GOP Rep sorry for nude swim in Sea of Galilee

[longnecker]

A GOP freshman congressman from Kansas apologized last night for a nude swim in the Sea of Galilee last summer during an official trip to Israel.Rep. Kevin Yoder issued a statement after Politicoreported the FBI investigated the incident, which included drinking and involved several lawmakers and top congressional aides.
The Sea of Galilee is a holy site to Christians. The Bible says it is where Jesus walked on water.
The FBI investigation did not result in any "formal allegations of wrongdoing," according to the Politico report. Politico said House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, the senior lawmaker on the fact-finding trip, was "so upset by the antics that he rebuked the 30 lawmakers" on Aug. 19, 2011, the day after the incident.
From Yoder's statement to Politico:

A year ago my wife, Brooke, and I joined colleagues for dinner at the Sea of Galilee in Israel. After dinner I followed some members of Congress in a spontaneous and very brief dive into the sea and regrettably I jumped into the water without a swimsuit. It is my greatest honor to represent the people of Kansas in Congress and (for) any embarrassment I have caused for my colleagues and constituents, I apologize.

The trip was paid for by the American Israel Education Foundation. The Kansas City Star said the organization spent $20,087 for Yoder and his wife's travel, lodging, meals and other expenses for the Aug. 13-21, 2011, trip, according to records kept by Legistorm.com.
Cantor's chief of staff, Doug Heye, said in a statement to Politico and CNN that the House majority leader "dealt with this immediately and effectively to ensure such activities would not take place in the future."
Tiffany Quayle, the wife of Arizona GOP Rep. Ben Quayle, told CNN in a statement that she and her husband were on the trip but they "were neither party nor witness to any of the inappropriate behavior" described in the Politico article.
The Politico story also named Republican Reps. Steve Southerland of Florida, Tom Reed of New York, Jeff Denham of California and Michael Grimm of New York as taking part in the swimming, although Yoder was the only one who was said to be naked.
http://content.usatoday.com/communit...p#.UDJsoamPVqx

[max1]

Wow, surely the man could have used a bit more discretion but is this news? Maybe Jesus did the same thing, I dunno. But for shits sake if this is news what are they distracting us from.


Disclaimer: I was not pointing out longneckers choice in threads, my commentary was directed at the news media.....and in some perverted way towards the current occupant of the White House.

[Crabby]

Kansas people see any body of water as a big farm pond where skinny dipping is normal.I wonder if he tried noodling while he was in there.

[Jessica]

Although it was probably a bad choice to swim nude in a place that's considered holy, clearly the intent wasn't to commit sacrilege or offend anyone. He's certainly not the first person to have a few drinks and some fun on a business trip, and it's not like the Sea of Galilee is off limits to people - they have swimming and fishing competitions there and use it as a water source. The nudity thing - well, it's not something I get uptight about, but if it's illegal to be swimming nude or nude in public, then the laws are the laws.

So... not the best choice for someone in the public eye representing the people of Kansas on foreign soil, but I think his embarrassment is punishment enough. Asking someone to resign over this seems a bit much for me - but that's up to the people he represents.

[Beau Stockard]

Were there any strippers involved in freshman Tea Party representative Kevin Yoder's Sea of Galilee skinnydipping story? Maybe, Kevin was afraid that his erotic fetishism might recall to the public or Eddie Cantor the Wilber Mills and Fanne Fox(stripper at the Silver Slipper) watery escapade in the Tidal Basin Reflecting Pool?

[Curly]

The FBI investigation did not result in any

FBI investigation?

Were there any strippers involved in freshman Tea Party representative Kevin Yoder's Sea of Galilee skinnydipping story? Maybe, Kevin was afraid that his erotic fetishism might recall to the public or Eddie Cantor the Wilber Mills and Fanne Fox(stripper at the Silver Slipper) watery escapade in the Tidal Basin Reflecting Pool?

[Grin]

I've heard that someone imported a Sarah Palin look-a-like stripper down there in Tampa.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/07/2...an-convention/
That'll be interesting.