POLS WITH BENEFITS

Rep. Wu Eligible for $1M Pension

After resigning because of sex scandal.

He may forever be remembered as the man in the tiger suit, but it looks like there's a plus side to Rep. David Wu's sex scandal. The National Taxpayers Union has determined that the former congressman—who was first elected in 1998—could qualify for a pension worth roughly $851,000 over his lifetime, in addition to $213,855 in benefits from his federal Thrift Savings Plan. If he wants to receive early payments, he could immediately take out $23,871 on his pension. But if he waits six more years, his annual pension would be 30 percent greater. Whether or not Wu takes the money now or later, he said in his resignation announcement that his first priority is to take care of his family while fighting allegations of an "unwanted sexual encounter" with an 18-year-old woman.