Mariam Zuhaib/AP
A tale as old as time is playing out yet again: A politician who promotes the importance of family has abandoned them.
This time, it appears to be US Rep. Jeff Duncan, a Republican in South Carolina. Duncan's wife, Melody Duncan, filed for divorce last week, citing her husband's multiple affairs.
Melody Duncan, his wife of more than 30 years and mother to his three sons, accused her husband of at least two affairs in the divorce filing, which was first obtained and published by the Index-Journal, a local newspaper in Greenwood.
Duncan has been in office for 13 years and has long advocated for conservative Christian values.
"As a life-long social conservative, I am a strong advocate for life and traditional family values," Duncan writes on his website. Accompanying the post is a stock image of the Holy Bible, a book famous for its views on infidelity.
He then pledges himself to the anti-abortion cause: "The most basic component of our society is the family."
The family, plus a few mistresses, it would seem.
The divorce filing described Melody Duncan as a "dutiful wife" who "wholeheartedly supported" Duncan in his career. It cites a political event last month where Duncan echoed his wife's sentiment.
At a "Faith and Freedom BBQ" on August 28, Duncan described his wife as "supportive and loving" while portraying himself as a "dedicated, dutiful husband," according to the divorce filing. Duncan then "left the next day and went directly" to the home of his mistress, it says.
Melody Duncan also says that her husband admitted his affair to their sons and congressional staffers, adding that she believes he has had at least one other affair.
A request for comment made to Melody Duncan's attorney, Susan R. Strom, was not immediately returned on Sunday, nor was a request made to Duncan's office.
