Sherwood timed payments to his former mistress to keep her quiet til after the election

The latest bombshell on the Don Sherwood affair from the Associated Press:

A Republican congressman accused of abusing his ex-mistress agreed to pay her about $500,000 in a settlement last year that contained a powerful incentive for her to keep quiet until after Election Day, a person familiar with the terms of the deal told The Associated Press.

Rep. Don Sherwood is locked in a tight re-election race against a Democratic opponent who has seized on the four-term congressman's relationship with the woman. While Sherwood acknowledged the woman was his mistress, he denied abusing her and said that he had settled her $5.5 million lawsuit on confidential terms.

The settlement, reached in November 2005, called for Cynthia Ore to be paid in installments, according to a person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal is confidential. She has received less than half the money so far, and will not get the rest until after the Nov. 7 election, the person said Thursday.

Sherwood may have succeeded in keeping the young woman quiet, but he is going to lose on November 7th. He is just one face of Republican family values in 2006.

You will recall that the President of the United States did a campaign event with Don Sherwood just a couple weeks ago.