Republican candidate Frank Lasee faces questions about whether he lives in the district of Rep. Reid Ribble, left, who is retiring, or Speaker Paul D. Ryan, who isn't. (Scott J. Ferrell/CQ Roll Call) 
 
 Note to congressional hopefuls: If you are trying to prove residency in a district, it might not be a good idea to advertise that residence on Airbnb. 
 
 Especially if you also own a much nicer house in a district that would force you to run against a crazy popular incumbent like House Speaker Paul D. Ryan . 
 
 Case in point: Wisconsin Republican Frank Lasee is facing questions in his home state about whether he actually lives in the two-bedroom, "luxury apartment," he was advertising for rent until recently for $210 a night on Airbnb.com, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Saturday. 
 
 Lasee, a state senator, is one of two candidates vying for Republican Rep. Reid Ribble's soon-to-be vacant 8th District seat in an election expected to favor the GOP nominee . His wife own a home in Racine — in Ryan's home district — assessed at $262,000, the paper reported. 
 
 [Related: Ribble Retirment Creates Vulnerable GOP Open Seat] Reporters at the Journal Sentinel thought the arrangement was curious enough that they tried to book Lasee's apartment for one day last month, prompting a reply from Lasee's wife, Amy Joy Lasee, who wanted to know who they were and why they wanted the apartment, the paper reported. She then denied the request. 
 
 Not long after that, local conservative talk radio host Jerry Bader brought up the listing , noting that the available dates had recently been limited to weekends of Green Bay Packers home games. 
 
 "Your story is hard to swallow," Bader said, addressing the senator. 
 
 Then the listing disappeared. 
 
 Lasee at first declined to explain to Journal Sentinel reporters why the couple removed the listing. "Because we wanted to," he told the paper. He then said they didn't want "everyone in the world looking at it." 
 
 He went on to say he had a "crazy living arrangement," in which he lived most of the time at the apartment but occasionally stayed at the Racine house. 
 
 Lasee said Democrats had filed a complaint about his residence with the state Government Accountability Board during a previous election, and the board had dismissed the complaint after he produced a 2011 lease — which, the paper pointed out, said that Lasee and his wife were occupants of the apartment and they were not allowed to sublease without the owners' consent. 
 
 [Related: State Senator Likely to Run for Wisconsin Senate] Lasee also speculated in the interview that backers of his primary opponent were the ones bringing up the issue this time. 
 
 "It's a campaign issue," he told the paper. 
 
 Get breaking news alerts and more from Roll Call on your iPhone or your Android. ||||| State Sen. Frank Lasee (R-De Pere) lists a condo he owns in a building in De Pere as his voting address. But until recently, Lasee’s condo was available for anyone to rent at anytime through the popular online lodging website Airbnb.com. Credit: Mark Hoffman 
 
 Daniel Bice No Quarter SHARE State Sen. Frank Lasee’s name is listed on an apartment building in De Pere. The unit has been available for rent on Airbnb. Mark Hoffman Frank Lasee 
 
 We know where state Sen. Frank Lasee wants to go. 
 
 The veteran Republican legislator wants to go to Congress. 
 
 But this is what we don't know: Where he actually calls home. 
 
 He says he lives in De Pere, which is located in his Senate district and the congressional one he soon hopes to represent. But the facts raise serious questions about that. 
 
 Consider this: 
 
 Lasee does rent an apartment in a small complex on Swan Road in De Pere. He is one of two GOP candidates vying for U.S. Rep. Reid Ribble's soon-to-be vacant seat. 
 
 But until just the other day, Lasee's "luxury apartment" was available for anyone to rent at any time through the popular online lodging website Airbnb.comfor $210 a night. 
 
 Here is the online description of Lasee's place: "2 bdrm 2 bath apartment is located just 7 miles from Lambeau Field. It is beautifully decorated with all of the comforts of home. Overlooking pond, gas fireplace, close to shops and restaurants. 8 Miles to the Radisson Conference Hotel and Casino." 
 
