Saying she was "shocked and deeply saddened," New Hampshire Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte accepted the resignation of top aide David Wihby following his arrest for solicitation of prostitution,
The Washington Post reported.
Wihby had served as Ayotte's state director. His arrest "under these circumstances" meant that "obviously" he needed to resign, she said in a statement. "This is a very difficult time, and my thoughts and prayers are with everyone involved."
Wihby, 62, was arrested on a misdemeanor
charge of solicitation of prostitution in an apparent Nashua police sting operation. He had been on
Ayotte's staff in his current capacity since March 2014.
Wihby has also been a member of the Manchester school board, served as a state commissioner of labor, and as a local alderman, according to the
New Hampshire Union Leader.
The junior senator is up for re-election in 2016. She is the highest ranking Republican in the state and is considered a fiscal and social conservative, according to The Almanac of American Politics.