See also: Ben Quayle Accused of Swimming, Which Is a Scandal or Something
The non-scandal involving Congressman Ben Quayle is even less scandalous than it sounds, according to Quayle's recollection of events.
Congressman Kevin Yoder, of Kansas, hopped in naked during a Republican congressional delegation's trip to Israel last year, and at some point that night, Quayle got in the water too -- which somehow ties him to the event, according to an article Politico posted over the weekend.
Politico's report said some congressman claimed they went in the water for religious reasons. Others went in due to the heat, while others hopped in with possible alcohol-related inspiration.
Quayle put out a statement last night, clarifying his reason for getting in the water:
"The trip to Israel was not only an amazing experience for my wife and I, but extremely significant to our Christian faith. Earlier in the evening I had entered the Sea of Galilee very briefly to secure a jar of water so my daughter could be baptized with it. At no point in time was I aware of, or witness to, any inappropriate behavior, as I had retired to my hotel room with my wife before the described misconduct occurred."
Politico qualified its report on the matter by saying the FBI had reportedly "probed" the event, which may or may not have actually happened.
While Quayle's campaign told New Times yesterday they believed that Congressman David Schweikert -- Quayle's primary opponent, who was also on the Israel trip -- may have something to do with Politico's story, Quayle himself also thinks Schweikert's trying to take advantage of the reporting:
"The real question here is why is Dave Schweikert spreading these malicious falsehoods, a week before our primary, if he has known about inappropriate behavior for over a year? The mask is off and Dave Schweikert has revealed himself as exactly the low and dishonest career politician the public has come to loathe. Voters will see right through this deception and join Senator Kyl and Senator McCain in condemning Dishonest Dave for his sleazy and fraudulent campaign."
Although Quayle wasn't accused of doing anything but swimming in the Politico story, Schweikert provided a statement to the Arizona Republic saying he's "not surprised by Ben Quayle's behavior," and made reference to Quayle's stint as "Brock Landers."
