Tim Mahoney

Details on Mahoney Affair Get Seedier

Kate Klonick | October 24, 2008, 11:20AM

The Tim Mahoney story just keeps getting worse and worse.

First it was a settlement over an alleged affair; then it was a second alleged affair; then it was admitting to multiple affairs and now it's seedy details behind the settlement with Mahoney's former mistress.

ABCNews.com reports that documents show Mahoney asked Patricia Allen, his former mistress and staffer to engage in phone sex and perform as a "tease c-ck" for big donors.

From ABCNews.com:

The settlement was reached after Allen hired a lawyer who sent the Congressman a "demand" letter, listing specific examples of Mahoney's alleged "gross misconduct" and "stalking" including:

a) Calling Allen late in the evenings and demanding "phone sex;"
b) Demanding that Allen answer his calls or face termination;
c) Demanding that Allen attend fundraisers and "tease c-ck" to bring in more donations from the male members of the public;
d) Demanding that Allen engage in sexual conduct with another woman for his enjoyment.

Current and former staffers told ABC News the allegations contained in the "demand letter" sent to Mahoney were backed up by tape recordings of phone calls between the Congressman and Allen.

Tim Mahoney

Mahoney's Wife Files for Divorce

Kate Klonick | October 20, 2008, 6:37PM

The admissions of "multiple affairs" by Congressman Tim Mahoney, must have been an affair or two too many for his wife who filed for divorce today. The two had been married for almost 24 years.

From the the Palm Beach Post:

Terry Mahoney filed papers at the North County Courthouse in Palm Beach Gardens, which said the marriage is "irretrievably broken".

She appeared with her husband, but did not speak last Tuesday when Mahoney made a 2-minute appearance before reporters. In that appearance, the congressman acknowledged causing "pain" in his marriage.

Tim Mahoney

Mahoney Admits At Least Two Affairs

Kate Klonick | October 17, 2008, 4:40PM

Rep. Tim Mahoney has admitted to having "at least two" affairs, but maintains that he broke no laws, the AP reports.

"I can understand why people would feel that way and for those people, all I can say is, 'I'm sorry I let you down,'" Mahoney told the Associated Press in his first set of interviews since ABCNews.com reported Monday that he had a sexual relationship with an ex-staffer, Patricia Allen, who he agreed to pay $121,000 to in an out of court settlement.

Mahoney also admitted to a second affair, initially reported Wednesday by the AP, with a county official in his district. The affair reportedly was carried on, while he was lobbying the federal government for FEMA funds for the official's county.

So is this his full confession? Mahoney wouldn't say, but confessed to "multiple affairs."

"You're asking me over a lifetime? I'm just saying I've been unfaithful and I'm sorry for that," he said.

And what about his infamous predecessor, Mark Foley?

"With respect to the former congressman, I think that his situation is different from my situation," Mahoney said. "I don't want anyone to misinterpret that as me saying somehow I'm saying I'm more proud. I'm not saying that at all."

Tim Mahoney

Fed. Official: FBI Investigating Mahoney for Misused Funds

Kate Klonick | October 16, 2008, 2:37PM

A senior federal official confirmed that the FBI is investigating Rep. Tim Mahoney on the possible misuse of federal funds, the AP reports.

Yesterday, Mahoney's attorney provided documentation to the AP showing that the congressman had paid $121,000 from his personal account in a settlement with his former staffer and alleged ex-mistress, Patricia Allen, dispelling questions over whether federal or campaign funds were used to pay-off Allen.

But investigators are looking into whether funds were misused during Allen's time as a staffer in Mahoney's congressional office and questioning whether Allen was put on the federal payroll in order to keep her from revealing the alleged affair.

FBI investigators are looking into whether Mahoney "benefited sexually in return for spending or securing federal money," after it was revealed yesterday that Mahoney had a possible second affair with a county official from Mahoney's district. Mahoney lobbied for and won $3.4 million in FEMA aid for the official's county, a favor he didn't provide to the other counties in his district -- while he was allegedly carrying on an affair with her.

Tim Mahoney

Mahoney Paid Off Staffer with Own Funds

Kate Klonick | October 15, 2008, 5:01PM

The lawyer for Rep. Tim Mahoney provided documentation to the Associated Press today showing that Mahoney used personal funds to pay $121,000 to Patricia Allen, a former staffer and alleged ex-mistress. The wire transfer receipts and canceled checks provided to the AP answer the question of whether or not the Congressman had ever followed through on the private settlement reported earlier this week.

The documents also answer one of the other questions swirling around Mahoney's scandal -- whether the payment had involved campaign funds. While Mahoney has issued statements in the few days since this scandal erupted, he had failed to deny or directly address questions about the affair or the settlement.

Before running for Congress, Mahoney was a successful venture capitalist with a net worth listed on financial disclosure forms between $3.2 and $12.7 million.

According to Mahoney's attorney, $141,903 was the total ticket price for Allen's silence. The settlement included a confidentiality agreement that prohibits either party from discussing the details and paid $61,903 to Allen; $60,000 to her attorney; and $20,000 to Mahoney's own attorney.

