The U.S. Senate aide arrested for arranging a three-way with an undercover informant and who he thought was a 13-year-old male was previously an employee with the Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest GLBT rights group. Mike McHaney, 28, was fired from his job as a scheduler for Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington state within hours his arrest for attempting to sexually exploit a minor.

McHaney, who remains in federal custody without bond at least until a hearing tomorrow, was arrested by FBI agents after showing up to meet a cooperating witness and the fictional teen.

Brad Luna, an HRC spokesperson, confirmed that McHaney worked as an executive scheduler for the D.C.-based gay rights group from September 2005 to May 2006. Before that, McHaney worked on the 2004 presidential campaigns of Democrats John Kerry and Richard Gephardt.

"His leaving HRC had nothing to do with the current situation being discussed," said Luna, who declined to answer questions about the nature of McHaney's departure from HRC, citing confidentiality of personnel records. Luna was responding to an inquiry about whether McHaney worked as a scheduler for HRC President Joe Solmonese.

McHaney's arrest, first reported by TheSmokingGun.com, was the result of an FBI sting operation launched after a cooperating witness who claimed to have traded child pornography with McHaney approached police. The informant then asked McHaney during an online chat if he would be interested in anal sex with a 13-year-old male. "I'll be there," he allegedly replied.

Court documents filed by police also indicate McHaney asked the informant to send him photographs of the teen, and asked if he had "any pubes." When told he didn't, McHaney allegedly replied, "That's hot."