State Attorney Jeff Ashton admits using Ashley Madison website but won't step down

[mfcorey1]

Jeff Ashton, the state attorney for Orange and Osceola counties, admitted Sunday that he signed up for the Ashley Madison website but said he never had an affair as a result.

"While I indulged my curiosity about the site it never went beyond that," Ashton said at a press conference at an Orange County hotel, at which he apologized for his actions. "These were incredibly stupid choices."


But Ashton added, "No laws were broken" in his use of the website, which has gained more attention in recent days after it was hacked and information about clients became public.

Ashton insisted his visiting the website had no bearing on his job, but he said he did access the site during work hours. He said he would not step down.

Ashton choked up several times during the press conference, usually when speaking about his family and the embarrassment it has caused them.

"Today I'm not very proud of myself."

A spokeswoman for the state attorney said he did not intend to answer further questions about his involvement, saying he was currently involved in a murder trial.

Orange County spokeswoman Doreen Overstreet said that the county has a content filter to block inappropriate websites.

"However, Mayor Teresa Jacobs has asked our Information Systems & Services team to conduct a complete review of the database to be sure that no employee has used taxpayer time or resources to access this site," Overstreet said.
.

Ashley Madison is a brand of Avid Life Media Inc. According to the website, “Ashley Madison is the world’s largest website for married men and women looking to have a discreet affair.” The website has a membership spanning 46 countries, according to Avid Life Media Inc. Other sites promoted on that Avid Life page include CougarLife.com, and EstablishedMen.com.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/os-jeff-ashton-ashley-madison-20150823-story.html

[DrDan]

1. always liked him after his Casey Anthony prosecution

won't play well in Orange County

[DirkGently]

2. He made his nut prosecuting Casey Anthony.

And beat a perfectly decent long-term Dem State Attorney to gain office.

I didn't like the way he prosecuted that case and don't care for his policies since. First order of business was shutting down a task force dedicated to policing public corruption.

Up to the voters how they feel about this, but I won't miss him if he steps down or loses at the polls next time.

[joeybee12]

3. If he didn't use company time or resources...

It's between him and his family...

[DirkGently]

4. He did do it on taxpayer time.

The IP addresses come back to the 9th District office where he works.

http://eastorlandopost.com/state-attorney-jeff-ashton-exposed-paid-ashley-madison-member

[muriel_volestrangler]

9. That doesn't necessarily mean 'on taxpayer time'

I presume he gets lunch breaks, for instance. If you're being really petty, it was using taxpayer money for the extra electricity.

Having an affair is not, in itself, a resignation matter in most jobs. I haven't seen any decent argument yet that this case merits a resignation either. It's not about laws.

[DirkGently]

10. Good point. He may have just been cruising for sex at lunch.

At his State Attorney job as the top elected law enforcement official for the state of Florida.

The question raised was whether he was using state time or resources.

Speaking of petty distinctions.

[muriel_volestrangler]

11. True, but you dropped the 'resources' in your post

so it seemed to be only 'time' you were concerned with.

Yes, he may have just been cruising for sex at lunch, which I wouldn't expect someone to resign over. His wife may want a divorce, but that's a different matter. This is 2015, not 1955. I didn't think Paddy Ashdown should have resigned as Lib Dem leader in the UK when it was revealed he had an affair, for instance (it turned out his constituency electorate and party didn't care, either). Nor did I think President Clinton should have resigned.

[DirkGently]

12. He got into office on judgmental attitudes about sex.

He prosecuted a woman for capital murder of her own child with no motive, no past history of abuse, no cause of death; no timeline.

He got the profile that propelled him into office largely on the public's distaste for a single mother who was deemed to have been too partying too much while her child was missing. Her tattoo. A supposed wet T-shirt contest. Take away the rabid public slut shaming, and he'd be just another retired prosector.

Once he got into office, he dismantled the units for investigating public corruption and domestic violence.

So while I agree no one's private sexual activities should be fodder for public judgment, I do find it ironic that his personal ethical conduct in this area is being argued to be irrelevant and no big deal.

[muriel_volestrangler]

14. It's up to the electorate if he stands again

They can decide if they elected him primarily for reasons of sexual morality.

[DirkGently]

15. Or whether sauce for the goose

... is good for the gander.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

5. "I didn't inhale."

"While I indulged my curiosity about the site it never went beyond that," Ashton said

There's always an excuse.

But Ashton added, "No laws were broken"

And as long as 'no laws were broken', who cares about the sleazy actions politicians get up to when they're supposed to be working for the public?

[TheCowsCameHome]

6. Undercover work, or trying to get under the covers?

[DirkGently]

7. Not undercover work. He just held a press conference.

Said he didn't follow through because he couldn't do that to his wife.

There is some irony here, in that a lot of the public opinion against Casey Anthony centered on disapproval that she got a tattoo and did a wet T-shirt contest or some such while her child was missing. Lot of "slut shaming" type commentary on the local news sites.

Whether he meant to or not, he traded on a lot of judgment over a single mother's "private behavior" in raising his profile for his run for office, which was seemingly planned by the time he took on the case. His resignation, book, and campaign followed immediately.

[TheCowsCameHome]

8. Nobody will believe him, anyway

It's like looking at porn videos and saying "No harm done, I only used one eye"

[Kingofalldems]

13. Maybe he didn't have an affair because the membership

is 86% male.

[DirkGently]

16. Uh oh. Now it's "Adult Friend Finder" and a female partner.

The same website / blogger has now rolled out allegations Ashton was also on Adult Friend Finder, with a female partner, looking for group stuff.

http://eastorlandopost.com/jeff-ashton-suspected-having-adult-friend-finder-account-new-information-suggests


As noted, I do not like this Dem's professional policies or the way he prosecuted the high-profile case that put him in office.

Besides demolishing the public corruption and domestic violence task forces, he delivered the gentlest of wrist slaps for a cadre of Republicans on the local county commission, when they were caught texting with Disney lobbyists in a scheme to keep an earned sick leave initiative off the ballot. Which they did, and which a court found was illegal -- after it was too late to get it on the ballot.

Several of them conveniently "lost" their phones or deleted mountains of texts, and I believe he let them off with $500 fines. Five hundred dollars, for illegal subversion of the county charter and deliberate destruction of government communications.

I also do not care for the orchestrated appearance of this story. The news source for this is a local political operative, and it looks like someone -- presumably local Republicans (???) -- got wind of these activities and is / are looking to take him down.

Nevertheless, leading this kind of secret private life is potentially problematic for someone as powerful as a State Attorney. He could have been blackmailed. Now I wonder if maybe he was, prior to this?

It could explain the bizarre dismissal of the quite serious corruption on the County Commission. Perhaps he refused to accede to further pressure from local Republicans who had this in their hip pocket.

Yuck.