Eric Massa | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNew York's29th district | |
| In office January 3, 2009 – March 8, 2010 | |
| Preceded by | Randy Kuhl |
| Succeeded by | Tom Reed |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Eric James Joseph Massa (1959-09-16)September 16, 1959 (age 66) |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Beverly Massa |
| Education | United States Naval Academy (BS) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1981–2004 |
| Rank | Lieutenant Commander |
Eric James Joseph Massa (born September 16, 1959) is a former American politician who served as a U.S. Representative forNew York's 29th congressional district. ADemocrat, he served in Congress from January 2009 until his resignation in March 2010.[1][2] Massa resigned during a pendingHouse Ethics Committee investigation into allegations ofsexual misconduct. Massa identified his declining health and the ongoing ethics investigation as the reasons for his resignation;[3] however, he later said that there was a conspiracy "to oust him because he had voted against overhauling health care."[4][5] It was reported in 2017 that Congress had paid nearly $100,000 to settle the harassment claims made by two male staffers against Massa.
Eric James Joseph Massa was born inCharleston, South Carolina, on September 16, 1959. The son of a careernaval officer, Massa grew up in various locations, includingArgentina andNew Orleans. After graduating from theU.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Massa was on active duty in the Navy for 24 years. He served in the Persian Gulf War and also served as aide to GeneralWesley Clark. Near the end of his Navy career, he was diagnosed withnon-Hodgkin's lymphoma,[6] from which he later recovered.[7]
Upon retirement from the military, Massa moved toCorning, New York, to work for theCorning Glass Company in 2001. He lost his job due to downsizing and moved to Washington to work as a Republican staffer for the House Armed Services Committee in 2003. Massa was fired after it became known that he had written to his former boss, Democrat Wesley Clark, with advice on his presidential campaign. Thereafter, Massa joined the Democratic Party.[6] He coordinated veterans' outreach efforts in New Hampshire and Virginia during Clark's unsuccessful2004 presidential bid.[7]
In 2006, Massa ran for Congress in New York's 29th congressional district on the strength of his military background. On election night, incumbent Republican Rep.Randy Kuhl led Massa by a 52%-48% margin. Massa requested a recount and an accounting of absentee ballots because 6,000 votes separated the two and 10,000 were left to be counted. After a week of waiting, the ballots were approximately even and Congressman Kuhl was re-elected. Massa conceded the election with a telephone call to Congressman Kuhl.[8]
Almost immediately after conceding defeat in 2006, Massa prepared for a rematch against Kuhl in 2008. The race remained tight through the campaign; however, Massa emerged victorious, defeating Kuhl 51% to 49% (a margin of approximately 4000 votes), although Kuhl did not immediately concede defeat. All voting machines were impounded at Kuhl's request (pending a re-count), with 12,000 absentee ballots to be counted.[9] The recount yielded a margin of victory of approximately 4,000 votes for Massa, and Kuhl conceded the race on November 21.[10] Some press reports attributed Massa's victory to the plurality he attained among voters inCattaraugus County, which voted for Kuhl in 2004 and 2006.[9]
Massa was assigned a seat on theHouse Armed Services Committee. He also inherited Kuhl's seat on theAgriculture Committee and was given a seat theHouse Homeland Security Committee.[11]
Massa voted in favor of, and generally supported, theAmerican Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, but has said he finds faults with the legislation.[12] After the act failed to generate the expected stimulus to the Southern Tier economy, Massa claimed that virtually all of the stimulus funds were funneled to the state governments and diverted to interests in New York City.[13]
In April 2009, Massa was noted for his suggestion to close theU.S.–Mexico border as a response to the2009 swine flu pandemic, which originated in Mexico.[14] He also was a leading critic ofTime Warner Cable's abortive plan to charge atiered service rate for itshigh-speed Internet service.[15]
Though he generally supported a health care reform plan, he opposed, and voted against, theplans put forth by the Obama administration, due to the cost, and preferred asingle-payer health care system instead.[16]
During the 2009 Netroots Nation convention held inPittsburgh, Massa told a group of activists that he "will vote adamantly against the interests of my district if I actually think what I am doing is going to be helpful" in regard to a single-payer health care system.[17] Moments later Massa clarified that he meant he would vote against the "opinions" of his constituents if he thought it was the right thing to do. He also controversially exclaimed that Sen.Chuck Grassley's comments describing end-of-life care as "killing Grandma" constitute "an act of treason."[18]
