Jesse Ryan Loskarn of Washington, D.C. was arrested by the US Postal Inspection Service.
US Senator Lamar Alexander has fired his chief of staff after the top GOP Senate staffer was arrested and went under an investigation involving alleged child pornography.
Jesse Ryan Loskarn of Washington, D.C. was arrested �œby the US Postal Inspection Service based on probable cause for possession and distribution of child pornography charges,” said Justice Department spokesperson Peter Carr, according to Talking Points Memo. �œHe remains in custody pending a court hearing that is expected to be scheduled for tomorrow at the federal courthouse in Washington, D.C.”
Senator Alexander, who is facing re-election next year, said in a statement on Wednesday: �œI am stunned, surprised and disappointed by what I have learned.”
�œThe courts will judge Mr. Loskarn�™s guilt or innocence, but under these circumstances, he cannot continue to fulfill his duties as chief of staff of this office. Therefore, as of today, I have removed him from the payroll,” the statement said, according to NBC News.
The senator said his office �œis fully cooperating with the investigation.”
Before running Senator Alexander�™s office, Loskarn, who was named to Roll Call�™s Fabulous 50 list, was described by the organization as �œone of the Senate GOP�™s top strategists and aides,” and �œa fixture in the House and Senate for most of the past decade.”
Loskarn, who had also worked for Reps. Wally Herger (R-Calif.), Marsha Blackburn(R-Tenn.), and the House Rules Committee, has �œearned $169,000 a year supporting Senate leadership,” according to NBC�™s Scott MacFarlane.
Alexander’s legislative director, David Cleary, was promoted to the key position.
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Source: Press TV