 This was so well known that three of Lasee's constituents and a GOP aide pointed this out. Lasee's questionable residency has become a running joke among Republicans in Madison. 
 
 So we thought we'd take a firsthand look at his so-called residence. 
 
 A colleague of mine here at the Journal Sentinel tried to book Lasee's De Pere place last month, putting in a request for the night of April 21. The colleague had no problem selecting the date, which was listed as being available. 
 
 But the request apparently set off a bunch of alarms. Amy Joy Lasee, the senator's wife and the host for the De Pere apartment, began asking scads of questions, including the purpose for my co-worker's trip and personal details beyond what is requested by Airbnb. 
 
 After all that, Amy Joy Lasee — who owns a house in Racine, incidentally — denied the request. She didn't say the date was unavailable; she simply turned down my colleague after a lengthy back and forth. 
 
 Then, on April 25, conservative talk show host Jerry Baderwent on air to call attention to the same problem. Bader noted that Lasee had recently limited the available dates for his apartment to weekends in which the Green Bay Packers had home games. 
 
 Before long, the Lasees pulled their listing from Airbnb entirely, though a cached version of the apartment can still be found. 
 
 Reached the other day, Lasee was reluctant to explain why he took down the listing: "Because we wanted to." 
 
 A few minutes later, Lasee — who was first elected to the Legislature in 1995 — elaborated. "We didn't want everyone in the world looking at it," he said. 
 
 Lasee said Democrats made an issue of his residence in a 2014 complaint, which the Government Accountability Board dismissed. He speculated that Republicans are now the ones calling attention to it because he will have a GOP primary in his congressional race. 
 
 "It's a campaign issue," said Lasee, who is running against businessman and former Marine Mike Gallagher, a former aide to Gov. Scott Walker's presidential campaign who has a big lead in fundraising so far. 
 
 Records provided by Lasee to GAB two years ago included a copy of his 2011 lease for his place. That lease barred the renters from subleasing the property without the owner's consent and restricted the occupants to the two individuals listed on the application. 
 
 That would be Lasee and his wife. 
 
 Lasee acknowledged that he has a "crazy" living arrangement, saying he lives most of the time in De Pere while his wife owns a Racine house, which is assessed at $262,000. He said he does occasionally stay at his wife's house. 
 
 "Yes, it's difficult," Lasee said. "It is what it is." 
 
 If he were to declare Racine as his residence, Lasee would have to take on House Speaker Paul Ryan to make it to Washington, D.C. That, of course, would be political suicide. 
 
 Senate records show that Lasee lists the De Pere address as his home and has collected $9,139 since January 2015 in mileage reimbursement for travel between his Brown County apartment and the Capitol. A round-trip to the statehouse from Racine would have trimmed about 60 miles from his commute — or about $30 less per trip for Lasee. 
 
 Lasee said he and his wife, who is a full-time real estate agent, decided to put his apartment on Airbnb with the hopes of renting it out during Packers weekends. The website, however, did not restrict the dates when my colleague tried to rent it, and Lasee's wife never brought that up as an issue. 
 
 Lasee didn't say how often he let others book his place, except to say it happened "very rarely." 
 
 But that's as far as the veteran lawmaker would go. 
 
 Asked about his Wednesday fundraiser at the home of big-time GOP donor Michael Eisenga, Lasee shut down the conversation. 
 
 "I've got to go," Lasee said. "Have a great day." 
 
 He refused to answer any text or voice messages with follow-up questions. Eisenga also could not be reached. 
 
 Eisenga is the wealthy Columbus businessman who tried in 2014 to persuade state Rep. Joel Kleefisch (R-Oconomowoc) to push through a bill aimed at capping how much high earners pay in child support. Eisenga had recently lost a court fight to trim his child support because of a drop in income. 
 
 For his part, Lasee waged a decadelong paternity and child-support battle in the courts with an ex-girlfriend. 
 
