US Representative Christopher Lee, a married New York Republican, resigned last night following reports that he sent flirtatious e-mails and a shirtless photo of himself to a woman he met online.
"I have made profound mistakes,” Mr Lee said in a statement announcing his resignation last night. "I regret the harm that my actions have caused my family, my staff and my constituents. I deeply and sincerely apologise to them all."
An anonymous woman described as a 34-year-old Marylan resident and government employee provided Gawker with e-mails she said were an exchange between her and Mr Lee in response to an ad she placed in the "Women Seeking Men" section of Craigslist.
Mr Lee (46), described himself as a divorced lobbyist and a "fit fun classy guy" and included a shirtless photo of himself in his response to a posting on Craigslist, according to a report on the Gawker website.
The woman eventually broke off the contact with Mr Lee after becoming suspicious that he had misrepresented himself, according to Gawker.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo will decide when a special election is to be held.
Mr Lee is the second Upstate New York representative to resign within a year. Democrat Eric Massa gave up his seat last March. He had been under investigation by the House Ethics Committee following complaints about his conduct toward his staff. The ethics panel announced last month that it wouldn't take action against Mr Lee and six other lawmakers who raised campaign funds around the time the House voted on overhauling financial regulations.
Mr Lee first won election to the House in 2008, succeeding Republican Representative Tom Reynolds in a district stretching from suburban Buffalo to suburban Rochester.
Democrats had targeted the district in Mr Lee's first race, and the party's preferred candidate, Jon Powers, lost the primary. Mr Lee polled 55 per cent even as the Democrats won three other Republican-held House seats in New York. He was re- elected with 74 per cent in 2010.
Agencies