It was only last month that U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., resigned from office amid a sex scandal. Now, another member of Congress, Rep. David Wu, D-Ore., says he, too, will step down after an 18-year-old woman alleged an unwanted sexual encounter with him.

It is only fair to note that Wu has not been charged with a crime. He was disciplined by Stanford University in the 1970s, however, after allegations by another woman that he had made unwanted advances.

As pressure mounted on Wu from the latest allegations, he at last agreed to give up his seat in the House.

The full circumstances of what transpired between him and the young woman who made the more recent allegations may never be known.

But such scandals tend to diminish the American people's trust in their government -- trust that already is in short supply.