Second Woman Claims Affair With DesJarlais

By Julie Sobel  //  October 28, 2012 | 9:51 a.m.

A second woman has come forward saying she had an affair with Rep. Scott DesJarlais, R-Tenn., while he was her doctor, the Chattanooga Times Free-Press reports.

Earlier this month, the revelation that DesJarlais had an affair with a patient and urged her to get an abortion rocked the sleepy campaign in Tennessee's 4th District, where the freshman incumbent had been heavily favored to win reelection.

The Free-Press, on the latest accusation:

The second woman described DesJarlais as "the nicest guy" and said he cooked dinner for her at their first get-together in 2000.

But she also said they smoked marijuana during their relationship and remembered DesJarlais prescribing her pain medication on dates at his home.

"His biggest thing that's completely unethical is him just picking up women while he's a doctor," the woman said in an interview last week. "I mean, seriously, that's his big no-no. ... He's just a hound."

The woman said the affair lasted six months and included mutual illicit drug use.

"Scott was just a regular guy," she said. "He smoked. I mean, he smoked pot. He [did] all that stuff."

The woman's remarks about marijuana use could not be independently verified.

DesJarlais is a Republican seeking re-election in the 4th District. In a prepared statement Saturday, his campaign did not dispute any specific allegations by the woman, instead condemning "personal smear campaigns that hurt families" and "have no place in politics."

House Majority PAC made a one-week ad buy in Tennessee's 4th District addressing the controversy. Meanwhile, DesJarlais's Democratic opponent, state Sen. Eric Stewart, more than doubled DesJarlais's fundraising haul during the first half of October (though he remained behind in cash on hand), and Stewart aired his own TV ad saying, "National and local headlines tell the story: Congressman Scott DesJarlais let us down." The Democrat has released an internal poll showing him narrowing the gap with DesJarlais to 5 points.

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