Jan. 1, 1900
McAllister was recorded on video kissing a woman believed to be on his congressional staff just before Christmas 2013.
Surveillance video from inside his district office in Monroe, Louisiana, showed McAllister kissing a woman identified by the newspaper as a congressional staffer for McAllister.
McAllister's office issued a statement on April 7, 2014:
"There's no doubt I've fallen short and I'm asking for forgiveness. I'm asking for forgiveness from God, my wife, my kids, my staff, and my constituents who elected me to serve. Trust is something I know has to be earned whether you're a husband, a father, or a congressman. I promise to do everything I can to earn back the trust of everyone I've disappointed. From day one, I've always tried to be an honest man. I ran for Congress to make a difference and not to just be another politician. I don't want to make a political statement on this, I would just simply like to say that I'm very sorry for what I've done."
McAllister's office said it planned to send a letter to House Speaker John Boehner on April 9, 2014, requesting an FBI investigation concerning the leak of the video.
McAllister missed a scheduled campaign appearance on April 14, 2014, and reportedly was instead attending family counseling.
GOP reaction
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor said April 8, 2014, that McAllister’s constituents “deserve an apology.”
“I think that his constituents deserve an apology. I’m glad he issued an apology,” Cantor said.
On April 29, 2014, Cantor called for McAllister to resign.
“When we took the majority, I had said that I believe we ought to hold ourselves to a higher standard. And I think what has happened in his instance doesn't meet that standard. So I told (McAllister) that I thought he should resign,” Cantor said.
Speaker John Boehner said on April 10, 2014, that McAllister has "decisions he has to make. I expect all members to be held to the highest ethical standards.”
Roger F. Villere, Jr. Chairman of the Republican Party of Louisiana publicly called on McAllister to resign on April 10, 2014.
"The Republican Party of Louisiana calls on Vance McAllister to resign his seat in Congress. Mr. McAllister's extreme hypocrisy is an example of why ordinary people are fed up with politics. A breach of trust of this magnitude can only be rectified by an immediate resignation. He has embarrassed our party, our state and the institution of Congress. A video showing him engaged in conduct unbecoming a member of Congress, on public time, in a public office, with one of his employees, was the focus of the national press for days. I call on Mr. McAllister to put the interests of his nation, state and party above his own and step aside. We are praying for Mr. McAllister and the families that are involved. I attempted to resolve this matter privately and directly with Mr. McAllister, but his chief of staff chose to make this information public. Therefore, I have chosen to release this statement today."
Governor of Louisiana Bobby Jindal (R) called for McAllister to resign on April 10, 2014.
"Congressman McAllister’s behavior is an embarrassment and he should resign. He says he wants privacy to work on his issues with his family. The best way to get privacy and work on putting his family back together is to resign from Congress."
National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Greg Walden would not say on April 13, 2014, whether McAllister should resign.
"It's bad. It's wrong. He needs to answer and be held accountable. We should be held to a higher standard than what I've seen in that video," Walden said.
Other reactions
Potential challenger and state Rep. Bob Johnson (D) called on McAllister to resign on April 8, 2014.
"This is another embarrassment to Louisiana. I think he needs to resign, and I don't think he can be effective."
ULM Political Science Associate Professor Joshua Stockley.
"How can we trust you? You've already betrayed our trust once. How do we know you're not going to do it again."
Governor Jindal's comments
McAllister issued a statement following Gov. Bobby Jindal's speech in Washington D.C. on February 24, 2014. In the speech Gov. Jindal said that President Obama was "surrendering" to the Democratic agenda and also spoke out against a federal minimum wage increase and Medicaid expansion.
In the statement McAllister said:
"I thought, ‘You know what, I'm not going to skirt the issue. Republican, Democrat, it don't matter. Those working poor have paid that money in. That money's going to Washington. It's their money. For me to say I'm against Medicaid expansion makes me the best congressman California and Massachusetts could ever have, because that's where that money's gonna go. It's about doing what's right. You keep your people healthy, they'll continue to work. They'll do better. The money's there. As a business guy, I don't like Gov. Jindal standing up there and trying to use political points to argue that the state can't afford the small fraction it would eventually have to pay to draw down billions in benefits. It don't take Einstein to figure out that's a pretty darn good return on your investment.'"
