BOISE -- Republican Senator John McGee submitted a letter to resign from the Idaho Legislature on Wednesday, capping off a political free-fall that began last year with a drunken driving arrest.
Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter told The Associated Press that the four-term senator from Caldwell turned in the letter Wednesday morning.
Senate Pro Tem Brent Hill read a prepared statement to the media Wednesday saying that McGee has been accused of sexual harassment by a Senate attaché. Those allegations were brought to his attention last Saturday.
Hill met with McGee and informed him of the allegations, and he told Senate leadership in light of the allegations it would be best for him to resign from the Senate.
Hill said the woman is on paid administrative leave and has been reassigned to another post. He added that it is critical for the all their workers to be in a safe, secure and professional working environment.
The case is now under review by the Idaho Attorney General's Office.
McGee had been the caucus chairman, the fourth ranking post in the Senate.
McGee did not immediately return telephone messages left Wednesday.
Democratic leaders say they were informed of McGee's resignation Wednesday morning, but would not comment on the resignation.
The resignation caps a difficult year for McGee. McGee was arrested on June 19 -- Father's Day. McGee began drinking at a Boise golf tournament, and says he largely blacked out and simply doesn't remember the details of what happened next.
According to police, McGee took a Ford Excursion and cargo trailer from the southwest Boise home of a "complete stranger" and got it stuck in a yard. A breath test showed McGee's blood-alcohol content at nearly twice the legal limit.
Last summer, McGee pleaded guilty to drunken driving in a deal that erased accompanying auto theft charges. He served jail time and paid restitution for a stranger's vehicle that he damaged.
McGee's reputation was further bruised over the summer when the AP reported that despite having a home just 26 miles from the Capitol, he had been claiming a $122 per diem during the Legislature that adds up to some $6,000 annually. The money is meant to defray the cost of a second residence in Boise, but McGee was spending nights at his parents' house in Boise.
Most southwestern Idaho lawmakers claim a $49 per diem.
At the start of the 2012 session, McGee apologized to his colleagues for his actions and survived efforts calling for him to step down from his leadership post.
