Republicans and Democrats are calling on Del. Joseph D. Morrissey (D-Henrico) to resign from the Virginia House of Delegates after his conviction Friday on a charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Morrissey was given a 12-month jail sentence with six months suspended in a case stemming from his connection with a 17-year-old female receptionist.

The terms of his sentence allow Morrissey to continue to serve in the General Assembly while incarcerated. But Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) and the leader of the House Democratic Caucus are urging him not to come back in light of his conviction on what a spokesman for the governor called “disturbing charges.”
Morrissey entered an Alford plea to one misdemeanor count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Alford pleas allow the accused to maintain innocence but acknowledge that there is enough evidence for a conviction.

Prosecutors had accused him of having sex with the receptionist who worked at his law firm and of possessing child pornography — allegedly a photo of the teenager. Morrissey and the girl have both said their cellphones were hacked and incriminating text messages planted by a third party. Their relationship was not sexual, Morrissey has said.

“This is a very troubling case,” House Minority Leader David J. Toscano (D-Charlottesville) said in a statement Saturday, “and disqualifies him from serving in the House.” Toscano added that “we are actively exploring all available options, including removal, if he does not [resign].”

Senate Democrats also called for Morrissey to go.

“Virginians expect and deserve representatives whose conduct — especially towards children — is above reproach,” said Minority Leader Richard L. Saslaw (Fairfax).

The chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia, Pat Mullins, likewise called for Morrissey’s resignation, calling him “a disgrace not only to himself, but to the Commonwealth of Virginia.”

Texas GOP Rep. Blake Farenthold is being sued by his former spokeswoman over allegations of gender discrimination and that he created a hostile work environment and improperly fired her after she complained.

Lauren Greene, Farenthold’s communications director until July, claims another Farenthold aide said the lawmaker had “sexual fantasies” and “wet dreams” about Greene.

“Farenthold regularly drank to excess, and because of his tendency to flirt, the staffers who accompanied him to Capitol Hill functions would joke that they had to be on ‘red head patrol to keep him out of trouble,’” Greene’s complaint alleges. “On one occasion, prior to February 2014, during a staff meeting at which [Greene] was in attendance, Farenthold disclosed that a female lobbyist had propositioned him for a ‘threesome.’”

According to Greene, Bob Haueter, Farenthold’s chief of staff, “belittled” her and shut her out of senior staff meetings.

“On June 10, 2014, in response to Haueter’s complaint about [Greene’s] shirt … which Haueter claimed was transparent and showed [Greene’s] nipples, Farenthold told [another woman staffer] that [Greene] could show her nipples whenever she wanted to,” Greene’s complaint asserts.

Greene said Farenthold avoided meeting one-on-one with her, and she also felt awkward about meeting with Farenthold.

When Greene complained to Farenthold directly in June about her problems with Haueter, she was “marginalized and undermined” by the Texas Republican, and then fired several weeks later, Greene said.

pacino wrote:how banking lobbyists got the push out provision in the recent CR

pacino wrote:Voter ID laws are dumb, since there's really no fraud

pacino wrote:dead people registered to vote? i'm unclear how a dead person voting will be solved through voter ID.

pacino wrote:ridiculous sentence:

Republicans and Democrats are calling on Del. Joseph D. Morrissey (D-Henrico) to resign from the Virginia House of Delegates after his conviction Friday on a charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Morrissey was given a 12-month jail sentence with six months suspended in a case stemming from his connection with a 17-year-old female receptionist.

The terms of his sentence allow Morrissey to continue to serve in the General Assembly while incarcerated. But Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) and the leader of the House Democratic Caucus are urging him not to come back in light of his conviction on what a spokesman for the governor called “disturbing charges.”
Morrissey entered an Alford plea to one misdemeanor count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Alford pleas allow the accused to maintain innocence but acknowledge that there is enough evidence for a conviction.

Prosecutors had accused him of having sex with the receptionist who worked at his law firm and of possessing child pornography — allegedly a photo of the teenager. Morrissey and the girl have both said their cellphones were hacked and incriminating text messages planted by a third party. Their relationship was not sexual, Morrissey has said.

“This is a very troubling case,” House Minority Leader David J. Toscano (D-Charlottesville) said in a statement Saturday, “and disqualifies him from serving in the House.” Toscano added that “we are actively exploring all available options, including removal, if he does not [resign].”

Senate Democrats also called for Morrissey to go.

“Virginians expect and deserve representatives whose conduct — especially towards children — is above reproach,” said Minority Leader Richard L. Saslaw (Fairfax).

The chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia, Pat Mullins, likewise called for Morrissey’s resignation, calling him “a disgrace not only to himself, but to the Commonwealth of Virginia.”

he's now found God and is refusing to resign. jesus christ, what an asshat and a criminal piece of crap. and only the powerful get a damn sentence like that.

One in six respondents said that she or he would be somewhat (or more) inclined to discriminate against conservatives in inviting them for symposia or reviewing their work. One in four would discriminate in reviewing their grant applications. More than one in three would discriminate against them when making hiring decisions. Thus, willingness to discriminate is not limited to small decisions. In fact, it is strongest when it comes to the most important decisions, such as grant applications and hiring. This hostile climate offers a simple explanation of why conservatives hide their political opinions from colleagues.