GOP Pro-Family Tim Huelkskamp Fires Staffer Arrested For Child Sex Crimes

Kansas GOP pro-family Rep. Tim Huelkskamp, named the “most anti-gay Republican” by ThinkProgress in 2012, has fired staffer Matthew P. Pennell, who was arrested on Thursday and charged with 17 counts of sexual exploitation of a child, KWCH reports.

The news site adds that Pennell was arrested as part of a joint sting between the Dodge City Police Department and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

Prior to the firing of Pennell, Huelskamp’s Chief of Staff, Mark Kelly, issued the following statement.

“Upon learning of his arrest, the Office immediately placed Mr. Pennell on Leave Without Pay until further notice. Because this is an ongoing investigation, we are unable to provide further comment at this time.”

Huelkskamp has personally stayed quiet on the matter, but his office did follow up with KWCH later to affirm that Pennell was “no longer employed.”

Details of the child sex crimes for which Pennell is being accused have not been made known at this time, but bond was set relatively low at $75,000.

Left-wing blogs like the New Civil Rights Movement seized on the story this week, playing up the fact that Pennell worked for one of the most conservative men in Congress.

The site also mentioned that an aide to Republican Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee was arrested on child pornography charges and later committed suicide.

To be fair and to keep it from becoming a completely political issue, some have pointed out that staffers are not always well-known to their representatives.

While it’s not altogether common, some Republicans employ liberal staffers and vice versa. Republicans also hardly have the market cornered on hiring staffers that get arrested for deviant sexual behavior as seen in this story from the Colorado Observer.

That being said, the crimes for which Pennell has been charged are particularly heinous in that they allegedly targeted children, and commenters haven’t hesitated in letting him know it.

“If found guilty, I hope he gets sent away for a long, long time. There are men in prison today who have small children and they would be very happy to hear that this maggot was coming to their prison,” said Thomas Justagato.

“If found guilty, hopefully this scumbag will pay a price fit for the crime,” wrote the Facebook group Loyal GOP Conservatives Against the Tea Party.

Do you think that Tim Huelkskamp should be catching flak for what this staffer did, or are the attacks unfair? Sound off in the comments section.