Another.. GOP victim of hypocrisy and scandal...

Garrett to quit Congress amid servant scandal, alcoholism

The Virginia congressman announces his retirement after POLITICO reported he used his staff as personal gofers.

By ALEX ISENSTADT and JOHN BRESNAHAN

Rep. Tom Garrett (R-Va.) said Monday that he is an alcoholic and will not seek reelection in November — a decision that came amid mounting scrutiny into his handling of his congressional office.

The 46-year-old Garrett was the subject of a POLITICO report on Friday citing four former aides who said that the congressman and his wife, Flanna, had used official staff to run errands and take care of their dog. In his Monday statement, he called the allegations “a series of half-truths and whole lies.”

“The recent attacks on my family are a series of half-truths and whole lies,” he said, seeming to hold back tears. “But there’s one area where I haven’t been honest. The tragedy is that any person Republican, Democrat or independent who’s known me for period of time and has any integrity knows two things: I am a good man and I am an alcoholic.“

It is unclear whether Garrett will seek outpatient treatment for his alcoholism, or enter an in-patient facility.

The congressman has spent the past week in turmoil. On Wednesday, Garrett told political allies that he was uncertain he would run again. A day later, the congressman held a rambling, 30-minute press conference on Capitol Hill in which he said he would run again.

The congressman’s chief of staff, Jimmy Keady, parted ways with Garrett last week following a dispute over use of official resources. Keady has since been replaced by Garrett’s former legislative director, Hallie Pence.

Garrett’s announcement came two days after POLITICO detailed allegations from four former staffers that Garrett and his wife had turned them into his part-time gofers. They were ordered to pick up groceries, clothing — even the poop of Sophie, the couple’s Jack Russell-Pomeranian mix and a fixture in the congressman’s Capitol Hill office.

It is a violation of House ethics rules and federal law to use a congressional employee for anything other than official duties.

Senior Republicans, however, have grown concerned about Garrett in recent days and many of them said they were in the dark about his plans. Some of them described his behavior as erratic, and there were private discussions about whether to take steps to force him out.

During interviews over the past week, several former staffers said they had seen Garrett, a freshman member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, drinking in his congressional office.

Garrett had waged a sluggish reelection campaign and struggled to raise money, drawing concerns from Republican officials. While his central Virginia 5th congressional district favors Republicans, Democrats are targeting the seat and have nominated journalist Leslie Cockburn to run.

The Virginia filing deadline has passed, so it will now be up to local Republican officials to select a replacement to run in the general election. The names mentioned include state Sen. Bill Stanley, state Sen. Jill Vogel, and state Del. Rob Bell.

“Depending on who the committee picks, Republican chances of holding the seat have greatly increased,” said Chris LaCivita, a longtime Virginia-based GOP strategist.

Garrett won’t be the first House member to seek treatment for excessive alcohol use while in office.

The late Rep. Karen McCarthy (D-Mo.) fell down an escalator in the Rayburn House Office Building in 2003 and later received treatment for alcohol misuse. In 2000, the late Rep. Phil Crane (R-Ill.) entered a 30-day rehabilitation facility after admitting he struggled with alcohol use. Former Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.) was treated for substance abuse, as well as other mental health issues.

Disgraced former Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio), who went to prison for his part in the Jack Abramoff scandal, said his alcohol addiction was a factor in the criminal behavior that led to the end of his political career.

Most famously, the late Rep. Wilbur Mills (D-Ark.), chairman of the powerful Ways and Means Committee, was stopped by U.S. Park Police in 1974 for driving his car with the lights off. Mills was drunk at the time. His companion in the car, an Argentine stripper named Fanne Foxe, jumped into the Tidal Basin.

Mills later stepped down from his Ways and Means post, entered rehab and quit drinking. Mills retired from Congress in 1976, but won plaudits for his efforts to help other alcoholics.

Those who worked in Garrett’s office described a deeply toxic atmosphere. Many staffers feared they would suffer professionally if they did not abide by commands to do personal work for the congressman and his wife.

Some aides were expected to shuttle Garrett’s children several hours to and from his district. Others were expected to pick up the congressman from his home when he overslept. Others walked the dog, who would sometimes defecate on the office floor.