GOP lawmaker accused of having man arrested so he could continue affair with his estranged wife

A South Carolina real estate developer accused a Republican congressman of abusing his power to continue an affair with his estranged wife.

Rep. William Timmons (R-SC) recently went on conservative talk radio this week to address claims by developer Ron Rallis, who said the lawmaker influenced police and judges to have him arrested and jailed on a kidnapping charge to further an affair with his estranged wife, socialite Paula Dhier, reported the Post and Courier.

“My wife and I do not comment on our personal lives because they’re private, and they should remain that way,” Timmons told 106.3 WORD’s The Tara Show. “That said, we are experiencing challenges. We’re going through a difficult time. I regret anything I’ve ever done to let her down.”

Rallis posted on Instagram that he spent months wearing an ankle monitor and was separated from his young daughter before the charge was expunged, but Timmons denied the developer's claims and rejected allegations about "sex parties."

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“This has been a distraction,” Timmons told 94.5′s Morning Answer show. “I apologize my personal life is being made into a distraction, but we’re focused. We’re going to stay focused, and we’re going to keep America first, and we’re going to do everything we can to get this country back on track.”

Timmons, who drew Donald Trump's endorsement in his June 14 GOP primary, is an attorney and the owner of the Swamp Rabbit CrossFit gym at Unity Park, said he would continue his campaign for a third term after avoiding a runoff against three Republican opponents.

Rallis has offered to pay anyone who can provide compromising photos of Timmons, who said he would not sue a “gossip blog in Columbia” that first publicized the allegations against the GOP candidate who campaigns on conservative family values.