On October 10, 2009, Massa announced his plans for re-election, saying, "I don't want to play games with people about speculation, I want to be very direct and candid."[19]
On March 3, 2010, Massa announced that his cancer had returned and that he would not seek re-election. In his statement, Massa addressed allegations ofsexual harassment, but claimed he would stay on for the remainder of his term.[20]
The next day, March 4, 2010, House Majority LeaderSteny Hoyer confirmed that theHouse Ethics Committee was investigating allegations against Massa ofsexual misconduct as the result of a complaint that a senior member of Massa's staff had filed with the committee on February 8, 2010. The investigation was said to involve alleged sexual advances and harassment toward a younger male member of Massa's staff.[21][22][23][24]
At a press conference, Massa described his behavior and his language as "salty," claiming that he had apologized to the parties in question, did not know of the specific allegations, and did not make the decision to retire based upon such allegations.[25]
Massa announced on March 5, 2010, that he would resign his seat in Congress effective 5:00 p.m. on March 8, 2010. In a published statement on his website, Massa identified his declining health and the ongoing ethics investigation as the reasons for his departure. He apologized in response to thesexual harassment complaint, saying that "There is no doubt in my mind that I did in fact, use language in the privacy of my own home and in my inner office that, after 24 years in the navy, might make a Chief Petty Officer feel uncomfortable. In fact, there is no doubt that this ethics issue is my fault and mine alone."[26]
Massa later claimed that there was a conspiracy to remove him from Congress "because he had voted against overhauling health care."[4][5] Massa placed specific blame for his resignation on White House Chief of StaffRahm Emanuel, stating that Emanuel "is the son of the devil's spawn... He is an individual who would sell his mother to get a vote. He would strap his children to the front end of a steam locomotive."[4] Massa also commented on the following alleged confrontation with Emanuel in the congressional gym locker room: "I am sitting there showering, naked as a jaybird, and here comes Rahm Emanuel, not even with a towel wrapped around his tush, poking his finger in my chest, yelling at me because I wasn't going to vote for the president's budget... He goes there to intimidate members of Congress... He's hated me since day one, and now he wins. He'll get rid of me, and this bill will pass."[27][28][29] A Democratic spokesperson denied the existence of the alleged conspiracy to remove Massa over his position on health care.[5]
On March 10, 2010,The Washington Post reported that Massa was under investigation for allegations that he had groped multiple male staffers working in his office.[30] ThePost reported:
The freshman Democrat toldFox News Channel hostGlenn Beck that "not only did I grope [a staffer], Itickled him until he couldn't breathe," then said hours later onCNN's "Larry King Live" that "it is not true" that he groped anyone on his staff.He told Beck that he resigned from the House because he made the mistake of "getting too familiar with my staff" members, but he told King that he left primarily for health reasons. Massa, 50, has survived non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, but he said he is afraid that he is facing his "third major cancer-recurrence scare."
In his interview with Beck, the married Massa acknowledged that he shared a Washington residence with several unmarried male staffers as a cost-saving measure.[30]
Massa claimed that he contemplatedvehicular suicide at least twice on his way back to his home inCorning, New York, following his resignation.[31] Later campaign finance filings revealed that his campaign funds were being used to fund his wife's salary well after his resignation, as well as to pay legal fees stemming from disputes with his staffers.[32] The payments to his wife continued until the end of 2012.[33]
In 2017, theNew York Daily News reported that Congress had paid nearly $100,000 tosettle theharassment claims made by two male staffers against Massa.[34]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Randy Kuhl (incumbent) | 106,077 | 51.5 | +0.8 | |
| Democratic | Eric Massa | 100,044 | 48.5 | +7.7 | |
| Majority | 6,033 | 2.9 | −7.0 | ||
| Turnout | 206,121 | 100 | −23.7 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Eric Massa | 140,529 | 51.0 | +2.5 | |
| Republican | Randy Kuhl (incumbent) | 135,199 | 49.0 | −2.5 | |
| Majority | 5,330 | 1.9 | −1.0 | ||
| Turnout | 275,728 | 100 | +33.8 | ||
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNew York's 29th congressional district 2009–2010 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byas Former U.S. Representative | Order of precedence of the United States as Former U.S. Representative | Succeeded byas Former U.S. Representative |
