It’s been a rough few months for Republican Mike Yenni of Louisiana. After being exposed for sexting with a 17-year-old Catholic school boy who he met at a high school graduation luncheon last year, Yenni has been on a fruitless mission to restore his reputation and try to save his job. Now, he and his wife, Michelle, have appeared on their local TV news station to discuss the scandal for what they hope will be the final time.
Related: Mike Yenni’s Teen Accuser Comes Forward About Sext Scandal, Sticks By Story
“It hasn’t been a great year,” Yenni said. (Yeah, ya think?) “I’ve admitted to my mistakes. I’ve apologized to all of the people of Jefferson Paris but, most importantly, to my wife and my family, and to my God.”
Meanwhile, Michelle, dressed in white and sporting a round baby bump, sat beside her husband with a painted on smile and trying her damnedest not to look like she was dying inside.
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Related: Republican Lawmaker Finally Talks About Sexting With Catholic School Boy, Insists He’s Not Gay
“I believe I’m penitent for what I’ve done,” Yenni continued, “I’m sorry for what I’ve done, and I’ve done exactly what I need to do.”
He added that despite the fact that there is a growing campaign calling for him to be recalled, as well as the fact that nearly every other elected official in his area has called for his resignation, he’s determined to continue serving his constituents.
“I’m doing my job and I have the support of my family behind me to do that job,” he said.
Related: A Brief History Of Antigay Politicians Caught Doing Very Gay Things In Public Restrooms
The interviewer then turned her attention to Michelle, who up until then seemed content just smiling and nodding. When asked what she’s been hearing from the public, Michelle replied, “We’ve had nothing but support” before adding that she’s been “disappointed” with the media coverage and “different things that have been going on.”
Then Yenni jumped back in.
“The fact that, here we are, still dwelling on something that happened almost two years ago, getting to, getting to that point now,” he stumbled. “Or, 18 months ago. You know–It’s, it’s, it’s–I mean, my family and I have moved on. And we’re, you know, we’re trying to do the best we can to do our–to live our lives–and, and, and–do the job I was elected to do.”
Watch the painful two minute interview below…
Brian
Mike Yenni is a great father. His wife is a great mother. Mike has every right to defend himself against allegations that have some truth to them.
Mike also has the right to reject the homosexual side of himself. It’s his absolute right. He has the absolute right to choose to embrace the heterosexual side of himself instead of the homosexual one.
It irks me when political gays force men to embrace the gay identity at the expense of the straight one. It really irks me. Outside interference with a man’s sexuality is completely abhorrent.
Only if a man is completely hypocritical and fraudulent should he be exposed. Mike Yenni has been very honest, and I admire him for that.
Hogwasher
You guys, stop irking Brian.
Kangol
When’s the “Mike Yenni’s Big [Gay…Not?…DL] GOP Adventure” coming to our TV screens? I’d definitely watch at least one episode about this messy pseudo-conservative Louisiana queen.
Musk
@Brian: “Outside interference with a man’s sexuality is completely abhorrent.” I’m a bit confused. Who are you referring to when you say “outside interference?”
Brian
@Musk: Outside interference from the GLBTQI media. We don’t need that media.
Brian
@Kangol: Mike Yenni is entitled to make love to a woman’s body at your expense.
Jack Meoff
So when is the porn version of this story coming out?
Josh447
Mike Yenni can’t move on until he comes clean line by line instead of refusing to talk about it. He can’t skate or soft shoe past the facts and think everyone else will accept that behavior. He’s a disgrace to integrity.
Though he may try to trick himself into thinking he’s moved on, the public hasn’t and they write his payckeck. And they won’t move on until he tells the truth line by line and then requests forgiveness. Until then the shadow will smother him and dog him til his dying day. This is about manning up and telling the truth, nothing else. Til then, he’s toast.
Mike Yenni, God is waiting.
Brian
@Josh447: You have no right to pontificate on a personal issue.
SnorlaxationKH
He’s perfectly free to move on, but the public at large hasn’t.
