Washington ? New York Democratic Rep. Eric Massa, facing a harassment complaint by a male staffer, said Friday that he is stepping down from his seat with “a profound sense of failure.”

“I am guilty,” Massa said in an interview with a Corning, N.Y., newspaper columnist.

Later in the day, Massa released a statement saying that after discovering he had a recurrence of cancer, he learned he was the subject of an ethics complaint by a male staffer who felt “uncomfortable” during an exchange with Massa.

The exchange reportedly had sexual overtones.

The resignation takes effect Monday.