 "It seems having failed in what looked like pay-to-play effort for a state law change, Mr. Eisenga now has his sights set on federal law," said Scot Ross, head of the liberal group One Wisconsin Now. "Based on his long history of self-dealing as a member of the Legislature, who better to target than Frank Lasee?" 
 
 More interesting, Lasee listed his wife's Racine home as his residence in that child custody case in 2010 before switching it to De Pere. 
 
 He also used his current wife's address again from 2009 to 2011 in his divorce case. He and his wife are listed as borrowers on two mortgages tied to the Racine home, according to online records. The residence is listed as "noncommercial real estate" on his latest state ethics statements. 
 
 What to make of all that? 
 
 Bader, the conservative talk show host, made it clear that he was not buying Lasee's explanation of his "crazy" living arrangement. 
 
 "Your story," Bader said on air, "is hard to swallow." 
 
 Contact Daniel Bice at (414) 224-2135 or dbice@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter @DanielBice or on Facebook at fb.me/daniel.bice. ||||| The Illinois Capitol is pictured. | Seth Perlman/AP Photo Illinois lawmaker accused of releasing nude photos of ex-girlfriend resigns 
 
 CHICAGO — Illinois state Rep. Nick Sauer resigned Wednesday after a former girlfriend filed an official complaint accusing the first-term Republican of creating a fake Instagram account and populating it with nude photos of her to lure men into “graphic” discussions. 
 
 “As a result of the allegations by Kate Kelly, a former girlfriend, I have decided to resign,” Sauer wrote in a letter to the Clerk of the House of Representatives. “It is important that the citizens of the 51st District be fully represented. My ability to fulfill my obligations as a State Representative and public servant will be affected by the distraction of addressing these allegations. After speaking with my family, I feel it best to step away from my public responsibilities.” 
 
 Story Continued Below 
 
 Sauer submitted his resignation just hours after POLITICO reported about a complaint filed by Kelly, an ex-girlfriend, with the Office of the Legislative Inspector General. In that document, Kelly alleged Sauer used the Instagram account “to catfish other men using my privately shared naked photos. Nick would use this account to direct message men with my photos to engage in graphic conversations of a sexual nature. The men believed they were communicating with me and Nick shared private details of my life.” 
 
 In her complaint, Kelly states that she filed a police report with the Chicago Police Department and that there is “an active investigation” into her claims. CPD has not yet complied with POLITICO’s Freedom of Information Act request for the police report. 
 
 Sauer, who had been seeking re-election to a second term, declined to comment for the original story. 
 
 Julie Porter, the acting Legislative Inspector General, neither confirmed nor denied that her office was investigating Kelly’s claim. “I do not comment on issues relating to investigations, including whether or not a matter has been presented to me or is open,” she said via email. 
 
 Top GOP lawmakers condemned the alleged behavior. 
 
 State House Republican Leader Jim Durkin, in a statement emailed to POLITICO, called them “troubling,” adding, “We should allow the proper authorities to conduct their investigations.” 
 
 And even before Sauer’s formal resignation, GOP Gov. Bruce Rauner said Wednesday, “He should resign.” 
 
 The state GOP did not immediately address how it would handle Sauer’s plans to seek reelection to a second term. 
 
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 In an interview with POLITICO and in her IG complaint, Kelly claimed the two began a long-distance relationship in 2016 after meeting on the dating app Tinder. She moved to Chicago from California in June 2017 to be closer to him but the couple broke up in March 2018, after Kelly says she discovered he had been dating other women. 
 
 Both are unmarried. 
 
 “The man that I loved and honored for over two years unfortunately did not exist. Until I moved to Chicago to be closer to him, he and I would share very private photos with each other, as many couples do,” she said in an email when asked to comment about the complaint, referring to his alleged behavior as a “betrayal” that has “sickened” her. 
 
 Following the break up, Kelly said Sauer reached out “randomly” in June with a long apologetic email about their relationship and sent three dozen roses to her work. 
 
