Husband in the Vance McAllister Kissing Scandal Says the Congressman Faked Piety for Votes

When you're a married, newly-elected Congressman who ran on a conservative Christian values platform, it's not a good idea to get caught kissing someone who isn't your wife.

When you're a married, newly-elected congressman who ran on a conservative Christian values platform, it's not a good idea to get caught kissing someone who isn't your spouse. But if you do end up in that situation, at least make sure the paramour is not the wife of one of your oldest acquaintances. That, at least, is the lesson Republican Rep. Vance McAllister is learning today, after the husband of former McAllister staffer Melissa Peacock spoke to CNN about the ordeal. “He has wrecked my life,” Heath Peacock said, adding that he and his wife are “headed for divorce.”

But one of his more interesting statements comes from Heath's longtime association with McAllister. The two went to high school together and worked with each other for years — the Peacocks donated thousands of dollars to McAllister's run for the House last year. Basically, Peacock accuses his now ex-friend of faking his religious devotion (a key refrain in his campaign) in order to win votes in his conservative Louisiana district:

"I know his beliefs. When he ran one of his commercials, he said ‘I need your prayers,’ and I asked, ‘When did you get religious?’ He said, ‘When I needed votes,’” Peacock recalled. “He broke out the religious card and he’s about the most non-religious person I know.”

Here, for reference, is one of McAllister's ads:

In the interview, Peacock also said that he was "just freaking devastated by the whole deal." He went on: "I cannot believe this. I cannot freaking believe it. I feel like I’m going to wake up here in a minute and this is all going to be a bad nightmare." Gawker published a series of text messages that they claim are from McAllister, during which he said that Heath "doesn't want to talk to me and I understand." McAllister  has admitted to and apologized for the indiscretion, which was caught on a security video at his Monroe district offices. The video was leaked to a local paper, who identified McAllister and his aide. As of now, he has said that he has no intention to resign.