Walter Jones, Congressman from North Carolina’s 3rd district for the past 20 years, in a letter to Cathy McMorris Rodgers, chairwoman of the House Republican Conference, called on candidates for leadership to withdraw if aware of “any misdeeds” likely to embarrass the House. His office characterized these “misdeeds” as “moral turpitude issues,” but he seemed to have marital infidelity particularly in mind. Two days later, Kevin McCarthy withdrew from the Speaker’s race. Good for Jones. Why shouldn’t the Republican Speaker of the House be held to a standard of marital fidelity? The old bromide is that personal behavior has nothing
