FOSSELLA, FACING AT LEAST ONE DIVORCE, SAYS HE WON'T GIVE UP HIS SEAT-- AT LEAST NOT UNTIL AFTER JULY 1

While House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH), looking at a very real possibility that next year's Republican House caucus could be reduced by 2 or even 3 dozen members, has publicly asked Fossella to resign by Monday, not all wingnuts agree. The Staten Island GOP says they admire Fossella for apologizing. And two Fossella cronies, Long Island Rep. Peter King and Guy Molinari, have sent up trial balloons for Fossella to see if he could get away with staying in Congress-- and even running again in November!

According to the NY Daily News Fossella and Laura Fay flaunted their affair and the GOP leadership was not only aware of it, having witnessed them in action, but was concerned that Fossella would bring more disrepute on the already scandal plagued Republican caucus. Bigamy is a crime in Virginia and even in Staten Island most voters think one family per guy is the proper lifestyle. Fossella has always supported a definition of marriage as being between one man and one woman but never said anything about one man and two women. And both of his women are angry. The actual wife, Mary Pat, is talking divorce and now we learn that Fossella was lying to Laura Fay, telling her he and Mary Pat were separated. Today's Daily News speculates that "flowers and brunch aren't going to do it for Fossella this Mother's Day-- not after he admitted he could mark the occasion with either his wife or his mistress."

Fossella's furious wife is considering divorce after learning of his second family, a source said.
Laura Fay, the mother of his love child, also feels betrayed. She had believed Fossella when he claimed that he and Mary Pat were separated, a source said.

There's just not enough chocolate in the world to sugarcoat that.

Fossella's Mother's Day plans remained unknown, although one family friend, more aligned with the congressman's wife, offered a tongue-in-cheek suggestion.

"I just hope that he's got frequent flyer miles ... he's got to cover a lot of real estate," the friend said. "Maybe if he's taking the two moms out, he does an early bird special and an after-theater special."

Sources indicated Fossella was hiding out on Staten Island at his uncle's house, where the shades were pulled down tight.

Perhaps his congressional predecessor as Staten Island GOP top dog, Guy Molinari, was in there with him. "I got every indication that he plans to run again. He's not just inclined to run. He plans on running," said Molinari. He said Fossella is "emboldened" by all the support local Republicans are giving him. Meanwhile Boehner called Staten Island District Attorney Daniel Donovan and asked him to run for Fossella's congressional seat. "Donovan is an attractive option because of high name recognition-- and because of the contrast of a law-and-order official against a man arrested for drunken driving while en route to his second family, sources said."

If Fossella resigns before July 1, New York Governor Paterson could call a special election that would fill the congressional seat until the term ends this year and if a Democrat wins that election, he'd have the advantage of incumbency in November. But if Fossella resigns after July 1, as is thought likely, the seat would remain vacant until next January when whomever wins in November is sworn in.


A little personal note: my sister lives on Staten Island. I spoke with her today and asked her what her neighbors and colleagues think. She said all the women who work with her (in the public school system) are disgusted and outraged. She senses that many of the men are as well. She thinks Fossella should resign the same way Spitzer did and she thinks that's the general feeling in the district and completely the feeling among women.