A U.S. lawmaker from ((the northwestern state of)) Oregon has announced he is resigning, becoming the third House representative this year to step down after being embroiled in a scandal.
Representative David Wu, a Democrat, issued a statement Tuesday saying he will resign after the debt ceiling issue is resolved. Lawmakers are in negotiations to reach an agreement on the issue, with the deadline to avoid an unprecedented default just one week away.
Wu said the decision to step down is the right choice for his family, the institution of the U.S. House of Representatives and his colleagues.
A newspaper in his home state reported that an 18-year-old California woman said she had an unwanted sexual encounter with Wu shortly after last year's election. The Oregonian said Wu told aides the encounter was consensual. The 56-year-old congressman has said he did nothing wrong.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has called for an ethics investigation. Wu is the only member of Congress born in Taiwan and the first Chinese-American to serve in the House of Representatives.
In June, Representative Anthony Weiner, a New York Democrat, resigned after a scandal emerged when he sent a lewd photograph of himself on his public Twitter account.
Earlier this year, New York Republican Chris Lee gave up his House seat after he sent a woman a picture of himself without a shirt on and the image became public..
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.