Mike Bennett, Florida State Senator, Caught Looking At Risque Images During Floor Debate On Abortion Bill

UPDATE: Florida State Sen. Mike Bennett is out with a response to a controversy sparked by a video report capturing footage of the Republican lawmaker looking at images of scantily-clad women during a Senate debate over abortion restrictions.

A statement released by Bennett painted the incident as the product of "an innocent act" and blamed the reporter who came out with the story for misconstruing what actually happened:

Last week, during final deliberations on the Senate floor to fulfill my sworn duty to do the people's business, I opened e-mails sent to me and discovered one disturbing and offensive transmission that I immediately moved to the trash.

Unfortunately, this reality was not enough to dissuade an internet-based reporter from taking an innocent act - opening email -- and sensationalizing it into something it never was in an attempt to smear my reputation. As for the reporter, his refusal to let the facts get in the way of a good story speaks for itself.

Nobody is sure how it got there, but it was certainly there -- four bikini-clad women, staring back at Bennett from the computer screen of his state-issued laptop.

Last Thursday, Sunshine State News filmed Bennett opening a page that contained the picture during a floor debate on a controversial abortion bill.

Bennett told the State New that he was just as surprised as anyone:

"I was just sitting there, bored as they were debating the abortion bill," Bennett said. Then, he opened an email, which Bennett says was from a woman "who happens to be a former court administrator."

"I opened it up and said holy [expletive]! What's on my screen? and clicked away from it right away," Bennett told the State News.

Senate spokesperson Jaryn Emhof explained the incident to the State News: "He thought it was an email about an item being debated on the Senate floor. As soon as he realized it wasn't he closed the page."

However Bennett got to the image, in the video he does appear to click away from the page fairly quickly, only to open up another movie clip of what appears to be a dog shaking off after going for a swim.

Bennett ended up voting against the abortion bill, saying that it would only make women "feel more miserable about this tough choice."

WATCH:

Comments

[enlightenedgirl]

09:52 AM on 05/06/2010

Kind of creepy looking at scantily clad women while debating an abortion bill? What other
e-mail does he get from people who have his private e-mail account for work?

He was bored while debating an abortion bill. Even though he says he voted on the side of women's rights don't you think the subject deserves a little more respect to listen? Women's rights are being chiseled away and this guy is checking his e-mail. Brilliant!

[softvoice]

09:23 AM on 05/06/2010

Republican Mike Bennett first says, "last week, during final deliberations on the Senate floor to fulfill my sworn duty to do the people's business," he then goes on to say, "I was just sitting there, bored as they were debating the abortion bill" I guess that high and mighty I'm doing the people's business thing did not last long. He was too bored to pay attention to the debate on Abortion!! Why would an acquaintance of his send him such e-mails in the first place, unless he is in the habit of viewing such things.

[zanzig]

09:22 AM on 05/06/2010

A picture of 4 young women in bikinis is considered "risque", "offensive and disturbing"? Grow up people.

[Truelee]

12:58 PM on 05/08/2010

Republicans don't like lazy government workers wasting taxpayers' money then they get into office and prove it. Bennett is a poster boy for lazy government workers wasting taxpayers' money.

[Joe Bigg]

09:08 AM on 05/06/2010

Give the guy a break, he was just taking a little break from all the hoopla being debated.....Can you blame him? But what was disturbing was him spending more time staring at the Dog than at the women......But, he is a Republican, and you know how freaky those closet folks can be.....

Bow wow....LOL

[ZombyWoof]

07:31 AM on 05/06/2010

Excerpt from, Brown Shoes Don’t Make It by Frank Zappa

A world of secret hungers
Perverting the men who make your laws
Every desire is hidden away
In a draw in a desk by a Naugahyde chair on a rug where they walk and drool,
Past the girls in the office.

We see
in the back
of the city hall mind
a dream
of a girl about 13

Off with her clothes
and into a bed
where she tickles his fancy
all night long.

[BadgersBite]

07:17 AM on 05/06/2010

That is his screen saver not a web page!

[GeneralDisarray]

08:36 AM on 05/06/2010

Maybe watch the video, and read the article. Never said "Web Page".

[BadgersBite]

07:12 AM on 05/07/2010

Maybe get a sense of humor it was a joke...

[ReealOne]

07:08 AM on 05/06/2010

Another "conservative repub christian values" being believing in their motto: "do as I say, not as I do." No one should be surprised that the repubs gets their freak on, any way that they can.

Mike Bennett is ogling that x rated picture like he's never seen a na ked woman before.

I hope that the people of FL take notice of their tax dollars paying the salary + benefits, perks 'n things to a "bored" senator during an important abortion debate:

"I was just sitting there, bored as they were debating the abortion bill," Bennett said

[thinking4]

05:56 AM on 05/06/2010

Our state legislators at work!! Maybe we should check what goes on in all the states. My guess this is not an isolated incident but he got caught.

[gypsysailor]

05:23 AM on 05/06/2010

Mom?

[gypsysailor]

05:22 AM on 05/06/2010

Well it looks like he had both hands on the table top or on the computer. Of course we don't know who or what was under the table. And the young kid with her nipple showing, well she might have passed for 18. Welcome to Florida, please take the next exit to the All You Can Eat Gentleman's Club. No Cover cuz hey-suse luvs ya!

[Sebastien B]

03:25 AM on 05/06/2010

It doesn't quite look like porn but maybe an intro image used as a teaser leading to porn involving the same girls....just seemed to be teenage girls in bikinis (which has its own creep factor in him looking at it).

Also, it doesn't look to me like he's in an email client at the time. Has that claim been verified?

[miamia]

01:50 AM on 05/06/2010

Oh come on...

[chandran007]

11:27 PM on 05/05/2010

This is yellow journalism

[jeanwny]

06:29 PM on 05/05/2010

Didn't "click" it away too quickly did ya Senator?

[proud2bemoderate]

05:45 PM on 05/05/2010

This is porn? A couple of girls with their tops off? Anyways, this is our tax dollars HARD at work.....

[toppermost]

12:28 AM on 05/06/2010

only in Amerika