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Nati Harnik / Associated Press photo
Nebraska Lt. Gov. Rick Sheehy resigned Saturday. Last July, his wife filed for divorce after nearly 29 years of marriage. Her divorce filing stated the "marriage of the parties is irretrievably broken."
LINCOLN, Neb. -- Nebraska Lt. Gov. Rick Sheehy resigned abruptly Saturday in a scandal involving thousands of calls to four women on his state-issued cellphone, including one woman who said she had a romantic relationship with the politician.
Gov. Dave Heineman announced Sheehy's resignation in a hastily called news conference Saturday morning. Sheehy, a Republican, had been considered the front-runner in the 2014 gubernatorial race and had been endorsed by Heineman.
"As public officials, we are rightly held to a higher standard," Heineman said. "I had trusted him, and that trust was broken."
Sheehy resigned after questions were raised about the cellphone calls with four women, none of whom were his wife, who filed for divorce last year. The calls, made over the last four years, were first reported by the Omaha World-Herald, which had made a public records request for Sheehy's phone records.
Records released Saturday by the governor's office show Sheehy made thousands of late-night phone calls to the women. He spoke with some of the women numerous times a day in conversations that lasted anywhere from a few minutes to more than an hour, according to the records.
One woman he frequently called, Dr. Theresa Hatcher of Bellevue, told The Associated Press that she and Sheehy had maintained a long-term relationship after they met at a convention of emergency responders in Texas in 2008. As lieutenant governor, Sheehy leads the state's emergency management efforts, and Hatcher is an emergency room doctor.
"I thought I was the only one," she said. "Apparently, I was grossly mistaken."
Hatcher said she last talked to Sheehy about two weeks ago. She added: "Politicians can lie. Doctors don't lie."
Another woman Sheehy frequently called has had an apartment in Lincoln, the state capital. Her name appeared on a call box outside the building Saturday, but a man who answered the door said she didn't live there.
'Deeply disappointed'
Sheehy was the mayor of Hastings before Heineman selected him as his running mate. They were elected by a record margin to their first full term in 2006 and re-elected in 2010.
Asked for his reaction Saturday, Heineman said, "I've got a knot in my stomach. I'm deeply disappointed."
Heineman said he doubted Sheehy would run for the governor's office now.
"And no, I would not support him under the circumstances," Heineman said.
Sheehy did not appear at the news conference, and his state-issued cellphone was disconnected. A phone call to Sheehy's office went unanswered, and a message was not immediately returned.
Last July, Sheehy's wife, Connie Sheehy, filed for divorce after nearly 29 years of marriage. Her divorce filing stated the "marriage of the parties is irretrievably broken."
Heineman declined to answer questions about what had occurred that led Sheehy to resign. He also would not say whether he asked Sheehy to resign or if Sheehy acted on his own.
Heineman said he will begin the process Monday of looking for a new lieutenant governor.
If something were to happen to Heineman before he selects a new lieutenant governor, Republican Speaker of the Legislature Greg Adams would ascend to the governor's post.
Sheehy's announcement shakes up an already turbulent 2014 governor's race. Another Republican candidate, former Nebraska Speaker of the Legislature Mike Flood, entered the race briefly but withdrew in December after his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. State Sen. Charlie Janssen of Fremont, a Republican, has also said he is leaning toward running.
Several Democrats have signaled an interest in running, including University of Nebraska Regent Chuck Hassebrook and Nebraska state Sen. Steve Lathrop of Omaha. In recent weeks, party activists have also approached state Sen. Annette Dubas, of Fullerton.
Sheehy changed his Twitter account settings to private before Heineman's press conference. Shortly after, his account appeared to have been deleted.
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Thank you for being completely neutral, neither anti-republican or democrat.
Just another political moron using his power and taxpayer's money to do what he feckin well pleases.
"Another" lying, cheating politician.....Gosh, hard to believe!
GOP politician.
What is going on in this dude life that has him calling other women and engaging in affairs? Either he is unhappy at home or at work.
Just CHANGE to a Democrat and say "Bush's fault" you will be cleared.
Just another Republican Whore, Ladies you want to keep you hubby happy? Have SEX with him often and uninhibited!. If you wait till he is romantic you might be getting a divorce. F*ck him often and he will be romantic.
Hillary Clinton knows this better after Monika.
crushed , well that explains Bill Clintons running around..thanks
Typical GOP thinking with the little head while resting on a teabag.
