Indiana's GOP Rep. Souder Resigns, Admits Affair

Indiana Rep. Mark Souder will announce his resignation today, after admitting to an affair with a female staffer that had, until now, only been a rumor. Souder will leave office as soon as Friday, Fox News reports. In his statement, he will say he “sinned against God, my wife and my family. … In this poisonous environment of Washington, DC, any personal failing is seized upon. I am resigning rather than put my family through that painful, drawn-out process.”

Souder was elected as a family values conservative in the 1994 Republican wave, and has served eight terms. He was absent from Capitol Hill much of last week, missing multiple votes, as rumors began flying about the affair. He tried to dismiss them as revenge politics, but the chatter apparently became too loud. (More Mark Souder stories.)