(CNN) -  Pete Domenici, the longtime senator who represented New
Mexico for more than thirty years, admitted Wednesday that an
extramarital affair three decades ago produced a son, who was
kept secret from the public since then.  In statements to the
Albuquerque Journal, the former senator and his son's mother
explained the circumstances surrounding the affair and why they
were going public with the information on Wednesday.  "More than
30 years ago, I fathered a child outside my marriage," Domenici
wrote. "The mother of that child made me pledge that we would
never reveal that parenthood, and I have tried to honor that
pledge and so has she."  The son was identified by Domenici as
Adam Laxalt, who is a lawyer in Nevada. His mother, Michelle
Laxalt, is the daughter of Paul Laxalt, the former U.S. senator
and governor of Nevada. She wrote her pregnancy was the result
of "one night's mistake...more than 30 years ago."  She said in
her statement that the decision to remain quiet about her son
with Domenici stemm