DA Who Wrote Amorous E-Mail Won’t Run for Re-Election

The most powerful prosecutor in Texas has decided he won’t run for re-election in what appeared to be a last-minute deal with political leaders, the New York Times reports.

District Attorney Charles Rosenthal of Harris County withdrew his name yesterday after the disclosure last week of intimate e-mail exchanges with a secretary, the Houston Chronicle reports.

Rosenthal admitted he had an affair with the secretary while married to his first wife. “The very next time I see you, I want to kiss you behind your right ear,” one of the messages read.

Rosenthal was fighting to keep the messages sealed. They were disclosed by mistake in a lawsuit that claims Rosenthal failed to investigate complaints of abuse by sheriff’s deputies. A judge in the case has scheduled a hearing to find out why more than 2,000 other e-mails were deleted.