Amid the turmoil of the sudden resignation of Republican New York Congressman Chris Lee comes shocking new revelations.

While early reports were that the 46-year old married father resigned his position as a result of a recently released photo of himself shirtless that appeared along with a flirtatious message in response to a woman’s Craigslist ad, new allegations offer a surprisingly different take.

An anonymous source close to Mr. Lee reports that the politician resigned not because of allegations of immoral behavior, but rather because of the shame suffered by the public display of his extreme poverty.

“The simple fact is that Chris Lee could not afford a shirt. Has not been able to afford one for some time. He had found a fancy phone on the street and accidentally snapped a picture of himself. That picture somehow ended up on Craigslist. Again, it was not Mr. Lee’s phone and he obviously did not know how the modern contraption worked. Apparently he also had accidentally typed some message. When the revealing picture was made public, the congressman felt such embarrassment and shame at his obvious poverty, he resigned his position so as not to become a damaging reflection on the economic state of his constituents in upstate New York. He is a very proud man and a true patriot!”

Some concerned citizens have started a fund to raise money to purchase Mr. Lee shirts.

Others have suggested the government provide him a federally-financed shirt purchasing fund.