 “I quickly realized things wouldn’t change and we stopped talking again. Then at the end of June, I told him he needed to reimburse me for flights and hotels, etc.,” she said. 
 
 Sauer, according to Kelly, then transferred $2,000 into her bank account to pay the travel expenses she had accrued during their relationship. Not long after, Kelly said, she discovered the Instagram account she alleges that he created. 
 
 According to the complaint Kelly filed with the Legislative Inspector General’s office, a man previously unknown to Kelly reached out to her on July 12 on her personal Instagram account to inform her “he had been communicating for 4 months with someone pretending” to be Kelly. 
 
 The complaint says Kelly’s employer helped her determine how long the fake Instagram account had been in use based on when messages were sent, which was close to the time they had started dating. 
 
 In her complaint, Kelly writes that Sauer admitted as much. “He came to my house & confessed to catfishing men with my photos for 2 years to at least 8 men. He was unable to provide the names and begged that I let it go,” she wrote. 
 
 Kelly said she contacted Instagram, which took down the account. 
 
 A friend of Kelly’s, who asked not to be named, confirmed to POLITICO the chain of events surrounding Kelly’s discovery of the private images, saying Kelly “was incredibly upset and felt violated because these are the most personal images that a woman could have of themselves.” 
 
 No charges have been filed against Sauer. 
 
 Deborah Tuerkheimer, a professor of law at Northwestern University with an expertise in studying criminal law and violence against women, did not comment specifically on whether the allegations against Sauer, if true, would constitute criminal wrongdoing. But she said Illinois is among the states that have a “tough revenge porn law” that criminalizes as a felony the nonconsensual distribution of private sexual messages. 
 
 Also on the books is “a crime of false impersonation, or pretending to be someone you’re not,” Tuerkheimer said. “In recent years, in which ‘revenge pornography’ or consensual image distribution has become a far greater problem, states have had to get up to speed in dealing with the issue.” 
 
 Sauer, a member of the state House Sexual Discrimination and Harassment Task Force, is a self-described “fiscal hawk” who supports term limits and transparency in government, according to his website. On the subject of ethical leadership, he states: “Corruption and unethical behavior has plagued Illinois’ past, but it does not need to define our future. Nick will work hard to lead by example and make decisions that honor the values of our district and the people he will represent.” 
 
 Democratic state Sen. Melinda Bush, the co-chair of the Senate Sexual Discrimination and Harassment Awareness and Prevention, called on Sauer to resign soon after learning about the allegations Wednesday morning. 
 
 “For far too long in Springfield, sexual harassment and abuse from those in positions of power has gone unchecked,” she said in a statement. “I applaud this woman for coming forward and telling her story. Women must have confidence that when they come forward with stories of abuse that the systems in place will hear them and believe them. Without accountability there can be no change.”
– If Frank Lasee ran for office using his wife's house as his primary residence, he'd have to run against incumbent Paul Ryan—which the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says would be "political suicide." Instead, the GOP state senator looking to fill a soon-to-be-vacant congressional seat says he mainly lives in a De Pere apartment in a different district. Only problem: He's listed out the place on Airbnb, Roll Call notes. The listing has since been taken down, but a cached version shows a $210-a-month offering for the "luxury apartment," which Journal Sentinel reporters actually tried booking in April. They dealt with Amy Joy Lasee, Frank's wife, who asked why they wanted to stay there and ultimately denied their request. Why did they pull the listing? "Because we wanted to," says Lasee, who adds that they didn't want "everyone in the world looking at it." He then described a "crazy living arrangement" involving him mostly shacking up at the apartment and sometimes in Racine. This isn't new for Lasee, who had to produce a lease in 2014 when pressed by Democrats wanting evidence that he wasn't subletting the apartment. In a response to the state's Government Accountability Board, he said custody arrangements and the challenges of a "blended family" forced him to retain both residences. Yet he has switched his official residence a few times between Racine and De Pere during various divorce and child custody proceedings. Lasee chalks the whole hubbub up this time around to "a campaign issue."