Being a hands-on politician is generally a good thing. Not so in Carl DeMaio’s case. The openly gay Republican nominee for Congress in San Diego is being accused of distinctly un-Congressional behavior: masturbating in front of a male staffer.
The staffer, Todd Bosnich, claims that DeMaio repeatedly made unwelcome sexual advances toward him. It all began one evening after DeMaio drove Bosnich to his car following a staff get-together.
“We were making small talk on the way back. And when he pulled up to my car, he reached over into my lap and grabbed my crotch. And I flipped out. And I pushed his hand away,” Bosnich told CNN. “I just was shocked because I’d never had anyone do something like that to me, especially in a position of authority and trust. And, at the time, I just figured, well, maybe he was drunk and blew it off.”
But Bosnich, who is also gay, says that the behavior escalated, reaching a climax (so to speak) last April. DeMaio called Bosnich to his office. What Bosnich says he saw there was not the usual political glad-handing.
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“I came over to his office, door was open. And he was masturbating,” Bosnich said. “I saw his hand, his penis in his hand and he had a smile on his face. And as soon as I came over he was looking at me.”
Bosnich says he talked to DeMaio’s campaign manager, Tommy Knepper, about the behavior. Bosnich says Knepper responded, “That’s just the way Carl is.”
Bosnich claims he eventually confronted DeMaio about his behavior. Soon afterwards, Bosnich was fired, but not before he says he was offered a new position and $50,000 if he would sign a confidentiality agreement.
DeMaio is offering an infuriated rebuttal. “This is an individual that was let go by our campaign manager for plagiarism,” DeMaio says, claiming that Bosnich subsequently broke into the campaign office and smashed computers.
“He’s clearly troubled,” DeMaio says of Bosnich. “He got caught for the damage that he did to the campaign and now he’s manufacturing in essence a cover story to explain away his actions.”
DeMaio says that Bosnich is currently under police investigation and offered to share documents with CNN to prove Bosnich was lying and had broken into the campaign office. But DeMaio only let CNN look at the documents without reporting on their content. CNN’s succinct (and damning) summary: “On its own, the material did not appear to refute Bosnich’s claims.”
In fact, CNN tried for over a week to get DeMaio’s campaign to respond to specific allegations. Instead, the network was led on a merry chase through fields of obfuscation and obstruction. Politico, which originally broke the story,
Unfortunately for DeMaio, this is not the first time that he’s been accused of pressing the flesh inappropriately. Last year, Ben Hueso, who serves with De Maio on the San Diego City Council, says he twice caught DeMaio playing with himself in a restroom stall.
Councilwoman Marti Emerald ran into Hueso right after he left the men’s room. “He said DeMaio was in there (masturbating),” Emerald said. “And I said do you want to grab a police officer and have him arrested? Because this is a violation of the (city) code. He said no, but he was pretty upset.”
DeMaio denied that allegation too, telling CNN that he took a polygraph test that proved his innocence. Still, he wouldn’t provide the polygraph results to the network.
DeMaio is in a tight race to unseat freshman Democrat Scott Peters–or at least it was tight until Bosnich’s story became public. DeMaio had been anointed a “new generation Republican” by the party establishment, which is desperate to shed its ultra-right image. He’s received checks from House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
In fact, Boehner is scheduled to hold a fundraiser for DeMaio today. He may want to consider bringing along some hand sanitizer.
NoCagada
And still, the worst problem is that they’re republicans.
Harley
I absolutely believe he is a “new generation Republican”. A self-loathing closet case on the take from any right wing tea party affiliated organization who’s only goal is to deny rights and restrict votes from minorities. Seen it before and will see it again.
She is a pathetic. Just the GOP’s attempt to look inclusive.
Chris
Really, he’s seen masturbating by a colleague named Bone(r) as in Hueso?
I’d say that this is one more good reason to always have someone else with you whenever you meet with a third party. It ensures things are kept professional and protects both parties from this sort of stuff.
JDJase
“Politico, which originally broke the story,”
Care to finish that sentence, John?
Proofreading. It’s not just for 6th graders!
Dakotahgeo
This is SO typical of run-of-the-muck Republican/Tea Party trash! This boi’s political career is so over!
onthemark
“That’s just the way Carl is.”
Nice campaign slogan!
Paco
Oh those wacky gay republicans…
Billy Budd
Gay republicans are supposed to be crazy. They are a living contradiction.
LadyL
So is he openly gay or not? Because this seems like classic self-loathing somebody-please-out-me-because-I-don’t-have-the-guts-to-do-it-myself closet-case behavior.
LadyL
Also I cannot resist pointing out that this pathetic person makes total sense as the pathetic GOP’s “New Generation Republican.” I mean, yes. Of course he is.
Lvng1Tor
Political party aside….WTF is wrong with men who think they are in power?
enlightenone
DeMaio the creepy, tea bagged whore and Bosnich his sleazy bitch! No victims here. If Bosnich continues to play his cards right he can at least double the $50,000 and be cast on the next Big Brother!
Kangol
DeMaio is out and not closeted. But he’s still a tea bagging GOP mess. Peters shouldn’t break a sweat getting reelected.
martinbakman
Sounds like a good fit for Congress.
BikerPup
@NoCagada: LOL
True that…
And you would think them both to be in the 7th grade to listen to the story.
BJ McFrisky
Sigh . . . maybe one day gay men will be judged on something other than their sexuality, but as long as gay people are using it as ammo against themselves (see above comments), it seems like it’ll be a long wait.
Paco
@BJ McFrisky: might happen when some realize they aren’t living in a real life porn video and keep the masturbating out of the office. Time and place for everything.
NJjoe
@onthemark:
I thought the same thing.
Another clear example of the trash littered that is of the Republican party.