The New Orleans Times Picayune is reporting today that a prostitute has come forward who claims she had a four-month sexual relationship with Republican Senator David Vitter back in 1999. Larry Flynt, the publisher of Hustler magazine, paid for the woman to take a lie-detector test, which, Flynt says, the woman passed with flying colors. Previously, Vitter denied having anything to do with hookers in the Big Easy, and he'll no doubt maintain that claim today after Flynt holds a Beverly Hills news conference with the prostitute, Wendy Yow Ellis:
During a phone interview Monday, Ellis said she met regularly with Vitter in the French Quarter aprartment and that he paid her through her pimp, Jonathan, whose last name she did not know. She said Vitter met her through the New Orleans Escort Service, not through the madam whose notorious Canal Street brothel was raided by federal agents in 2001. Although that madam, Jeanette Maier, claimed in interviews that Vitter patronized her brothel and favored a prostitute named Wendy...
Of course, it could just be a political hit. Vitter, who has already confessed to committing a "very serious sin" in using the services of D.C. madam Deborah Jeane Palfry, may have only ever visited escorts in the nation's capital, not in New Orleans. After all, Ms. Ellis stands to make a bit of money from this revelation. Yet, for enterprising reporters, if the allegations of a four-month entanglement are true, then there will be a leads to follow.
This is the last thing the Republican party needs at the moment (and if I had a dollar for every time I've said that over the past two years!). Let's say Larry Craig gets a judge to overturn his guilty plea, and a formal trial begins. Meanwhile, every gumshoe in New Orleans will set to work on Vitter.
Vitter and Craig, two men who chastised Bill Clinton for his indiscretion with Monica Lewinsky, bound together again. Good luck with that, boys.
Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 1)
1. Democrats at there best
Luther at 1:37PM on Sep 11th 2007
2. She's only returning it because the press found out about it....Duh....
C. Gravenor at 9:47PM on Sep 18th 2007
3. Democrats At Their Best: Part 2
David Vitter did not lie to a Grand Jury, did not run escort services out of his Congressional office and is not under any criminal investigation. Period. End of Story.
The voices of resignation that now squeak so loudly are the same hypocrites who have in the past circled the wagons around their Liberal Democrat Colleagues for felony criminal acts. Lets check out a small sample.
Barney Frank, Democrat, Massachusettes: Hired a Male Escort with taxpayer funds who was running an Escort Service from Barney Franks taxpayer funded apartment. Cries from the Left for resignation: Zero.
Bill Clinton, Democrat Icon: Lied under oath to a Grand Jury and suborned perjury from witnesses. Wrist-Slapped and resume enhanced. Cries from the Left for resignation: Zilch.
JJ (Jesse Jackson): The Righteous Race Hustler is the "Baby-Daddy" of a former subordinate that he carried on a four year affair with. Still has his Seat of Power compliments of the Democrat Party.
Mel Reynolds, Democrat, Illinois: Sentenced to prison for having sex with a 16 year old Campaign Worker. Pardoned by Bill Clinton at the behest of Jesse Jackson who hired Reynolds as a Youth Counselor. Reynolds is a registered sex offender.
If the Liberal Democrats want to start cleaning house then they need to start with their own house first. Republicans do it all the time. Just ask Mark Foley.
Paul Sparcello at 10:17AM on Sep 11th 2007
4. The Republican's Achilles Heal is their hypocritical marriage to the evangelical Christian Right. No one really cared that Bill Clinton was getting serviced by Monica because Democrats don't pretend to be anything other than human. I believe it was Jesus himself who said, "Let he who is WITHOUT SIN cast the first stone" - and - "Judge not lest ye be judged." Jesus had no time for hypocrites. They angered him! In fact Jesus was the ultimate LIBERAL! "Give away all that you have and follow me." Isn't it odd the modern followers of Jesus seem to have so little in common with the founder of their own religion? They act like greedy, judgmental, war mongering, conservative Pharisees. They'll crucify one of their own with no mercy. It must really suck when your own stone brings down your glass house!
Scott at 10:41AM on Sep 11th 2007
5. The Republican's Achilles Heal is their hypocritical marriage to the evangelical Christian Right. No one really cared that Bill Clinton was getting serviced by Monica because Democrats don't pretend to be anything other than human. I believe it was Jesus himself who said, "Let he who is WITHOUT SIN cast the first stone" - and - "Judge not lest ye be judged." Jesus had no time for hypocrites. They angered him! In fact Jesus was the ultimate LIBERAL! "Give away all that you have and follow me." Isn't it odd the modern followers of Jesus seem to have so little in common with the founder of their own religion? They act like greedy, judgmental, war mongering, conservative Pharisees. They'll crucify one of their own with no mercy. It must really suck when your own stone brings down your glass house!
Scott at 10:36AM on Sep 11th 2007
6. Don't make me laugh, Paul. Look at some of those Republicans who are, or may, run for President next year:
Fred Thompson -- serial adulterer (had affairs during his first marriage).
Rudy Giuliani -- serial adulterer (entertained his mistress in his love nest on official government property).
