Another GOP lawmaker in gay sex scandal Watch CNN's Carol Costello report on the latest scandal.
WASHINGTON (CNN) – It has been a truly scandalous few months for the GOP — for the third time in three months a Republican lawmaker is accused of soliciting sex with another man.
This time it's Washington State Rep. Richard Curtis — whose “I’m not gay” defense sounds a lot like Florida State Rep. Bob Allen's and Idaho Senator Larry Craig's.
Curtis told the Columbian newspaper in Spokane that he did not have sex with the man.
But the Spokane police department tell CNN a different story.
They say that on October 26, Curtis, dressed in women's lingerie, is alleged to have approached a young man in the "Hollywood Erotic Boutique."
The rest of the story is contained in a graphic 50 page police document. The young man alleges Curtis offered him $1,000 for unprotected sex at a nearby hotel.
And he says, "At the conclusion of the sexual activities, Curtis fell asleep."
The police report says the man, Cody Castagna, then took Curtis’ wallet — in order to extort money from the representative — and "threatened to publicly expose Richard Curtis' gay lifestyle to his wife."
At that point, police say Curtis called on an officer to investigate, hoping the incident would go away once police nabbed a suspect for taking his wallet.
Instead the media got wind of the case and found Curtis' alleged sex partner—who went public with his attorney.
"He gave me his wallet…as collateral for what he promised me" said Castagna.
It's a particularly ugly drama unfolding around another conservative Republican lawmaker. Like Florida State Rep. Bob Allen, who has pled not guilty to a charge of soliciting gay sex in July and Sen. Larry Craig, who is trying to withdraw his guilty plea on a charge of disorderly conduct in a restroom at Minneapolis Airport.
Curtis is married with children — and votes conservatively. He has voted against a domestic partnership bill, and a bill that would have outlawed discrimination based on sexual orientation.
On Wednesday he announced he was resigning his seat and said in a statement: “Events that have recently come to light have hurt a lot of people. I sincerely apologize for any pain my actions may have caused.
“This has been damaging to my family, and I don't want to subject them to any additional pain that might result from carrying out this matter under the scrutiny that comes with holding public office.”
The Spokane County prosecutor is considering whether to bring a charge of extortion against Castagna.
– CNN's Carol Costello
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2007/11/01/another-gop-lawmaker-in-gay-sex-scandal/#more-2839
