Eric Massa Allegedly Groped Male Staffers

Esquire delves into his Petraeus conspiracy theory, downfall

(NEWSER) - On the day he resigned from Congress, Eric Massa called Esquire editor Ryan D'Agostino and invited him to stand witness to, in his own words, “the total and complete destruction of a man.” A month prior, Massa had been feeding D’Agostino a story about Gen. David Petraeus, who was allegedly being primed for a 2012 presidential run by Dick Cheney in a move Massa called “treason” and a “coup d’etat.” In a lengthy Esquire piece, D’Agostino delves into both stories. Highlights:

• Massa says he attempted suicide, twice, as he drove from Washington, DC, back home to his district for the last time, and had to pull over to stop himself.

Says former staffer accusing him of sex harassment wrote himself $40K check

(NEWSER) - Eric Massa fired right back at his former chief-of-staff yesterday, alleging that Joseph Racalto wrote himself a suspicious $40,000 check from Massa's campaign war chest as he was forced to resign amid sexual harassment allegations. Racalto not only decided the amount, but he or someone forged the former congressman's signature, Massa says. Politico notes that it's not unusual for top staffers to be authorized to sign such checks. More»

Sketchy payout came day after resignation

(NEWSER) - It's not a good time to be Eric Massa. The former New York congressman is facing a sex harassment complaint from his male former chief of staff—who took a sketchy $40,000 payout from Massa the day after his resignation, reports the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle . More»

GOP demands new probe of former congressman's case

(NEWSER) - More sordid details are emerging about disgraced former NY Rep. Eric Massa and his days ogling and groping shipmates when he was in the Navy. When Massa was a commanding officer in the '90s, he used to take his wash down to the self-serve laundry, which happened to be where the junior officers slept and showered. "He was freaking totally meat-gazing!" mate Peter Clarke tells Gawker . "Everyone else used the laundry service." More»

Jon and Stephen agree, however, that the hour wasn't a total waste

(NEWSER) - Glenn Beck got skewered for his Eric Massa interview by both Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert last night. “Yes, Glenn Beck said this interview might change the course of the nation. He never specified which direction,” Stewart said. But, he added, “the night wasn’t a total loss,” showing a clip of Beck apologizing for wasting America’s time. "Every show, he can now end with, ‘I think I’ve wasted an hour of your time, and I apologize for that, see you tomorrow.’” More»