Washington -- Rep. David Wu announced his resignation from Congress today, moments after U.S. senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden called for his resignation.



The Democrat said in a statement that he would leave office after Congress resolves the debt ceiling crisis.



"With great sadness, I therefore intend to resign effective upon the resolution of the debt ceiling crisis. This is the right decision for my family, the institution of the House, and my colleagues."



The Oregonian reported Friday that Wu had been accused of an unwanted sexual encounter with the 18-year-old daughter of a childhood friend. The incident occurred in Orange County last year.



Wu's announcement came only minutes after Oregon's two Democratic senators -- Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley -- called on him to resign, saying the embattled lawmaker had lost his ability to effectively serve in the wake of accusations of improper sexual conduct that "are both jarring and exceptionally serious."





More

"The accusations against David Wu are both jarring and exceptionally serious," the joint statement says.



"While he, like every American, deserves an opportunity to address those accusations and defend himself, our constituents in the first district of Oregon deserve a member in the House of Representatives whose main focus is fighting for their interests.



"This is a critical time for our state and our nation and Oregonians need every member of their Congressional delegation to be effective. While no one takes pleasure in asking a colleague to resign, we believe he can no longer be an effective representative for our shared constituents and should, in the best interest of Oregon, step down."



-- Charles Pope and Janie Har







