Pennsylvania's GOP Chair Resigns After Dick Pic Surfaces
Val DiGiorgio tendered his resignation in just two hours after the 'dick pic' became public.
Val DiGiorgio tendered his resignation in just two hours after the 'dick pic' became public, in what must be a record for a Republican.
The Inquirer's story has extensive background and is quite detailed if you really want to wade into the sordid details. DiGiorgio is married (of course) and has five children with his wife Carolina.
For his part, DiGiorgio offered an apology, of sorts, later in the day for "this unfortunate distraction".
DiGiorgio, a Chester County lawyer, also wrote that “the attempt to represent these communications as anything other than [consensual] came only after I declined to support her candidacy and take sides in the party primary.” He added: “I intend to vigorously defend myself against these assertions and protect my family, my colleagues, and the party from this private matter. I extend my deepest apologies to my family and colleagues for this unfortunate distraction.”
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer
Irina Goldstein says she didn’t immediately recognize the man who sent her a Facebook friend request in October, after she had commented on a group photo that included him.
That man was Valentino DiGiorgio III, the South Philadelphia-born chairman of the Pennsylvania Republican Party.
“I’m running for City Council,” she messaged him when she realized who he was. “Next time you’re in Philly, I’d be honored to buy you coffee.”
That began a barrage of messages over two days, Goldstein said, that swung from her seeking his advice and support to flirtation and then sexually charged exchanges that included DiGiorgio’s sending her a photo of an erect penis.
In her messages to him, Goldstein at times either referenced or explicitly cited sex acts. After the photo, she continued to correspond with DiGiorgio for more than four months, seeking help with her candidacy.
Still, she said, she grew embarrassed and unsettled by the exchanges, reviewed by The Inquirer, because DiGiorgio had “the upper hand” in their dynamic. They finally stopped communicating in February, after a written exchange in which she told him his messages amounted to his “sexually harassing” her.