More On Republican Hypocrisy

This past June 21, a letter was sent to the Chairman and the Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee. In that letter, this paragraph appeared:

Abstinence education is a public health strategy focused on risk avoidence that aims to help young people avoid exposure to harm. These programs have been shown to effectively reduce the risks of out-of-wedlock pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases by teaching teenagers that saving sex until marriage and remaining faithful afterwards is the best choice for health and happiness. [emphasis added]

I bet you're wondering who wrote (or at least signed) the letter. I'll give you a hint. Here's where the letter's found.

Yes, it was Senator David Vitter. The same David Vitter mentioned in this AP news article:

A former New Orleans prostitute who will be featured in Larry Flynt's Hustler magazine appeared at his office Tuesday to accuse Sen. David Vitter of having a sexual relationship with her in 1999. Wendy Ellis told reporters that Vitter visited her two to three times a week for sexual relations between July and November 1999.

For the record, Vitter has denied the claims and no evidence (financial records, photos etc) was produced at the press conference.

Please note that this prostitute is from New Orleans. Senator Vitter already apologised for a "serious sin" when his phone number was discovered in connection to a Washington DC madam. Different city, different prostitute.

But this isn't the first time we've heard about Wendy Ellis, who worked under the name Wendy Cortez. Take a look at this. It's from March of 2004:

For the first time, Congressman David Vitter has spoken out publically about allegations that he had an 11-month affair with a known prostitute named Wendy Cortez.

On WSMB radio last Saturday, a caller who identified himself as Elwood asked Vitter about charges made by a member of the Louisiana Republican State Central Committee in the Weekly that the then-State Representative had had an affair with a known prostitute in the French Quarter.

Elwood said, "Would you be willing to sign an affidavit that you have never known, met or had relations with one Wendy Cortez?"

Vitter responded, "I think you know that that allegation is absolutely and completely untrue...I have said that on numerous occasions...I'll say that in any forum...Unfortunately, that's just crass Louisiana politics, now that I am running for the Senate. I have made that clear that it is all completely untrue...And, it's obviously politically motivated."

Congressman Vitter had previously refused any comment on the charges. The story appeared in this newspaper just days after Vitter dropped out of the race for governor in June of 2002. The Louisiana Weekly published allegations that Cortez, a known prostitute, claimed that she had an 11-month affair with Vitter, a state representative at the time.

What did we learn from this article? That the charge had been made in 2004 by a member of the Louisiana Republican State Central Committee and that this story's been known since at least June of 2002.

So much for Vitter's personal hypocrisy. I do want to remind everyone what when David Vitter returned to DC in mid-July, he was invited to apologize to the Senate Republicans in a closed luncheon.

What happned then?

The Senators from God's Own Party welcomed him back with a standing ovation.

More Republican Hypocrisy.