Republican Representative Scott DesJarlais Pressured Mistress To Get Abortion [Report]

Representative Scott DesJarlais (R-TN), an anti-abortion rights physician, reportedly pressured a former patient and mistress to get an abortion during a secretly recorded phone call in 2000.

The report was put out by The Huffington Post on Wednesday and alleges that the freshman representative was trying to save his marriage at the time of the secretly recorded call.

The Representative was provided a copy of the phone call’s transcript and stated through his campaign:

“Desperate personal attacks do not solve our nation’s problems, yet it appears my opponents are choosing to once again engage in the same gutter politics that CBS news called the dirtiest in the nation just 2 years ago.”

The Washington Post notes that a spokesman for DesJairis didn’t deny the report but instead stated that it was old news. The spokesperson explained:

“This is old news from the last election cycle that Tennesseans have already widely rejected.”

While the revelation that the anti-abortion rights politician once urged his mistress to get an abortion could hinder his campaign, he is still favored to win in his district, which leans heavily Republican.

While the Republican Representative’s campaign vehemently denied the allegations in his 2010 race, the new transcript, as well as revelations from court documents, make the allegations hard to deny. In the transcripted call, Scott DesJarlais stated, “You told me you’d have an abortion, and now we’re getting too far along without one.”

The two then go on to discuss if he will accompany her to the procedure. The woman complains, “You told me you would have time to go with me and everything.” DesJarlais contends, “I said, if I could, I would, didn’t I? And I will try … If I can [find] time, you’re saying you still will?”

The conversation continues with the two bickering about who came on to whom first, with the woman upset that the representative believes she made the first move. He also expressed the hope of reconciling with his wife, telling the woman that he was desperate to patch things up.

DesJarlais and his wife split for good around the time the call was made, with court papers showing that the Republican politician admitted to at least four affairs during the divorce proceedings. While Scott DeJarlais has not confirmed who made the recording, his ex-wife, Susan DesJarlais, revealed that her husband made the recording and let her listen to it.