LOS ANGELES — Hustler magazine founder Larry Flynt provided details and polygraph results from a former New Orleans prostitute who says she had an affair with Sen. David Vitter at a press conference today.
Wendy Cortez, whose real name is Wendy Ellis, claims she had a four-month sexual relationship with Vitter in 1999, when he was a state legislator. Cortez said during the conference that she was visited by Vitter two to three times a week.
Copies of the results of Cortez's polygraph test were given to reporters at the news conference at Flynt's office in Beverly Hills, Calif.
“We understand that polygraph tests are not admissible in court…but [Cortez] is concerned that she be believe as much as Vitter is,” said Flynt.
“He came to our offices and administered the polygraph test and told me that there wasn’t a doubt in his mid that she was telling the truth.”
“Senator Vitter and his wife have addressed all of this very directly,” Vitter’s spokesman Joel Digrado told the Associated Press. “The senator is focused on important Louisiana priorities like the water resources bill and the Iraq debate.”
Cortez said she gradually learned that Vitters was a Senator, but “didn’t feel bad about it at that point…until I cleaned my life up in May of 2004.”
Vitter issued a public statement in July, admitting a link to a Washington D.C. escort service, after Hustler contacted him with some damning phone records. However, Vitter has denied a relationship with Ellis — who is not related with the service in D.C. —, telling the AP that the claims are “absolutely and completely untrue.”
Flynt said that he felt the well-publicized Larry Craig case in Utah was treated differently because Craig’s home state of Idaho is 80 percent Republican, while the allegations with Vitter in New Orleans — and what that would mean to a Senate seat up for grabs in Louisiana — was a different case.
“The next day they asked for [Craig’s] case to be turned over to the ethics committee," Flynt said. "If a Senator resigns, another one is appointed by the governor. The Republicans felt very comfortable about that seat. In New Orleans, it was a whole different ball game, because Vitter was a shaky people felt that his resignation would doom his Senate seat.
“I don’t know about you, but I don’t like to see someone who is voting for me in the Senate who has a half dozen mistresses and a wife at home, and he’s lying to all of them.”
In a June ad, Flynt offered $1 million in exchange for information about sexual indiscretions involving members of Congress. Cortez maintains that she was not offered money for her information.
“I’ve been called a liar and a liar I’m not,” said Cortez. “Vitter is running a campaign based on Family Values, and in my belief, Family Values is not doing something of this nature…having sexual relationships [like this] repeatedly.”
When asked if Cortez would be compensated for her information, Flynt said “I’m going to take care of Wendy, we’re working on a book deal now…and it’d be nice if we could bring about [Vitter’s] resignation.”
Cortez remained adamant that it concerned about any monetary compensation. “I want to set the record straight, this is the truth,” said Cortez. “I don’t need the money, I have plenty of my own money. [I’m gaining] my self-respect and my dignity.”
When asked if Cortez was going to be in a future issue of the magazine, Flynt said, “as a matter of fact, she is. She looks damn good for her age.” Cortez confirmed that she will be featured in a pictorial in the January issue of Hustler.
