U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) arrives for a House Republican Conference meeting at the U.S. Capitol November 7, 2023 in Washington, DC. Republican members of Congress are gathering to discuss the possibility of a budget continuing resolution as the November 17 government shutdown deadline looms.
Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images News via Getty Images
11 political cartoons that get better with age -- about politicians who don't
Jonah Goldberg
In December 1998, U.S. Rep. Bob Livingston, R-La., was set to succeed Rep. Newt Gingrich as speaker of the House. Gingrich had announced his resignation from Congress and the speakership in the wake of a disastrous midterm election for Republicans as well as revelations that he'd been having an affair with a House staffer who was more than two decades younger.
This was a problem for the Republicans given the impeachment of then-President Bill Clinton over matters stemming from his own infidelity. But before Livingston could get the gavel, it was revealed that he, too, had cheated on his wife. Livingston responded by announcing he would resign immediately. Among those most opposed to Livingston's decision: President Clinton. The White House implored him to reconsider. The last thing Democrats wanted was for an adulterous politician to resign in contrition rather than put his party, country and family through more needless drama.
U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) arrives for a House Republican Conference meeting at the U.S. Capitol November 7, 2023 in Washington, DC. Republican members of Congress are gathering to discuss the possibility of a budget continuing resolution as the November 17 government shutdown deadline looms.
Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images News via Getty Images
