WELLINGTON, New Zealand—A respected politician in New Zealand is under fire for purchasing porn movies in hotel rooms on his government credit card. Labour list MP Shane Jones denied that he purchased said movies for two years until finally admitting it yesterday.
Jones charged up to 50 adult movies to the government’s card while staying at various hotels on ministerial business—although he repaid the purchases.
The former Building and Construction Minister is facing demotion in certain caucuses that his party holds, if he survives in the court of public opinion.
"The reality is it damages my credibility," Jones told the New Zealand Herald. “[The public] will say that Shane has dug a hole for himself and that hole may very well prove to be his grave.
"Whether it's fatally injured me as a politician, I'll dwell upon that ... I don't make those decisions in the heat of humiliation."
Jones initially denied the charges yesterday claiming that he couldn’t recall if the movies he watched were pornographic. After being confronted by evidence from reporters Jones finally fessed up.
Acting Labour leader Annette King said that she wouldn’t judge Jones for what he did in the privacy of his own room, but that he had disappointed her and the taxpayers.
