A U.S. lawmaker from Oregon has announced he is resigning, becoming the second congressman in weeks to step down after being embroiled in a sex scandal.
Representative David Wu, a Democrat, issued a statement saying he will resign after the debt ceiling issue is resolved. Lawmakers are in negotiations to reach an agreement on raising the U.S. debt ceiling, with the deadline to avoid an unprecedented default just one week away.
Wu said the decision to step down is the right choice for his family, the institution of the House of Representatives and his colleagues.
A newspaper in his home state reported that an 18-year-old California woman said she had an unwanted sexual encounter with Wu shortly after last year's election. The Oregonian said Wu told aides the encounter was consensual. The 56-year-old congressman has said he did nothing wrong.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi had called for an ethics investigation. Wu is the only member of Congress born in Taiwan and the first Chinese-American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives.
In June, Representative Anthony Weiner, a New York Democrat, resigned after a scandal emerged when he accidentally sent a lewd photograph of himself on his public Twitter account.