Despite Revealing Photos, Senator to Run
By LAWRENCE MESSINA
The Associated Press
Wednesday, October 4, 2006; 8:10 PM
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- State Sen. Randy White said Wednesday he would continue his campaign for a second term, despite the embarrassment of revealing photos of him aired on a Charleston television station.
The Webster County Democrat blamed a disgruntled former employee for stealing the photos from his computer. Some show him nude, while others show at least two men whose bodies were painted.
"There was nothing sexual about these pictures, and nothing sexual before, during or after they were taken," White said. "But it does look bad, and it is not easy to explain."
In a Tuesday letter to newspapers in his district, White apologized for the photos and cited a recent bout with depression and a "personal identification situation."
White, who said he had consulted with his wife and their three children about his campaign, declined Wednesday to elaborate on the photos or the letter. White and his wife separated last year.
In airing the photos, WCHS-TV reported that White was the apparent victim of a blackmail plot. White said that no one has tried to extort him, and that the FBI told both him and the station it did not suspect blackmail.
"Without the extortion angle, it's nothing but smut, a political smear," said White, 51, who served three terms in the House of Delegates before winning his Senate seat in 2002.
FBI officials in Charleston and officials at the television station did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday. White said he was considering suing the station.
White's Republican opponent, Harold "Pete" Sigler, did not immediately respond to messages requesting comment Wednesday.
From: PROLIFE 10/5/2006 12:08:05 AM
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