Maryland Attorney General Douglas Gansler received tremendous criticism after photos of him taking pictures of three teenagers dancing on top of a table surfaced, The Baltimore Sun reported.
Besides his position as attorney general, Gansler's appearance at the "beach week" party raised eyebrows because less than a year ago, he publicly advocated against underage drinking. He even appeared in a public service announcement for the Century Council, a group that works to fight teen drinking, according to the Washington Post.
"Parents, you're the leading influence on your teen's decision not to drink," Gansler said in the video. "It's never too early to talk with your kids about smart ways to say no."
The party was for graduating high school students, which Gansler and other parents paid for. It took place on June 13 during "beach week," and was termed a "eviction party," which usually calls for a no-rules environment, the Sun reported.
Century Council's CEO and president Ralph Blackman, said "let me pick myself up off the floor here," after learning of Gansler's attendance at such a party.
The rental house where the party took place was in South Bethany, Delaware, and according to Gansler, his stay lasted only a few minutes. He doesn't remember if he witnessed any underage drinking, but he said he's certain his son was not drinking, the Post reported.
Gansler, a Democratic candidate in the run for Governor of Maryland, said he attended a Maryland State Bar Association event earlier that day and stopped by the party to talk to his son about what time they would leave to Delaware the next morning for a college event in Pennsylvania, according to The Sun.
Gansler was captured in photos and video posted online. He did not dispute the authenticity of the photos, and said of senior week that "for better or worse, the reality is some kids drink alcohol while they're there."
The group of parents, which Gansler was part of, paid for a week-long stay in a six-bedroom beach house for their sons who were graduating from the Landon School in Bethesda.
The parents arranged for two fathers to serve as chaperones each night (two can be seen in the background in the photo). Other rules included: banning the boys from driving, no girls behind closed doors, or drinking "hard alcohol." Food was paid for each night, according to the document that listed the rules they had to follow obtained by The Sun.
After reviewing the rules document, The Sun stated the list of prohibitions did not mention drinking beer or wine.
Gansler lashed out when asked to explain the incident.
"Assume for purposes of discussion that there was widespread drinking at this party, how is that relevant to me? The question is: Do I have any moral authority over other people's children at beach week in another state? I say no," Gansler told the Sun. "My responsibility is only to my child.
"Everybody has their own moral compass. Mine is to raise my own child," he said.
A former prevention official for Baltimore County, Michael Gimbel, said that for any parent to do this is irresponsible, but for Gansler, an authority figure, it is much worse.
"It's totally inappropriate for an adult, especially for an elected official whose job is to uphold the laws of the state or any state," Gimbel told The Sun.
