Neither Deceit Nor Disgrace Keeps Mahoney From DC

November 18, 2008— -- Unbowed by the sex scandal that led to his disgrace and reelection defeat, Congressman Tim Mahoney (D-Fla.) showed up today at a hearing of the House Financial Services Committee where Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke addressed problems with the $700 billion bailout program.

Current and former aides to Mahoney told ABCNews.com that both his own staff and Committee staff strongly urged Mahoney not to appear but, when he insisted, said he should not ask questions.

"Someone didn't get the memo that he wasn't re-elected," said one of Mahoney's staff members, who spoke to ABCNews.com on the condition of anonymity. The staff member said the Congressman's staff was stunned when Mahoney informed them he wanted to come to Washington and seek a private meeting with House Financial Services Chairman Congressman Barney Frank to offer his advice on what to do about the nation's economic problems.

"I'm still a Congressman with a job to do, and I intend to ride this out," Mahoney told ABCNews.com as he left the hearing room.

Mahoney's spokesperson had no comment.

Mahoney himself asked the House Ethics Committee to investigate him, but he said he had not heard anything about the status of the investigation since he made the request in October following an ABCNews.com report on his affairs.

After ABCNews.com's "The Blotter" broke the news, Mahoney admitted to secretly paying a former mistress and campaign staffer, Patricia Allen, to prevent a sexual harassment lawsuit as well as helping lobby for federal funds for another county official with whom he was having an affair.

"Let me just be explicit that I am admitting to it...to having affairs," Mahoney said in an interview with reporter Terri Parker at WPBF News 25, ABC News' affiliate in West Palm Beach. "My personal behavior has been unacceptable."

Click Here for the Investigative Homepage.