Indiana Rep. Mark Souder has admitted he maintained a longtime torrid affair with a female aid.  The woman in her mid 40s, identified as Tracy Jackson, worked in his district.  He announced his resignation on Tuesday (May 18).

Tracy Jackson PHOTOS, VIDEO: Mark Souder’s Mistress HERE

He said in remarks obtained by Fox News that he “sinned against God, my wife and my family by having a mutual relationship with a part-time member of my staff.”

“I wish I could have been a better example,” he was to say. “In this poisonous environment of Washington, D.C., any personal failing is seized upon, often twisted, for political gain. I am resigning rather than to put my family through that painful, drawn-out process. … We are a committed family but the error is mine and I should bear the responsibility. Not only am I thankful for a loving family but for a loving God.”

“As I leave public office, my plans are focused on repairing my marriage, earning back the trust of my family and my community and renewing my walk with my Lord,” his statement reads.

“It has been all consuming for me to do this job well. … I do not have any sort of ‘normal’ life — for family, for friends, for church, for community. … But I am so ashamed to have hurt those I love. I am so sorry to have let so many friends down.”

The conservative Republican had been rumored to have an affair since 2008, but he had shut down those rumors, calling it “revenge politics at play.”   Souder had been absent last week, reportedly home tending to his ill wife, Diane Souder, with whom he has three grown children and two grandchildren.

Souder’s mistress, Tracy Jackson, who started working for him in December 2004 as a “special assistant, handled communication for the congressman in the district and they frequently travelled together. The 59 year-old had planned to retire at the end of his term and not stand for re-election.