President Pro Tem of the Idaho Senate Brent Hill has confirmed to Nate Shelman at KBOI radio this afternoon that a legislative committee is investigating an alleged affair between State Senator Jim Guthrie and State Representative Christy Perry.
Hill says the legislature has an audit department, which is looking to find out whether any public funds were used improperly.
Hill says one of the accusations that has been floating around, is that public money may have been used for trips or other things that may have been inappropriate. Hill tells Shelman he has spoken with Guthrie twice since a blog first made the accusations on Tuesday.
Representative Christy Perry issued a statement on Thursday that she turned to a "friend in the legislature" while "experiencing a profound crisis in my life" aproximately two years ago. Perry admits to a "terrible mistake for which I am truly sorry." She also told the paper she and her husband have been "actively seeking help and guidance for quite some time."
Perry also took aim at the blog which first leaked information about the affair to the public. "Unfortunately, someone has decided to use the past situation to launch a disgustingly brutal attack," Perry said. "Overall, it is NOT accurate and serves no positive purpose in the lives of the families involved or the political arena."
According to Hill, Guthrie does not admit to the affair and attempts to reach the Senator have gone unanswered.
