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TMI?

Ex-Lawmaker Admits He Had A Son With The Daughter Of Another Senator

Mother says 'one night's mistake led to pregnancy' more than 30 years ago

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by David Mark

Editor-in-Chief t

Then.-Sen. Pete Domenici (R-N.M.), at a committee hearing in 1997.

Members of the U.S. Senate don't call themselves a family for nothing. Take former Sen. Pete Domenici. Over his 36 years in office, the New Mexico Republican presented himself as a straight-laced expert on the federal budget.

Now Domenici tells the Albuquerque Journal he fathered a son outside of his marriage over 30 years ago, revealing a secret kept for decades. And it turns out the son is the grandchild of a Senate colleague, Republican Paul Laxalt of Nevada, with whom we served together for 12 years.

Statements given to the Journal by Domenici and the son's mother, Michelle Laxalt of Alexandria, Va., identified the son as Adam Paul Laxalt, a Nevada lawyer. Michelle Laxalt formerly was a prominent government relations consultant and television political commentator in Washington, D.C. She is a daughter of Paul Laxalt, who served a term as Nevada governor in the late 1960s before spending 12 years in the Senate.

"More than 30 years ago, I fathered a child outside of my marriage," said Domenici, a father of eight with his wife, Nancy.

The 80-year-old Republican, who decided not to seek election to a seventh term in 2008, citing health reasons, said he remains concerned about privacy for Michelle Laxalt, and their son. Domenici indicated he was disclosing the family matter to the Journal because he anticipated someone else was about to make the story public.

Michelle Laxalt told the paper "one night's mistake led to pregnancy" and she chose to raise the son as a single parent.

"Given the fact that both my father and the father of my child were United States senators, I felt strongly that I would make this choice according to my values and would not seek advice, input or permission," Michelle Laxalt said.

Adam Paul Laxalt is a former U.S. Navy officer who graduated with honors from Georgetown University in 2001 and from the Georgetown University Law Center in 2005, according to his law firm's website.

Via The Albuquerque Journal.

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  • jessejaymes
    !
    Many, many years ago when I was twenty-three I was married to a widow who was pretty as could be This widow had a grown-up daughter who had hair of red My father fell in love with her and soon they too were wed
    This made my dad my son-in-law and really changed my life For now my daughter was my mother,'cause she was my father's wife And to complicate the matter, even though it brought me joy I soon became the father of a bouncing baby boy
    My little baby then became a brother-in-law to dad And so became my uncle, though it made me very sad For if he were my uncle, then that also made him brother Of the widow's grownup daughter, who was of course my step-mother
    Father's wife then had a son who kept them on the run And he became my grandchild, for he was my daughter's son My wife is now my mother's mother and it makes me blue Because although she is my wife, she's my grandmother too
    Now if my wife is my grandmother, then I'm her grandchild And every time I think of it, it nearly drives me wild 'Cause now I have become the strangest 'case you ever saw As husband of my grandmother, I am my own grandpa
    I'm my own grandpa, I'm my own grandpa It sounds funny, I know but it really is so I'm my own grandpa
  • View all 15 replies >
  • u
    Realthinker
    !
    It looks to me like the Senator became an advocate for strong families because he *learned* from his mistake and did not repeat it. I don't call that hypocrisy, I call it repentence. Do you not believe in forgiveness?
  • u
    Realthinker
    !
    @Fishbone345 Have you seen me posting stuff here about Democrats who stray? I am aware that the lists of public officials who have strayed from their marriage vows is very nearly even. For every Republican who gets caught, there is also a Democrat. What I think of each individual depends on how he handles himself.
  • Tralee
    !
    Yes, this rote mantra is typical of the left. Yawn, from the party of NO values it's a little hard to take seriously any chastisement when one of us proves that we are not 100% perfect. Alinski's rule #4 - Make the enemy live up to its own book of rules. (No one can possibly follow all of their rules 100% so you can kill them with this tactic.)
  • Tralee
    !
    @Fishbone345 Would Zazzie throw out the usual left retort of "blah, blah, blah, family values" if this man had a D after his name? LOL - this type of behavior, repeated endlessly of course, is a resume enhancer if you are a Democrat.[New Picture?]
  • View all 18 replies >
  • u
    Realthinker
    !
    If someone was about to go public they cannot have had the best interests of the son at heart. Now he is going to have to deal with all sorts of nosy questions, stares, whispers, etc. The child of such a mistake is always an innocent victim.
  • Dan_Tien
    !
    "Members of the U.S. Senate don't call themselves a family for nothing." Just one big, lying, bickering, hypocritical, incestuous family.
  • jessejaymes
    !
    @Fishbone345 I know I was shocked. What is the GOP coming to? No bathroom stalls involved. No male interns, no female interns, no fat chicks or cigars. I mean what can you count on in this world anymore?
  • Fishbone345
    !
    @jessejaymes " I mean what can you count on in this world anymore?"
    Death, Taxes, and Congress & The White House playing fiddles while the country burns.
  • Tralee
    !
    Actually we need a 4th choice, it's not any of my business would be just about right. It happened 30 years ago, all adults in the matter acted in an adult manner and took care of it. As the article said, he only brought it out because some busybody found some bit of scandal and couldn't wait to tell the world, ruin the lives of 4 people and all for what? Probably some lib. who wanted to make some stupid political point. Notice they are not talking about the rumors of a certain DEM. leaving the country for sex with minors.