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.

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."

Monday evening, Mr. Vitter's telephone number appeared among those associated with an escort service operated by the so-called "D.C. Madam."

Vitter apologized for "a very serious sin in my past for which I am, of course, completely responsible."

Yet it appears that that the latest prostitution scandal is merely the next stage of a continuing saga.

The affair with Wendy Cortez, which Vitter accused Vincent Bruno and Christopher Tidmore of concocting as a bitter lie, merely seems the first step in a pattern of behavior by the US Senator.

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."

Christopher Tidmore has taken a leave of absence from his roles as senior reporter for 99.5 FM and The Louisiana Weekly to run for the open District 82 Louisiana House legislative seat vacated by the term limited Steve Scalise.

To read Tidmore’s stories from 2002 and 2004 on the Vitter/Cortez affair, go to
http://www.louisianaweekly.com/weekly/news/articlegate.pl?20040329m

And

http://www.louisianaweekly.com/weekly/news/articlegate.pl?20020603p
Salon Magazine also did an expose of the allegations at

http://dir.salon.com/story/news/feature/2004/10/29/lousiana_race/index.html?pn=3