Dem Congressman Wu to Resign

(Newsroom America) -- Oregon Democratic Rep. David Wu announced Tuesday he will resign from office amid charges he had an unwanted sexual encounter with an 18-year-old woman.

Wu made his announcement after U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, both of Oregon, called on him to step down.

"With great sadness, I therefore intend to resign effective upon the resolution of the debt ceiling crisis. This is the right decision for my family, the institution of the House, and my colleagues," Wu said in a statement.

The Oregonian newspaper reported that the encounter allegedly occurred with the daughter of a childhood friend in Orange County last year.

"The accusations against David Wu are both jarring and exceptionally serious," said Wyden and Merkley, in a joint statement. "While he, like every American, deserves an opportunity to address those accusations and defend himself, our constituents in the first district of Oregon deserve a member in the House of Representatives whose main focus is fighting for their interests.

"This is a critical time for our state and our nation and Oregonians need every member of their Congressional delegation to be effective," the statement continued. "While no one takes pleasure in asking a colleague to resign, we believe he can no longer be an effective representative for our shared constituents and should, in the best interest of Oregon, step down."

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