You would think people would be a little more cautious when it comes to answering personal ads on Craigslist, but, apparently, such is not the case with Rep. Christopher Lee — the married New York congressman who abruptly resigned last Wednesday after a shirtless picture of him and allegations of an online affair surfaced on the gossip website Gawker.
According to Gawker, last month Lee reportedly responded to an ad placed by a then unidentified woman in the “Women Seeking Men” section of Craigslist.com.
The woman — 34-year-old Yesha Callahan — a single mother and University of Maryland employee — sought a “financially [and] emotionally secure” man who could prove that not “all [Craigslist men looked] like toads.”
Unfortunately for her, the handsome congressman, although not toad-like in appearance, undeniably shared a few of the less attractive qualities of toads, sliminess being one of them.
In his e-mail — the same one admittedly connected to his personal Facebook account — Lee passes himself off as a 39-year-old divorced lobbyist with one child. Truth is, he’s actually 46.
Nevertheless, Callahan’s interest was piqued and the two proceeded to hold a casual, playful conversation, which included Lee asking Callahan about her last date and Callahan inquiring if Lee “always [sent shirtless pictures to women from Craigslist].”
Who knows where their initial flirtation could have lead, had Callahan not gotten so curious about her beau. She decided to Google her new friend and thus discovered that — not only had he lied to her about his age — but that he had lied about his marital status and occupation as well. I can’t say I’m too surprised; people have always said politicians are good liars.
What I don’t understand is, if you’re trolling through Craigslist ads looking for “hook ups” and you know you’ve got something to hide, why use your real name? Was Lee simply looking to get caught? And why use an e-mail address that someone could easily type into the Facebook search box and discover that — surprise, surprise — he ‘s married!
It seems to me it might be beneficial to the congressman if he made better use of his head the next time he thinks of committing adultery. The head connected to his neck, that is.
I contacted her via e-mail and when asked whether she felt Lee’s resignation was the right thing to do, Callahan replied, “I can’t say it was the right thing to do, but usually guilty people retreat early in order to avoid any other negative press [or] feedback. My shoe was just a little one that dropped.”
In regards to whether or not Callahan regrets the ad, she replied: “Gawker didn’t expose me at all. Maureen — [contributing writer for Gawker] — was the only person that I knew who wouldn’t. It’s never the ‘stranger’ that will sell you out, it’s usually your own friends [and] associates.”
I personally chalk Lee’s costly mistake up to a life lesson. Perhaps it’s a little too late for Lee, but all you readers should think twice before you press the send button on any potentially damning e-mail correspondence. In today’s modern world, the potential to severely damage your life and reputation can be just one click away.
Brittany Bella Graham is a senior communications and journalism double major and contributing writer for the Daily 49er.
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