Steve Southerland at FBI-Investigated Sea of Galilee Skinny-Dip

When youre up for re-election, this is not the kind of headline you want to find your name under:

Exclusive: FBI probed GOP trip with drinking, nudity in Israel

Politico is reporting that U.S. Rep. Steve Southerland, R-Panama City, was among a group of freshman congressmen who, along with family members and staff members, took time out on a fact-finding mission in Israel a year ago to take a late night dip in the Sea of Galilee, a Christian holy site where Jesus is said to have walked on water.

Many of the lawmakers who ventured into the lake said they did so because of the religious significance of the waters. Others said they were simply cooling off after a long day, Politico reported.

Several privately admitted that alcohol may have played a role in why some of those present decided to jump in.

Neither Southerland nor his then-21-year-old daughter, according to the report, went so far as U.S. Rep. Kevin Yoder, R-Kan., who made the plunge in full skinny-dip mode.

A spokesperson for Southerland was not immediately available Monday.

Southerland is being contested for his seat by former state legislator Al Lawson, a Democrat from Tallahassee.

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