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King slams fellow Republicans amid Fossella scandal

BY MATTHEW CHAYES | matthew.chayes@newsday.com

7:54 PM EDT, May 10, 2008

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Long Island congressman Peter King slammed fellow Republicans for "posturing" by pressuring his close friend Rep. Vito Fossella about resigning amid revelations of Fossella's drunken-driving arrest and secret love child.

"To me, it's putting a knife in the back of a good guy who's made a mistake," said King (R-Seaford).

King, who said he'd been with Fossella "continually" in the past few days, said the two have not discussed how the scandal might tint Fossella's political future.

King said Republicans "who are supposed to be his friends" should be giving the Staten Island-Brooklyn Republican "the time and opportunity to make that decision" -- whether to resign, to serve out his term but leave afterward or to stay in office and seek another term -- "himself."

"He's entitled to an interval of decency without having this constant pressure coming from his own party," King said of his friend charged with drunken driving in a Virginia suburb.

King was referencing reports that Republican colleagues have called for Fossella to make a quick decision about his political future.

In fact, King said, the House minority leader, Rep. John Boehner (R- Ohio), distanced himself, during a conversation among the three of them, from reports that Boehner thinks Fossella should make up his mind this weekend.

"He goes, 'no, no, I didn't,' " King said, referring to Boehner. He said Boehner added: "That's not at all what I meant."

Fossella admitted last Thursday that he had an affair with a former Air Force officer, and that he had a 3-year-old daughter with the woman. Fossella was arrested on drunken driving charges May 1 after the congressman ran a red light while on the way to the woman's home in Alexandria, Va, police said.

Asked about the congressman's political future, Fossella spokeswoman Susan Del Percio said, "Politics is the furthest thing from his mind now."

Michael Steel, a spokesman for Boehner, said he would not comment on private conversations between members of Congress. But he said Boehner believes the decision "should be made by Representative Fossella, his family, and his constituents."

Does King have an opinion about what Fossella should do? "I probably do" King said, "but I'm not going to say it" now.