**updated** 11:52 am cdt wednesday 11 july 2007
Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) was Capitol Hill’s invisible man yesterday, lying low even as his ties to the notorious “D.C. Madam” threatened to become a political crisis for the conservative lawmaker.click here to read more from the hill
[...]
Vitter has faced allegations of involvement with prostitutes before, but had said such charges were false and politically motivated attacks.
In Louisiana yesterday, at least two state Republicans — one a columnist and statehouse candidate and the other a state party official and Vitter rival — were claiming vindication after Vitter’s admission.
In 2002, state GOP official Vincent Bruno charged on talk radio that Vitter had engaged in an extramarital affair.
Bruno told Christopher Tidmore, a political columnist for The Louisiana Weekly and a candidate for the state legislature, that Vitter had consorted for 11 months with a New Orleans prostitute who went by the name Wendy Cortez.
Tidmore told The Hill that other Republicans were aware of the alleged affair, adding that former Gov. Mike Foster (R) had used the information to dissuade Vitter from running for governor in 2001. At the time, Vitter said marital issues kept him from running.
After the allegations surfaced, Vitter attacked Tidmore and Bruno for engaging in “crass Louisiana politics,” adding that the charges were “completely untrue” and “obviously politically motivated.”
Tidmore, who has reported on the story for almost five years, insisted he has no “political ax to grind” with Vitter.
Bruno told The Hill yesterday that Vitter should follow Livingston’s lead and resign for the good of the state party, adding that he thinks more details or more affairs could come to light. He noted that Republican candidates are poised to unseat Blanco this year and mount a strong challenge against Landrieu next year.
“It’s going to be devastating if it comes out,” Bruno said. “He’s got a real problem, and he needs to tend to it. And it doesn’t need to be in the public eye when he does if he cares about his family.”
While talking to The Hill on the phone, Bruno took another call, which he said was from another state party official telling him not to talk to reporters about Vitter.
Nearly five years ago, Louisiana Weekly columnist Christopher Tidmore reported that David Vitter, while a Louisiana State Representative, had allegedly conducted an eleven month affair with a known prostitute, Wendy Cortez—meeting typically at a small apartment at the corner of Dumaine and Dauphine Streets in the French Quarter.click link to read more from the dead pelican
Despite testimony from four senior Republicans who spoke to Cortez--and direct confirmation from the source--then-Congressman David Vitter accused Tidmore of “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."
[...]
Christopher Tidmore said Monday evening, “Mr. Vitter has used his considerable power to attempt to silence those who knew the truth. Those who attempted to expose hypocrisy and corruption early on were met with threats and disdain. It is time for real leadership to stop this culture of corruption, incompetence and hypocrisy from plaguing our political system. Mr. Vitter’s actions have harmed Louisiana at a time when we could not afford any further loss of influence in Washington.”
“By conducting a series of lies over more than half a decade, Mr. Vitter has irreparably damaged his ability to represent the people of Louisiana at the very time we need integrity and commitment most. We need true ethics, not fake ethical posturing,” Tidmore said. "We need real leadership and moral values, not hypocrisy and intimidation. Louisiana needs new leadership."
