Nation IN BRIEF : OREGON : Rep. Cooley’s Ex-Wife Brands Him a Liar

A congressman accused of lying about his past once boasted he was a government “hit man” who killed people with piano wire, a former wife of nearly 20 years says. Beverly Charbonneau told the Oregonian in a published interview that Rep. Wes Cooley (R-Ore.) falsely boasted at parties of having ties to a shadowy secret agency that “could make things happen to people.” Born Wester Shadric Cooley in Los Angeles, the freshman Republican who represents Oregon’s 2nd Congressional District is facing allegations that he lied about his second marriage, his educational background and his military record.