OR-01: In face of sexual assault allegations, Wu will not seek re-election

DailyKos:

Rep. David Wu (D)

Via Politico: Embattled Rep. David Wu will not seek reelection in 2012, but he won’t resign from office now despite allegations that the Oregon Democrat had an “unwanted sexual encounter” with the teenage daughter of a close friend last Thanksgiving. “He isn’t going to be running for reelection,” a Wu adviser, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told POLITICO late Sunday night. “But he hasn’t done anything that rises to the level of requiring him to resign.” With a defiant Wu staying put, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called on the Ethics Committee to investigate the explosive allegations against him.

The Oregonian first broke the story about the sexual assault: A distraught young woman called U.S. Rep. David Wu's Portland office this spring, accusing him of an unwanted sexual encounter, according to multiple sources. When confronted, the Oregon Democrat acknowledged a sexual encounter to his senior aides but insisted it was consensual, the sources said. The woman is the daughter of a longtime friend and campaign donor. She apparently did not contact police at the time. One person who heard the voice mail described the woman as upset, breathing heavily and "distraught." In the voice mail, the young woman accused Wu of aggressive and unwanted sexual behavior, according to sources with direct knowledge of the message and its contents.

One of the two men who had sought to challenge Wu in the Democratic primary, Brad Avakian, called on him to resign now, while the other, Brad Witt, said "If this accusation proves to be true, it's time for David Wu to resign and get the help he needs."

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