Democratic congressman David Wu is accused of "aggressive and unwanted sexual behavior" by "the daughter of a longtime friend and campaign donor."

This is a strange story, because there is no report to the police. We're told of a "distraught" message left on the phone machine at Wu's Portland office, and we're not told how old this "young woman" is. Was she underage? Wu acknowledges what the article refers to as an "encounter," but says it was consensual.

Reporters could not verify the young woman's age. Notes on Facebook over the past 18 months indicate she graduated from high school in 2010. California records show she registered to vote in August.

So, she's above the age of consent. Since when do breathless messages on answering machines get reported in the newspaper? The newspaper — The Oregonian — continues:

The alleged incident raises new questions about Wu's behavior during the 1st District congressman's re-election campaign last year...

At this point, we hear about "erratic" behavior that doesn't ostensibly involve sex. What exactly are the "new questions"? This is a cheap and ridiculous article in my view. A woman who is unhappy with her sexual relationship with Wu has called his office but has not called the police, and now we're supposed to review everything else we know about him in some new context? Is this the way we are to do politics in America now?

Note that the woman who has brought this chaos into Wu's career is shielded by the newspaper's policy not to "use the names of victims of sexual assault without their permission." That's convenient. I think if you are going to have a policy like that, you should not report at all unless the alleged victim has reported a crime to the police. It's not fair.