Missouri lawmaker who resigned says he had affair

A St. Louis-area legislator who recently resigned from the Missouri House is acknowledging he had an extramarital affair.

Republican Rep. Don Gosen told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch Thursday that he began an affair in 2014. Gosen said that the woman was from southwest Missouri and never worked in government or as a lobbyist. The married father of three says the relationship “went awry,” and that it was his only extramarital affair.

Gosen resigned Wednesday after being asked to do so by House Speaker Todd Richardson. Richardson said he asked Gosen to resign Tuesday night after he was “made aware of the situation.”

Gosen, elected in 2010, is married with three children.

On the advice of his attorney, Gosen gave no details about the events that led to his resignation.He’s the third lawmaker to resign under pressure in the past year.

Last May, then-House Speaker John Diehl resigned after acknowledging he exchanged sexually charged text messages with a Capitol intern. Sen. Paul LeVota resigned after being accused of sexually harassing interns, which he denied.