Newt Gingrich -- adulterer, carrying on an affair even as he condemned Clinton of his moral failings.
Cleaning house? Seems more like the Republicans are taking their cue from the Democrats. Why else is Giuliani using the same excuse ("my personal life doesn't affect the job I do") as Bill Clinton used?
Larry Craig and Mark Foley have been thrown under the bus only because of the inherent homophobia of parts of the Republican base. David Vitter has admitted to breaking the law (yes, visiting prostitutes is illegal) yet is forgiven all transgressions, and another Republican congressman just plead guilty to drunk driving, an offense far worse than the misdemeanor Craig plead guilty of, and yet has escaped any censure by his party.
And let's not even get started on the mess the Alaskan Republican delegation to Washington is in now most of them are under investigation from the FBI. Not a peep about that either, from the Republican leadership.
tacitus at 12:12PM on Sep 11th 2007
7. Please stop the "Well, the other guy is worse" defense of "your" guy or gal. How about, wrong is wrong, without regard to party affiliation. Degree of "wrong" is fair game for discussion.
alan at 1:53PM on Sep 11th 2007
8. Alan, I don't defend Clinton's past behavior, nor Congressman "frozen money" Jefferson. Power corrupts Democrats as well as Republicans, I agree.
However, I was simply pointing out that Paul's argument that Republicans clean their own house is a fallacy. Only when the miscreant is guilty of "being gay" are the knives quick to come out, otherwise you have to be on your way to jail before you're tossed out.
tacitus at 2:27PM on Sep 11th 2007
9. Alan I happen to agree with you. I would take it a step further and ask that we have a logical debate that is not based on religious dogma, (which we are not bound to in this country) or party talking points. If we spent half as much effort solving real issues like poverty, health care, nation debt, education and clean energy solutions, as we spend worrying about who is getting laid or high maybe we could accomplish something.
Scott at 2:31PM on Sep 11th 2007
10. Scott - dead on. Wish I knew how to do it.
tacitus - my apologies. I did not intend to attack you or your comments. I agree with your observation. I wish I knew why it is so. I have theories, but no facts to back them up.
My comment was based on my frustration of seeing so many cycles of comment/counter-comment spiraling down to generalizations, name calling, and other rude behavior. We are all better than that.
Thanks to you both and to the others who are able to be as objective as our personal upbringing and beliefs allow.
alan at 2:42PM on Sep 11th 2007
11. I want to apologize for my previous comment; I'm just annoyed at myself for believing things about the Republican part that are just not true... Vitter needs to go, just for parity with what we Republicans attempted to to do Clinton.
This whole deal with Iraq -where Bush hopes that his legacy can be salvaged by (his expectation) the election of a Democrat to the presidency; inheriting his disaster in the process.
Paul Sparcello at 3:33PM on Sep 11th 2007
12. I want to apologize for my previous comment; I'm just annoyed at myself for believing things about the Republican part that are just not true... Vitter needs to go, just for parity with what we Republicans attempted to to do Clinton.
This whole deal with Iraq -where Bush hopes that his legacy can be salvaged by (his expectation) the election of a Democrat to the presidency; inheriting his disaster in the process. Why can't we as Republicans, take responsibility?
Paul Sparcello at 3:39PM on Sep 11th 2007
13. Paul -
It takes a big man to say that. I applaud your integrity.
From my point of view and, hopefully, all moralizing aside...
First, I question the judgement of people who are too stupid, too horny/greedy/whatever, feel they are above the rest of us, or for whatever reason they choose to do things that reflect badly on themselves in today's world. I do not want them to be my representative in government. There have been too many examples of this by our elected representatives. Our feelings about these people color our opinions of the majority of representatives who are doing their best to take care of their constituencies and act for the better good. Having differing views is a positive force as long as we are able to learn and adapt, balanced by not jumping on the latest bandwagon, just because it is new.
Secondly, a crime is a crime and the people representing us should be held to as high a standard as anyone else, if not higher, being examples for the rest of us. Lying under oath to a grand jury or congressional panel is a crime, Bill and Alberto. Sidebar... Concerning those with extremely poor memories, see my first point. I don't want them representing me. For example, my memory is so bad that I would not trust myself to represent me without a PDA.
Thanks for listening.
alan at 4:12PM on Sep 11th 2007
14. I wonder if these clowns in D.C. have actually earned one cent from taxpayers. Hard to believe-they all seem to busy whoring, stealing, lying, and covering their pampered, lazy asses.
Sonic Nurse at 10:26PM on Sep 11th 2007
15.
Yes, I would like to see Senators and Congressmen and Admin Officials who break the law stand trial. But it almost never happens. Vittner will not go to ttial for purchasing women. Gonzales will not go to trial for lying to Congress or authroizing torture, or spying without a warrant. Bush/Cheney/Powell all lied to Congress and should be impeached, then go to trial.
The latest, is the Democrats who changed a vote total just before break. Then the electroni counter paper disappeared, as did other records so there is no record of the real vote at all. Except, they forgot CNN was filming. Someone should be going to jail for that stunt. But it won't happen.
cdnbirch at 1:16AM on Sep 12th 2007