Star Trek Actress's Divorce papers cause a political storm

Scruff

From todays Irish Independent:

Republican sex scandal shocks White House

A POLITICAL sex scandal involving a television star, a Republican candidate and their X-rated divorce papers sent shockwaves all the way to the White House yesterday.

Jack Ryan, the Republican candidate in this November's close Illinois Senate race, last night faced calls from within his own party to quit after allegations by his ex-wife that he took her to strip clubs and pressured her to have sex in front of strangers.*

The allegations, contained in documents from the couple's bitter custody battle four years ago, caused an immediate sensation in Illinois. But senior Republicans in Washington were acutely aware that the scandal could conceivably help to hand control of the Senate back to the Democrats in November.

Mr Ryan, a millionaire businessman, is in a fight to fill the Senate seat being vacated by Peter Fitzgerald, a Republican who announced his retirement this year.

Democrats need only to gain two Senate seats in November's election to retake control of the chamber.

Mr Ryan, 44, was married to the television actress Jeri Lynn Ryan, whose career highlight was the starring role of the Borg crew member Seven of Nine in Star Trek: Voyager. The divorce documents were released on Monday. (© The Times, London)

Tim Reid
In Washington

*Wouldnt have minded seeing her in that performance!!

bizmark

The allegations, contained in documents from the couple's bitter custody battle four years ago

She more than likely made it all up to get the kids tbh

Scruff

seems likely alright, tho even if he did she didnt partake anyway. boooo!!

By Maura Kelly Lannan
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

CHICAGO — Republican Senate candidate Jack Ryan pressured his wife, actress Jeri Lynn Ryan, to have sex in clubs while others watched, she charged in divorce documents released Monday.

The Boston Public and Star Trek: Voyager actress said she angered Ryan by refusing. She did acknowledge infidelity on her part, which she said took place after their marriage was irretrievably broken.

In the documents Ryan denied the allegations, saying he had been "faithful and loyal" to his wife.

In a news conference held after the documents were released, Ryan repeatedly refused to comment on the allegations, saying his response in the court papers spoke for itself and that he would not discuss them again.

"It's not helpful for my son or for she or me to reopen this allegations," Ryan said. "I am sticking by the exact things I said five years ago."

While Ryan has spent time in recent days attempting to shore up support among the party leadership, one Republican member of the Illinois delegation called for Ryan to withdraw as a candidate.

Ray LaHood, R-Peoria, said Ryan needs to quit the campaign for the good of himself, his family and his party.

"There's no way the people of Illinois are going to countenance this behavior from a Senate candidate from the Republican Party," LaHood said.

Ryan said he had no plans to withdraw.

"My intention is to stay in the race," he said.

Jeri Lynn Ryan charged during a custody hearing that Ryan took her on surprise trips to New Orleans, New York and Paris in 1998, and that he insisted she go to sex clubs with him on each trip.

She said that after going out to dinner with Ryan in New York, he demanded that she go to a club with him.

"It was a bizarre club with cages, whips and other apparatus hanging from the ceiling," she said. She said Ryan asked her to perform a sexual act while others watched, and she refused.

She said they left and Ryan apologized to her and said it was out of his system. But then, she said, he took her to Paris and again took her to a sex club.

She said she cried and became physically ill at the club, and her husband got angry with her. She said she could never get over that incident.

She also accuses him in the papers of being controlling and lying repeatedly throughout the proceedings.

"I did arrange romantic getaways for us, but that did not include the type of activity she described," Ryan said in the papers. "We did go to one avant-garde nightclub in Paris which was more than either one of us felt comfortable with. We left and vowed never to return," he told the court.

He said he felt bad for their son that she would falsely accuse him and said she said she knew he had political aspirations.

In a statement released Monday evening, Jeri Lynn Ryan made no mention of the allegations, but said she now considered Ryan a good man and loving father.

Judge Robert Schnider of Superior Court in Los Angeles ordered Friday the unsealing of portions of the records.

The two had vigorously fought the public disclosure of the files since before Jack Ryan's win in the March 16 Republican primary. They have argued making them public would be harmful to their 9-year-old son, Alex.

The Ryans said they were "disturbed and angered" by the decision but decided not to appeal.

Ryan had repeatedly assured GOP leaders the files contain nothing embarrassing enough to torpedo his bid for the Senate against Democrat Barack Obama.

Rumors about the documents' contents have been circulating since before the March 16 primary. Some of his GOP opponents raised them as an issue in that campaign, but Ryan won the primary handily.

Schnider said making the records public would prove harmful to the Ryans' son, and could prove embarrassing to the former investment banker and teacher. But he said the public deserved to know the contents

A Chicago newspaper and a television station sued to have the documents released.

Fuhrio

wow ive never not cared about something as much...



although i did think that seven was a bit kinky, methinks they both wanted to do it in rfont of strangers.......:rolleyes: