, took office 2˝ years ago, and, despite inheriting a $5 billion budget deficit, he steadfastly refused to boost income taxes for most New Jerseyans, instead raising taxes on millionaires, casinos and cigarettes.
McGreevey, a Democrat, rose from suburban mayor to state chief executive by his tenacious pursuit of party politics, maintaining a power base even after he narrowly lost to Republican Christine Todd Whitman in 1997.
McGreevey never truly stopped that campaign until he won in November 2001, beating Republican Bret Schundler by 15 percentage points.
McGreevey, who was born in Jersey City, graduated from Columbia University in 1978. He earned a law degree from Georgetown University in 1981 and a master’s degree in education from Harvard University a year later.
After briefly serving as a county prosecutor, McGreevey became a lobbyist for a pharmaceutical company and then a state government official. While in the Legislature, he voted for Gov. Jim Florio’s $2.8 billion tax hike, which prompted a voter rebellion against Democrats.
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