Or lib thinking with cigar in one hand and other hand on the back of interns head
Oh please he has now thrown himself on his sword next he will seek 'God's help' to regain the trust and will more than likely run in 2014 if not than for some other office by 2016.
liz, that makes him 100% qualified to be President and to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize
I'm going to be honest about this one: First off, being in a gay marriage is NOT all it's cracked up to be!!! Second, the Mother has the right for the benefits, NOT her partner...sorry...that's the way the military goes so this cow who's whining and bitching needs to shut the hell up, count her loses, and move on!!!!! I got my freedom back and pretty much have moved on with my life......things change, people change,I've changed!!! This girl needs to move on..
More popcorn please, I am waiting for the Palin family values to aired, I am sure their story will be more interesting than this one. However one has to love the morality clowns and the beds they make and LIE on.
Christian values Pat Robertson deciple GOP members at it again.
Absolutely hysterical. Another TParty has been.
Bill Clinton was not only a cheater, he lied about it and got impeached by the House. Then when it came time for the trial by the Senate his good friend Teddy jumped up and said....He hasn't done anything I haven't dome many time. He did know up a secretary then drown her....we can't try him for just this.
Oh how the GOP are trying to defend their actions, and how mad do they get when Bush is mentioned. Gee, they haven't gotten over Clinton yet, but still complain about libs using Bush's name. Hypocritics aren't they? And guess what GOP, it was yours, YES THE GOP who coined the phrase 'FAMILY VALUES'.
We have seen their family values, and it is X rated. No matter how much they cry, wail, and gnash their teeth, they own the 'FAMILY VALUES' excretment. They sure live up to it, NOT!
So let me get this straight ... excuse the pun ... this guy got "caught" making phone calls and Barney Fwanks is Gay "perverted" and spent 32 years in Congress ... now we know what Liberals/Democrats think is normal behavior. HMMMMM ... Phone calls ... Escort Service
Phone calls ... Clinton has sex in the Oval Office on numerous occasions ... does not resign and this guy made phone calls and resigns.
Now I understand why the GOP are the religious Right ... they have much higher standards than the perverted ... Liberals/Democrats
Liberals/Democrats do not resign unless convicted of their crimes ... then ... the Liberals/Democrats just re-elect them ... Berry Mayor of Washington D.C.
Lets list the values and the Platform of the Liberal / Democratic Party ...
1. godless ... taking God out of schools, government and society.
2. Perverted ... Gays are not perverted but normal ... Gay Marriage.
3. Murder their babies via abortion.
Need I say more.
God wasn't taken out of schools - any child can still pray to their God any time they wish. If you are worried about it being one God that isn't allowed to now be inflicted upon all kids/teachers, then sorry for that - would you be ok if someone picked one God that wasn't your God for all to have to listen to being the one in the school your kids attend? Or does it have to be your God?
Perverted - you realize God was the original pervert, right? If not, please explain to me who Adam and Eve's kids procreated with - that would have to be brother/sister/mom/dad, right? Seems like either God is a pervert or not that intelligent in planning.
Do you really think only Liberals/Democrats get abortions?
Gee, no mention of the potential statutory rape by the pedophile from New Jersey. NBC news is useless scat, but unfortunately one must wade through it to see how it is continuing to give euphoric journalistic lewinskis to the administration. They must be on their fiftieth set of kneepads by now.
I can't believe its a Nebraskan...............
why do we care about this? the only person who realy should have anything to say about this mans behavior is his wife. she already said it. she filed for divorce. the only question we need to ask about these guys, rep. or dem. is do they do the job well. if they do who cares who they sleep with. if not, they need to go regardless of their sex lives. we could do away with a lot of hypocrisy by just not buying in to the bull@!$%#
I think Gov Heineman said it well - as public officials they are held to a higher standard of behavior. They are in the public trust and we expect a certain amount of good judgement on their part - sorry but its just part of the job.
greymouser, you are absolutely right. We should not care, BUT when a party sets itself up as the exemplar of "American Values," representing the finest that America shoule be and criticizes every foible of anyone else, then they should be judged by the standards they set for others. It is called blatant hypocrisy.
Here's a photo and newspaper article about the doctor who was his long-term lover: http://www.omaha.com/article/20130202/NEWS/130209947
It sounds like she's paid a pretty heavy price for being foolish enough to have a four year affair with a married man. And deservedly so!
It sounds to me like she was seriously manipulated and no one deserves that. I do not know a single person who hasn't deluded themselves at one time or another.
I'm shocked - a Republican in a sex scandal which does not involve him being gay - must be a closet Democrat