John Boehner

Boehner: What's Good for the Goose is Good for the Gander

Kate Klonick | October 15, 2008, 4:36PM

Back when the Mark Foley page scandal threw Republican leadership into the spotlight, Rep. John Boehner voluntarily testified.

And now that Foley's successor, Tim Mahoney, has found himself in a sordid scandal of his very own, Boehner is eager to see the same standards of forthrightness applied by his Democratic compatriots.

"In 2006, House Republican leaders voluntarily testified under oath in the matter of disgraced former Congressman Mark Foley," Boehner said in a statement released by his office on Wednesday. "Will House Democratic leaders, including Speaker Pelosi (D-Calif.), Congressman Emanuel (D-Ill.), and Congressman Van Hollen (D-Md.), agree to do the same?"

Van Hollen and Emanuel have both admitted to speaking with Mahoney after hearing rumors he was carrying on an affair with a staffer. Pelosi called on Monday night for a House Ethics Committee investigation into the allegations about Mahoney.

Tim Mahoney

AP: Mahoney Also Had Affair with County Official While Lobbying FEMA for Aid

Kate Klonick | October 15, 2008, 10:19AM

Rep. Tim Mahoney is not having a good week.

The AP is reporting that Mahoney was having an affair with another woman, a local county official, while simultaneously lobbying the federal government for FEMA aid for the county.

From the AP:

On Tuesday night, a person close to the Mahoney campaign told the AP that Mahoney also was having a relationship with a high-ranking official in Martin County in his Florida district around the same time of the purported affair with Allen.

. . .The person said Mahoney was having the relationship with the official in 2007 while he also was lobbying the Federal Emergency Management Agency for a $3.4 million reimbursement for Martin County for damage caused by hurricanes in 2004. FEMA approved the money late last year.

Mahoney's congressional staff declined to comment on this alleged tryst, but noted Mahoney lobbies for FEMA funding throughout his district, and that Martin County has received $43 million from FEMA since 2004. Mahoney didn't take office until 2006.

Tim Mahoney

ABCNews: FBI Is Investigating Mahoney

Kate Klonick | October 14, 2008, 9:23PM

The FBI has begun preliminary investigations into allegations that Rep. Tom Mahoney paid $121,000 in "hush money" to his former mistress and staffer, ABCNews.com reports. What charges might result from such an investigation are unclear.

This sure makes a House Ethics Committee Investigation look like a tea party.

From ABCNews.com:

FBI agents have reportedly contacted members of Mahoney's staff and Tuesday sought legal files surrounding the secret settlement, according to current and former Mahoney Congressional and campaign staff workers.

A spokesperson for the FBI said she had been instructed to say "no comment" to press inquiries.

It would be unusual but not unprecedented for the FBI to open an investigation into a member of Congress three weeks before the election.

Tim Mahoney

Alleged Mahoney Mistress Employed By Campaign, Congress, Campaign Again

Kate Klonick | October 14, 2008, 7:19PM

Little is known about the woman at the center of the scandal currently embroiling Rep. Tim Mahoney. Patricia Allen, who was named by ABCNews.com as Mahoney's former mistress, is also a former campaign and congressional staffer with Mahoney's offices in Florida. According to FEC filings and documents examined by TPMmuckraker, Allen was on Mahoney's campaign and congressional books starting in late 2006 until Feburary of this year, making over $40,000.

Allen first appears on Mahoney's FEC filings for expense reimbursements filed on October 25, 2006, almost two weeks before Mahoney narrowly won the seat of former Rep. Mark Foley (R) -- who had resigned due to his own sex scandal, involving male teenage House pages.

Allen's name appears again for two payments of $750 on December 15 and 18, 2006 for "Consulting Research Services." Combined with her expenses, Allen's payments from the Mahoney campaign in 2006 totaled $1,883.40.

In January 2007 Allen was hired by Mahoney's home office in Florida as a "Constituent Liason," making her an official Congressional staffer. She remained in that position for roughly five months, ending on June 2 of the same year and paying her $12,500 in taxpayer dollars.

Less than two weeks later, Allen was hired again by Mahoney -- this time back at his campaign. Allen appears on the campaign payroll on June 15, again performing "Consulting Research Services."

On January 20 of this year, Mahoney fired Allen in a heated phone call. Roughly two weeks later, Allen, who is often billed by her nickname "Trish," left the campaign. She appears on the payroll until February 2, with a request for mileage reimbursement filed on February 4. Her total in pay and reimbursement for her second stint at the congressman's campaign was $26,230 dollars.

Tim Mahoney

House Dem. Leader Spoke to Mahoney About Affair As Recently as Last Month

Kate Klonick | October 14, 2008, 12:15PM

House Democratic leader Chis van Hollen knew of Rep. Tim Mahoney's affair, and spoke with him about it as recently as last month, ABCNews.com reports.

Van Hollen, who is also chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, spoke through a press aide from the committee.

"After a rumor recently surfaced on a blog about Mr. Mahoney's affair, the Chairman spoke briefly once with Mr. Mahoney about his responsibility as an elected official to act appropriately and urged him to come clean with his constituents if there was any truth to the rumor," DCCC spokesoman Jennifer Crider said.

