Justin Elliott March 10, 2010, 10:35 AM

In what appears to have been a highly unorthodox living situation for a member of Congress, former Rep. Eric Massa shared a small Washington townhouse with five of his staff members, a local New York newspaper reported last year.

As the revelations about Massa’s relationship with his staff continue to stream in, this detail from a “day in the life” profile in the Oct. 9, 2009, Hornell Evening Tribune is sure to raise eyebrows:

Occasionally, that’s after he rolls out of bed at a small, two-story rowhouse on Washington’s E Street - a townhouse shared with five of his staff members.

“I won’t pay anyone more than the median salary of a college graduate in the district,” Massa said, which allows him to fund 22 staff members, compared with some congressional staffs of seven or eight at much higher pay rates.

The downside, Massa said, is that the deal forces concessions in living arrangements, namely sharing the rowhouse with five staffers.

While group living situations in Washington are hardly uncommon — see, e.g., C Street House — this is the first time we’ve heard of a member boarding with his or her staff.

Hat tip to Politico for the catch.

Late Update: Commenter citoyen92 points out the situation is not entirely unprecedented — former House Speaker Dennis Hastert reportedly lived with two aides in a townhouse on the Hill.

C Street, Democrats, E Street, Eric Massa, House Ethics Committee, New York, Washington, D.C.