Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
More Details About Fossella's Affair as GOP Looks for Other Options
By
Jen Chung
Published May 10, 2008
Modified May 10, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published May 10, 2008
Modified May 10, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
After his DWI arrest led to admitting an affair and a 3-year-old love child in Virginia, Representative Vito Fossella returned to Staten Island to rampant speculation of his imminent resignation.
Not only has the media predicted a resignation could come soon, the Advance reports House GOP leader Rep. John Boehner and Republican National Campaign Committee head Rep. Tom Cole have contacted Staten Island District Attorney Daniel Donovan to see if he's interested in the seat. Donovan acknowledged he's spoken to them, but said, "I have not put my name out there. As far as I know, we have a congressman in place, and I have no indication that he's not running."
The tabloids pick apart details of Fossella's relationship with Laura Fay, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel he met while she was a House military liaison. Fay sparked the press' interest when it was revealed she picked up Fossella from the Alexandria, VA police station. The Post reports a Republican source as saying Fossella's father and uncle "were bankrolling the kid."
The Daily News spoke to a source with this bombshell, "Fay thought - up until the release of the [Thursday] statement - that Fossella was separated" from his wife Mary Pat. The source added that Mary Pat, the mother of Fossella's three children, is "mad"-- "I think she may have had a clue that he had a roving eye, but I don't think she had a clue that he had another child."
It's unclear whether Mary Pat Fossella, who was previously bank executive, will divorce Fossella, but one friend told the Post, "She was unhappy for a really long time and maybe this will be the push that she needed." And on the other side, Laura Fay's relatives had no idea that a Congressman fathered Fay's daughter Nathalie. An aunt said, "Some day [Nathalie]'s going to know about it, and it's very sad. It's just sad."
The NY Times looks at Fossella's political career, establishing "himself as a reliable member" of the Republican party in Congress: "He voted to impeach President Clinton, followed President Bush’s war policies in Iraq, voted to eliminate financing for Planned Parenthood and supported a constitutional amendment against gay marriage."
Last month, Fossella joined other Republican lawmakers in demanding that Bill Maher apologize for remarks about the Catholic Church. Maher had said the church was a “a child-abusing religious cult” and “that’s what the Catholic Church is, the Bear Stearns of organized pedophilia.” The lawmakers criticized Maher for "insulting the Pope, mocking the Catholic religion and Catholics and diminishing the importance of the Catholic faith."
Tagged
affair
arrest
Congress
d.c.
drunk driving
Laura Fay
love child
Politics
scandal
staten island
virginia
Vito Fossella
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
NY Archdiocese will soon settle $800M clergy sexual abuse claims
The deal would compensate over 1,300 alleged victims and help the church avoid bankruptcy.
By
Arya Sundaram
Published Oct 24, 2026 at 6:31 p.m. ET
Chinatown residents file lawsuit against after-hours construction on new 'mega jail'
Residents cite sleep disruption and dust-induced illness from nearly ‘round the clock’ construction.
By
Arya Sundaram
News
Chinatown residents file lawsuit against after-hours construction on new 'mega jail'
Residents cite sleep disruption and dust-induced illness from nearly ‘round the clock’ construction.
By
Arya Sundaram
Peepapalooza: NYC is heading to the Hudson Valley to watch the leaves
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
Sean Carlson
NYPD: Officer shot, injured knife-wielding woman during ‘chaotic’ night at Queens home
By
Ryan Kost
3 slates vying to run Jersey City school board as city stares down major tax hikes
By
Michael Sol Warren
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .