WASHINGTON - Rep. Vance McAllister, the married, freshman lawmaker who is captured on video making out with his district scheduler, asks for forgiveness and privacy as he owned up to kissing his staffer.

"There's no doubt I've fallen short and I'm asking for forgiveness," McAllister, R-La., said in a statement today. "I'm asking for forgiveness from God, my wife, my kids, my staff, and my constituents who elected me to serve."

The incident, which was captured on surveillance video, occurred on Dec. 23, 2013, inside McAllister's congressional office, about a month after he took office. The woman who McAllister was seen smooching with for about 30 seconds is Melissa Anne Hixon Peacock, 33, who is also married.

"Trust is something I know has to be earned whether your [sic] a husband, a father, or a congressman," he continued. "I promise to do everything I can to earn back the trust of everyone I've disappointed."

McAllister, who won a special election last fall to succeed Rep. Rodney Alexander, wrote that he has "always tried to be an honest man" and ran for Congress "to make a difference and not to just be another politician." He was endorsed by "Duck Dynasty" stars Phil and Willie Robertson and had never been to Washington, D.C. before he traveled here to take the oath of office.

Now, about four months later, he is trying to repair the damage he has done to his wife after 16 years of marriage.

"I don't want to make a political statement on this, I would just simply like to say that I'm very sorry for what I've done," he concluded. "While I realize I serve the public, I would appreciate the privacy given to my children as we get through this."

McAllister, along with 35 of his colleagues, did not show up for votes this evening in the House of Representatives. There was also no sign of McAllister at his office.

New revelations of the congressman's affair were first reported by The Ouachita Citizen.