Even if Yenni or the young man he was with are guilty in different ways (because a lot of people feel that he was old enough to know better at 17, and may have been more consenting in some ways than he let on), this is still another perfect example of hypocrisy.
Lots of conservative men lie about what they really want, or some of what they want, and it only makes it worse to lobby against gays and the like, because once you’re revealed to like dudes yourself, you’re just another statistic.
Josh447
Furthermore, if his wife was not in collusion with his lies, and would help him come clean, then their marriage would have integrity. She thinks she needs him enough to let him be scattered in fraud. Their marriage is a lie based on money and survival.
The truth shall set you free Yenni. You’re on the world stage. Until you come clean with God and country, your entire life will continue to be one hot unholy mess.
Brian
Thank goodness Mike Yenni remains married to a woman who is going to bear his child.
Thank goodness Mike Yenni has not succumbed to gay identity politics and its associated possessiveness and disregard for the well-being of individuals.
Thank goodness Mike Yenni has not gone along with the homophobic self-loathing expressed by many gay-identifying men who think that having any form of sexual intimacy with another male is grounds for branding with the hot iron of “you’re gay”.
Thank goodness that, under a Trump administration, we’re going to see more Mike Yennis who will stand up to the bullies of the gay movement.
My2Cents
@Brian: I don’t know if Mike Yenni is a great father. I don’t know if his wife is a great mother. I’m not denying either but I’m just saying those are irrelevant to the facts. The fact is he has been caught in a pile of shit and keeps walking in more shit instead of just taking the obvious route which is honesty. He has been outed. We can debate the fairness of said outing since he hasn’t done anything illegal, no one was harmed in his actions and he hasn’t been identified as as an anti-gay politician but the information has gotten out and there is no way to unscrew that cork.
The question now is where does he goes from there and this is where he has made the mistake most politicians do. He could have just said the truth, this is between, his family and the young man. While it is unfortunate that his personal life has been publicized to this extent, he has done nothing illegal and it’s not something he wishes to discuss. While this answer wouldn’t have satisfied everyone and certainly his political opponents would continue to try to bring him down, this would have taken the wind out of their sails.
Instead, he found a need to assert his heterosexuality, deny easily proven facts, hem and haw about what is true or not, trot out his wife as if she is proof of his virility, invite more questions with his vagueness and pretty much guarantee this will haunt him way past what’s sure to be his short political career.
Dick di Bona
@Brian, You may have a point ,but when Yenni belongs to a party who is openly hostile to Gay and Lesbian issues then it is important to know about his true sexuality and not some idea that he has in his head and that his wife desperately wants to believe. The public has the right to know his inner workings and thought process to determine if he best represents their views. I personally think he needs to go for his weak explanation and the fact the he sought the attention of a minor.
1EqualityUSA
The GOP would do well to leave LGBT alone. It’s not politically viable, given the youth vote coming up. More oldsters have to die off supposedly. This story wouldn’t be such a big thing were this man a member of a more inclusive party. If he’s GOP, then he’s anti-gay, therein lies the hypocrisy and subsequent story.
jorge_ortiz
@Brian, my question for you is this.. Neither you know him or maybee you know him a lot… Listen if this was a gay man that did this, your comments would be very different… so you know what… This man is not only a pervert, is a child molester a pedophile… I know many many married man that live a double life… churches members, good husbands , good fathers , good grandfather,even they had a so called “normal”life what they really want is to feel a mans love… but targeting minors in something else…. By you defending him is like approving what he did… regardless he is married, his wife is pregnant, and so, and, so, and so, he is a closeted Homosexual. period.
BillSam
@Brian: Your level of self-hatred is unbelievable. You obviously are saddled with old-fashioned guilt and shame, and you troll gay web sites hoping to smack Out and Proud gay people in the face. Instead, you just come off as pathetic. You have no interest in actually learning anything or even trying to feel better about yourself, you just want to wallow in your internalized homophobia. I think Yenni, whether he’s gay or bi, should be encouraged to accept his perfectly natural sexual feelings — and stop texting teens! Brian, get some counseling and stop hating yourself!