Scott DesJarlais, a Tea Party Republican U.S. Congressman from Tennessee, who is also a medical doctor, had an affair with a patient while still married to his wife, then demanded his mistress get an abortion, according to reports, which also label him “a serial philanderer.”
The hypocrisy is absolutely astounding. Scott DesJarlais, 48, and an Episcopalian, is a medical doctor, who was married (he is now divorced and re-married), had a affair with a woman who was his patient, and pressured her and demanded she get an abortion. DesJarlais, in his campaign video, below, is a self-described, “conservative, pro-life doctor.”
According to the Huffington Post, court records state that DesJarlais and his first wife at one point had an open marriage. But for DesJarlais to run for and elected to the U.S. Congress on a conservative and pro-life platform claiming he believes all life is, in his words, “sacred,” is beyond the pale.
“All life should be cherished and protected,” his campaign website, which is loaded with images of  DesJarlais and his family, and his Facebook page shows a photo of him standing with Mitt Romney.
His campaign issues pages states, “We are pro-life.” The  campaign website, which strangely uses the third person, also, ironically, states, “Being a family doctor brings you very close to your community. It adds, “Marriage is traditionally defined as being between a man and a woman and we feel this distinction is important to the wellbeing of the American family.” DesJarlais is on his second marriage.
The Huffington Post, which reports that court divorce documents “included allegations that he held a gun in his own mouth for hours in one instance and that he ‘dry fired’ a gun outside his wife’s bedroom in another.” The Huffington Post obtained the transcripts of the telephone call Congressman DesJarlais made to his mistress/patient, noting that the “transcript and other revelations from court documents paint a more damning picture of a man who was a serial philanderer willing to push one of his lovers — whom he met as a patient with a foot problem — to terminate a pregnancy, even when he suspected he was the father.”
“You told me you’d have an abortion, and now we’re getting too far along without one,” DesJarlais tells the woman at one point in the call while negotiating with her over whether he’ll reveal her identity to his wife. They then discuss whether he will accompany her to a procedure to end the sort of life the congressman now describes as “sacred.”
“You told me you would have time to go with me and everything,” the woman complains.
“I said, if I could, I would, didn’t I? And I will try,” DesJarlais says. “If I can [find] time, you’re saying you still will?”
“Yeah,” the woman answers.
The two bicker over when they can meet to hash out a solution, and they make clear the nature of their relationship when DesJarlais says delaying a resolution isn’t fair to his wife.
“This is not fair to me. I don’t want you in my life,” the woman says.
“Well, I didn’t want to be in your life either, but you lied to me about something that caused us to be in this situation, and that’s not my fault, that’s yours,” the doctor responds.
“Well, it’s [your] fault for sleeping with your patient,” the woman fires back.
After arguing for a bit about who came on to whom — with the woman seeming incredulous at DesJarlais’ interpretation that she made the first move — he gets back to the abortion.
“If we need to go to Atlanta, or whatever, to get this solved and get it over with so we can get on with our lives, then let’s do it,” Desjarlais says.
“Well, we’ve got to do something soon. And you’ve even got to admit that because the clock is ticking right?†he says at another point.
He talks repeatedly of getting the problem “solved” or “fixed” and eventually explains he’s desperate to patch things up with his wife, who had filed for divorce two years before, in late 1998, alleging improper marital conduct. She had relented, however, and according to court documents, they were trying to reconcile.
The marriage appeared to fall apart for good at about the time DesJarlais made his recorded phone call, and he eventually admitted in court papers to at least four affairs. Court records indicate that at one point in the marriage, they had a “written agreement to date other people.”
The Huffington Post closes with this sobering note:
DesJarlais is currently leading Democratic state Sen. Eric Stewart in the polls.
You can visit Eric Stewart’s campaign website here.