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A little over a year after U.S. congressman William Timmons saw his marriage implode over an extramarital affair – an implosion which is ongoing, incidentally – another socially conservative member of the South Carolina congressional delegation is facing allegations of infidelity.
According to a compliant filed on Friday in Laurens County, S.C., Melody Hodges Duncan – wife of seventh-term U.S. congressman Jeff Duncan – is suing her husband for divorce on grounds of “adultery” related to an alleged affair with a Washington, D.C. lobbyist.
Jeff Duncan has “left the marriage” of thirty-five years, according to the filing (.pdf), and has allegedly “admitted to … an ongoing sexual relationship” with a lobbyist named Liz Williams. This news outlet has confirmed the woman referenced in the complaint is Jackson, Mississippi native and former National Rifle Association (NRA) lobbyist Liz Williams.
According to Melody Duncan, her husband “has committed adultery during the course of the parties’ marriage with Liz Williams and at least one other woman.”
The other “other woman” was not named in the complaint.
(Click to View)
Why is this newsworthy? Doesn’t our media outlet have a long-established, widely known policy of not reporting on the interpersonal extracurriculars of Palmetto State politicians?
Yes …
Generally speaking, unless an elected or appointed official is engaged in criminal activity during the course of an affair, using government money or resources in the furtherance of an affair or making official decisions (promotions, appointments, pay raises) based on an affair … I do not care who they are sleeping with.
Williams’ status as a lobbyist could push up against that red line … but probably wouldn’t cross it.
There are other factors to consider, though. The other possible “angle” compelling coverage of such dalliances is the existence of what I’ve previously referred to as a “demonstrable associated hypocrisy” – i.e. when an official campaigns as a pro-family, social conservative or endorses government as an instrument of morality (but then turns around and behaves explicitly counter to these stated principles).
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The filing against Jeff Duncan makes it abundantly clear that his wife believes he is a hypocrite as it relates to the disconnect between his public and private lives – having conducted his alleged affairs despite running for election “with the support of his wife and sons on a platform of family values.”
“As recently as August 28, 2023, defendant hosted a ‘Faith and Freedom BBQ’ where he spoke to the crowd, among other things, about his marriage to (Melody) – calling her a supportive and loving wife and portraying an image of himself as a dedicated, dutiful husband,” the complaint alleged. “Upon information and belief, (Jeff Duncan) then left the next day and went directly to the home of his paramour, Liz Williams, in the Washington, D.C. area.”
According to the filing, Duncan is now “presenting a false narrative of a loveless marriage to (Melody) to justify the hypocrisy of his public statements and his private actions.”
Melody Duncan’s filing sought exclusive use and possession of the couple’s “former marital residence,” with the congressman obligated to be “solely responsible” for all costs associated with that residence. She also asked the court for sixty percent of the “marital estate” as well as attorney’s costs and fees.
(Click to View)
Finally, Melody Duncan asked the court for an order restraining the congressman “from contacting, bothering , harassing, or in any way interfering with (her) in person, by phone, internet/ email, text messages, mail or through third parties.”
Melody Duncan is represented in the case by attorneys Susan Rawls Strom and Patricia West Morr of the Strom Family Law Firm. It is not immediately clear who is representing Duncan.
Neither Melody Duncan nor her attorneys were immediately available to respond to comment regarding the filing. Duncan’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Certainly in the event we receive comments from the parties associated with this action, we will update this report and/ or provide supplemental coverage.
Jeff Duncan, 57, of Greenville, S.C. was first elected to the U.S. Congress in 2011 – replacing former representative Gresham Barrett. In the intervening years, he has been a generally reliable conservative vote – as well as a pro-free market leader on energy issues.
Earlier this year, in fact, our media outlet praised Duncan for his work on a key pipeline issue.
“Duncan is the politician driving the Palmetto State’s energy policy debate – with a seat at the table in Washington, D.C. and at all the key meetings back home,” we noted in a recent edition of our Palmetto Political Stock Index.
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THE FILING …
(Via: S.C. Eighth Judicial Circuit)
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and seven (soon to be eight) children.
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11 comments
Republicans really need to fix themselves. So many GOP baby daddies leaving their partners and generating single mothers, it’s the death of the nuclear family, it’s hurting generations of conservative kids. Why can’t these right wing men stop being so promiscuous, stay with their woman and raise their children like responsible people do? This is clearly a cultural issue they need to address.
“Right wing men”?!?
Hold my weed vape while I jerk off this Democrat I’m on my first date with in a theater full of people.
Did I mention I’m a 36 year old Grandma?
Didn’t Will Folks brag about having an affair with a married Nikki Haley?
Didn’t he plead guilty to Criminal Domestic Violence?
So this blog is the paragon of….LOL…Christian Values?
Y’all sure are a deluded bunch of deviants over their in MAGA land.
Did he offer to perform sex acts on the net in return for donations to his campaign? Wait, now I remember. It was Susanna Gibson, the Dem from Virginia. Well at least it was with her own husband.
Sex acts with her husband?! Who would do such a thing?!
none of this is NEWS …mudslinging / slander you all should be ashamed of yourselves but you wont be but if you want to sling mud sling it at Hunter Biden for screwing his dead brothers wife and diddling his niece………now that is disgusting.
You do no one any favors when you play this “I know you are but what am I” game. Don’t point fingers at this person, who is behaving badly, because WAAAAAAAAAAA Biden this or that. Someone please get this baby his or her binky and stop the whining.
Complain about whichever Biden you want independently – but don’t throw that nonsense up everytime one of your own is caught being a dick. It’s extremely unbecoming.
The difference between Jeff Duncan and Hunter Biden is that Hunter doesn’t go around spouting “faith and family values”–everyone (including his dad) knows he’s a ne’er-do-well, and Hunter does’t pretend otherwise. He loves guns, drugs, and pussy. Jeff Duncan, on the other hand, like so many other phony baloney “Christian” GOPers, is a filthy hypocrite, who poses as holy and righteous while getting some trim. Jesus called these kinds of people “whited sephulcres”–shiny on the outside, rotten within.
So much for your whataboutism, Whisky Tango.
Here’s an idea…Vote Jeff Duncan OUT of office. That’s what I’ll do.
Republican Family values. We have to love them. We have 6 Republican Republican Representatives. 2 are currently involved in extramarital affairs. A third has been married and divorced twice and now has a live-in lover; and we all know about our former Republican representative, godly Mark. Of course, our 2 Senators would never be involved in these shenanigans. In fact, to protect their reputation, they are never even seen with women.
What a bunch of worthless hypocrites.
Worthless piece of crap Jeff Duncan. Sorry man that would run around on his wife and and kids and has no respect for his marriage has no place in office when he is fake to his family and lied and hurt them. Jeff I hope you get what is coming to you. First off you are not good looking so have you ever thought what a younger woman would want with you other than prestige. Look in the mirror Jeff. God bless you Melody and kids and I sure hope you stick it to him. I will vote democrat before I would ever vote for Jeff Duncan ever again due to him being sorry as hell.