By now, we're all familiar with the sad tale of Congressman Tim Murphy, Republican of Pennsylvania, who will be leaving Congress in great haste because the staunchly anti-choice legislator got caught telling his mistress to get an abortion. (That is a great sentence to type, by the way.)

The folks at Politico have fleshed out the story; apparently, not only was Murphy a howling hypocrite, but he ran his congressional office like Vlad the Impaler. However, as satisfying as Murphy's demise is, we would be remiss if we didn't point out that he wasn't even the first "pro-life" Republican member of Congress to get caught doing this very thing.

Come on down, Scott DeJarlais. Let The Chattanooga Times Free Press spin us back down the years to 2012.

A decade before calling himself “a consistent supporter of pro-life values,” Tennessee physician and Republican U.S. Rep. Scott DesJarlais supported his ex-wife’s decision to get two abortions before their marriage, according to the congressman’s sworn testimony during his divorce trial. Obtained by the Chattanooga Times Free Press, the couple’s 2001 trial transcript also confirms DesJarlais had sexual relationships with at least two patients, three coworkers and a drug representative while he was chief of staff at Grandview Medical Center in Jasper, Tenn. During one affair with a female patient, DesJarlais prescribed her drugs, gave her an $875 watch and bought her a plane ticket to Las Vegas, records show.

And this jamoke was a doctor.

Unlike Murphy, who has enough of a shred of common decency left in him to skulk out of public life, DeJarlais has been re-elected twice since his scandal broke, and he also was an early and enthusiastic supporter of the president*. Because when you're a star, you can do anything.

Republicans. Boy, I dunno.

Charles P. Pierce Charles P Pierce is the author of four books, most recently Idiot America, and has been a working journalist since 1976.

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