Mary Bono

"As Chair and CEO of Mothers Against Prescription Drug Abuse, I am happy to lend my voice to the important work underway."

"My withdrawal comes in the wake of personal attacks that, left undefended, would have made my leading USAG a liability for the organization."

"My regret is that I would have brought to the organization, the angst and anger of my own story: a young aspiring gymnast who witnessed first-hand the assaulting behavior of a coach; watched peers who acquiesced in it move ahead while those who didn't were left behind, and myself stayed silent. ... I would have brought a fire in the belly to ensure that no one as taken with gymnastics as I was at that age, should have to choose between abuse and ambition, or between properly speaking out and promoting personal success."

"A successful businesswoman and well-known political leader, Congresswoman Mary Bono was hailed as the embodiment of powerful American womanhood by the Washington Times during her tenure in the United States House of Representatives."