Utah Republican Kevin Garn Paid Off Woman After Nude Hot Tub Encounter
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Utah’s House majority leader said late Thursday he paid a woman $150,000 to keep silent about going nude ‘hot-tubbing’ with her when she was minor a quarter century ago.In a shocking statement on the House floor, Kevin Garn, 55, a Republican from Layton, said he paid her to keep quiet about the incident during his unsuccessful U.S. congressional bid in 2002, but did not have sexual contact with her.
Garn said the woman, who he didn’t identify on the floor, has been calling news outlets and that he wanted to be open about the incident that occurred when he was 28 years old, before any stories appeared.
A woman identifying herself as Cheryl Maher told The Salt Lake Tribune that she and Garn were in a hot tub nude when she was 15 years old.
More: Kevin Garn, Cheryl Maher
42 Responses to “Utah Republican Kevin Garn Paid Off Woman After Nude Hot Tub Encounter”
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© 2000-2011 Oliver Willis
“Wow”?
You say that as though there will be some consequences to this. There are never any consequences to Republican scandals.
From the same story:
“Garn’s legislative future in highly conservative Utah with its strong Mormon influence is uncertain, but GOP Gov. Gary Herbert’s spokeswoman, Angie Welling, said Herbert would not be asking for Garn’s resignation.
”
…
“Garn spoke on last night of the legislative session as a tearful House Speaker Dave Clark and their colleagues looked on.
House members gave him thunderous applause for his honesty and embraced him.”
…
“Although Rep. Garn made some bad decisions, first 25 years ago and then again in 2002, they do not diminish the good work he has done for the state of Utah,” Welling said in a statement to the AP.
The Republican majority leader then went on to direct The Pianist.
Sorry, couldn’t help myself.
Meh.
“John Edwards….Bill Clinton….look over there!” -cons
That’s funny, durablend.
Your guys were President and Senator/Vice-Presidential Candidate. The other is a Utah State Senator.
One of these things is not like the other…
Joseph Smith married a 14 year old so this doesn’t shock me.
What.. you mean it’s a …. false equivalence?
There used to be a wingnut poster who did a lot of those. Lesseee… what was his name again?
You’re right. Unless a Republican running for President is involved in a scandal, it’s not worth covering, even if he has a wide stance, hot tubs with teens or is against gay rights while driving drunk from a gay bar.
I don’t see where it interferes with his ability to do the job, and it’s his personal business, so who cares?
“Clinton Mantra”
Exactly, Frank. These kind of things should have no place in our national dialogue, which is why it’s so fun when a GOP moral scold gets caught with his pants down! You guys impeach a fella for getting a blowjob, then expect us to turn our heads and look the other way when y’all get busted for paying off minors because WE’RE the ones you expect to be above it all!!! Meanwhile, you’re trying to reopen the ethics probe into another guys private life because of some groping!!
See? You’re learning!!!
Gee, can’t a GOPer make an honest business deal and expect the other party to keep her word? For $150,000, I’d like the lady to keep her part of the deal. What’s this country coming to when a guy can’t make an honest capitalistic deal?
it was 25 years ago? so what?
Damn you beat me to it.
Clinton wasn’t impeached for a bj, he was charged with perjury, obstruction of justice, and malfeasance in office. Also, he was kind of a dick. I am not defending this guy, she was underage. It would, however, be nice if OW shjowed the same level of disgust to politicians with a (D) behind their name.
Didn’t he marry a bunch of underage girls?
OVER THERE! LOOK! DON’T YOU SEE IT?!?!?
Many of us don’t have 150K sitting around ready to pay off somebody.
It’s also not so hot when a sitting lawmaker is being blackmailed – the money might be the smallest thing.
I’d be mighty pissed if he was paying hush money to cover up a non-sex thing as well.
Please. If you put all those social conservatives in one place, it’ll probably sound like Riverdance in the bathroom.
In wingnut land “consenting adults” is the same as “statutory rape”
She was also a minor at the time, so this was not just two consenting adults situation.
And remember…that sort of thing is only illegal when Democrats are involved. Otherwise a couple of shallow hail marys and a donation to the 700 Club will take care of said “sins”
Boy, remember a few months ago when wingnuts were all pretending to be upset about Roman Polanski all of a sudden? Good times, good times…
Boy, remember a few months ago when wingnuts were all pretending to be upset about Roman Polanski all of a sudden? Good times, good times…
Polanski drugged a 13 year old, then raped and buggered her, then fled the country like the coward that he is. Slight difference that’s probably very difficult for you to discern on moral grounds, but legally, two very separate things.
Holy cow, ladies and germs, we have ourselves a real keeper in this thread: the two ow.com resident wingnut false-equivalence meisters, SaveFarris and Dennis, both writing in to complain about … false equivalence!
Who’s complaining, Wilbur? Rheinhard made an idiotic comment and I let him know about it. You’re the one who usually does all the whining about false equivalences.
Hold on, now.
He’s saying he got naked and in the hot tub with an underage girl, but didn’t touch her?
Haw!
People who aren’t so sexually frustrated CAN do that Quaker
Oh, and Clinton was impeached (and disbarred) for lying to a federal judge.
People who aren’t so sexually frustrated CAN do that Quaker
I suppose. Question is, why would they?
Who’s complaining? You are, obviously.
Er, grown men who aren’t sexually frustrated generally don’t get into naked hottubs with teenagers.
People who aren’t so sexually frustrated CAN do that Quaker
Indeed. If I had a 15 year old daughter and some older dude wanted to take her skinny dipping in a hot tub, I would be kinda creeped out and fear for her safety- unless I found out that he gets laid on a regular basis.
Parent of the year!
I have to ask a few stupid questions:
1. If nothing illicit happened between Garn and the then 15 year-old girl, why did he give her $150,000 to keep quiet?
2. If Garn offered her $150,000 and she took the money, why is she talking anyway?
3. If nothing happened why is she talking about needing to heal?
4. If $150,000 couldn’t heal her pain, then exactly what happened that is causing her so much pain now?
Another question:
5. If $150,000 can’t ease her pain, then how much money would it take for her to heal?
If only it had been the hot tub from a certain episode of “Nip/Tuck”…THAT would’ve fixed his ass.
hot tubs are fun and relaxing.
If $150,000 can’t ease her pain, then how much money would it take for her to heal?
$150,000 was just $26 short of easing her pain.
So close.
This is who they are.
what? Hot tub lovin’ fools?
No, jailbait lovin’ book-o-mormon thumpin’ hypocritical Humbert Humberts.
He resigned as of today. The pinheaded looking guy giving him a big hug in photos is Carl Wimmer, the one who wrote the bill to make miscarriages illegal. Utah’s legislature is full of reich-wing hypocrites; indeed, it’s little else.
Pres Clinton was impeached for perjury.
Your hypocrisy is showing.
And I hope every legislator that acts unethically and violates his oath pf office gets the same punishment.
The way I see it , your argument is , “Democrats don’t care if you act like a rutting pig while you’re in office, but Republicans do. So, when we catch the Republicans at it, we should gloat over them, meanwhile granting Democrats a pass.
The hot tubbing was 25 years ago. The payoff was in 2002.