Rep. Rahm Emanuel, whose comment was included in the ABCNews.com article, stated through a spokesperson that he had confronted Mahoney about the affair in early 2007.

Tim Mahoney

Mahoney Apologizes for Embarrassing Family in Presser This Morning

Kate Klonick | October 14, 2008, 10:37AM

Rep. Tim Mahoney held a press conference this morning, apologizing for the embarassment his actions have caused his family and denying he violated his oath of office or any laws.

"I would have come forward earlier but making sure my family is ok is far more important than any political career," Mahoney said, accompanied by his wife. "I have not violated my oath of office, nor have I violated any laws, and I consider this to be a private matter."

Mahoney also re-emphasized his request for a House Ethics Committee investigation and his belief that he will be cleared of any wrongdoing.

"I think the people of my District know that I am a fighter," he said. "I am not going to allow this story coming out 20 days before an election to change my resolve to serve the people of the 16th Congressional District."

Full text of press release after the jump.

Read more »

Tim Mahoney

Pelosi Calls for Ethics Probe of Mahoney

Kate Klonick | October 14, 2008, 9:11AM

Mere hours after ABCNews.com reported that Rep. Tim Mahoney had agreed to pay $121,000 to a former mistress and Congressional staffer, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has called for an ethics investigation into the allegations.

"I just learned today about the serious allegations concerning Congressman Tim Mahoney," Pelosi said in a statement released last night. "These charges must be immediately and thoroughly investigated by the House Ethics Committee."

Mahoney, a Democrat who won the seat of disgraced former Rep. Mark Foley, called for an ethics investigation of himself last night.

Tim Mahoney

Mahoney Media Consultants Jump Ship Over "Secret Legal Settlement"

Kate Klonick | October 13, 2008, 7:05PM

The media consultant team working with Rep. Tim Mahoney on his re-election bid, has severed its relationship with the junior congressman, after allegations surfaced this morning that he agreed to pay $121,000 to a former Congressional staffer and mistress after she threatened to sue him.

In a strongly-worded press statement released this evening, Fletcher Rowley Chao Riddle Inc. (FRCR) CEO Bill Fletcher terminated his firms relationship with Mahoney's campaign.

"As of today, FRCR, Inc. has resigned from Tim Mahoney's campaign and permanently ended our relationship with him," the statement reads. "According to ABC News, Tim Mahoney apparently included our company in a secret legal settlement without the knowledge of our firm. . . If these allegations are true, Tim Mahoney's actions are unacceptable and not in line with FRCR's business ethics."

The "secret legal settlement" Fletcher refers to, is the promise of a new job for Mahoney's former congressional staffer: a 2-year position at FRCR. Fletcher denied to ABCNews and in the statement today ever agreeing to such a deal.

Shortly after ABCNews.com's article, Mahoney issued a statement calling for an ethics investigation of the matter.

Tim Mahoney

Mahoney Asks For Ethics Investigation into Allegations Over Former Mistress

Kate Klonick | October 13, 2008, 5:45PM

Just hours after ABCNews.com reported that he had agree to pay $121,000 to a former staffer and mistress, Rep. Tim Mahoney issued a statement asking the House Ethics Committee to conduct an investigation, The Hill reports.

The Democrat who won the infamous Mark Foley's seat in Florida, didn't exactly deny the charges.

"I am confident that when the facts are presented that I will be vindicated," Mahoney said in a statement released this afternoon.

"I was notified this afternoon about a story that ran on ABC News' website reporting allegations about a former employee," Mahoney stated. "While these allegations are based on hearsay, I believe that my constituents need a full accounting. As such, I have requested the House Ethics Committee review these allegations."

Tim Mahoney

Foley Successor Embroiled In Own Allegations of Misconduct

Kate Klonick | October 13, 2008, 12:00PM

Is the West Palm Beach congressional seat prone to sex scandals, or is it just us?

Congressman Tim Mahoney, the Democrat who replaced disgraced representative Mark Foley, agreed to pay a former mistress -- who was also a staff member -- $121,000 after she threatened to sue him, ABCNews.com reports.

From The Blotter:

Mahoney, who is married, also promised the woman, Patricia Allen, a $50,000 a year job for two years at the agency that handles his campaign advertising, the staffers said.

A Mahoney spokesperson would not answer questions about the alleged affair or the settlement, but said Allen resigned of her own accord and "has not received any special payment from campaign funds."

. . . The affair between Mahoney and Allen began, according to the current and former staffers, in 2006 when Mahoney was campaigning for Congress against Foley, promising "a world that is safer, more moral."

Later in the article there's this kicker:

Senior Democratic leaders in the House of Representatives, including Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-IL), the chair of the Democratic Caucus, have been working with Mahoney to keep the matter from hurting his re-election campaign, the Mahoney staffers said.

Late update: Later in the article, there's a transcript and a recording of Mahoney firing Allen. It's pretty damning.

"The only person that matters is guess who? Me. You understand that. That is how life really is. That is how it works," Mahoney can be heard yelling on the call to Allen.

Listen to the audio below. Full transcript after the jump.

Click To Play

Read more »