Oh Louisiana, Louisiana*

(TW for discussion of domestic violence)

Louisiana Senator David Vitter — yes, that would be this Sen. Vitter, and also this one — yesterday accepted the resignation of one of his long-time aides, Brent Furer, after ABC news revealed that Furer had, on separate occasions, been charged with assaulting an ex-girlfriend, and driving while intoxicated.

ABC was informed of the assault charge by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), whose Executive Director, Melanie Sloan, said

It says something terrible about Senator Vitter's judgment that this is the kind of guy he wants to keep in his office.

A spokesman for Sen. Vitter said that his office had been aware of Furer's arrest for the assault on his ex-girlfriend in 2008, but had not known of his other legal problems until ABC informed them. ABC says, however, that after Furer's 2003 guilty plea to the drunk driving charge, the director of Vitter's regional office in LA oversaw Furer's court-ordered community service while Furer continued to work as a campaign staffer for Vitter.

Vitter's office says that "significant disciplinary action" was taken against Furer following Furer's sentencing on the assault charge, but refused to specify what that action was. It did not involve removing from Furer his responsibility as the person in Vitter's Washington office who dealt with "women's issues."

Says CREW's Sloan:

Senator Vitter knowingly kept this dangerous person on his staff through his drunk driving arrest in 2003 and his chilling domestic violence assault conviction in 2008.

Sloan says Furer's resignation now is "an obvious attempt by the senator to save himself with women voters as (he) heads into his reelection campaign this fall." May the Fates and Furies ensure that the attempt is in vain.

via (There is a prominent photo at this link of the stitched cut inflicted by Furer on his ex-girlfriend's chin. It is not gruesome, but be warned.)

*FTR, that's not an accusation; it's a lament.