DC Madam

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Onetime Shoo-in Loses Runoff to Succeed Jindal

Dogged by old scandal, David Vitter loses to newcomer, will retire

(Newser) - Democrat John Bel Edwards won the runoff election for Louisiana governor Saturday, defeating the once-heavy favorite, Republican David Vitter, and handing the Democrats their first statewide victory since 2008. Edwards, a state lawmaker, will take over the office from term-limited Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal in January. Voters' rejection of Vitter...

David Vitter Running for Governor in Louisiana

And emerges as an immediate frontrunner

(Newser) - Conservative Sen. David Vitter announced today what pretty much everyone in Louisiana already knew: He's running for governor in next year's election, reports Roll Call . Bobby Jindal can't run again because of term limits, and Vitter "stands a pretty decent (if not better) chance of winning,...

ACORN Takedown Campaign Overblown, Misguided
ACORN Takedown Campaign Overblown, Misguided
OPINION
Sep 18, 2009 11:50 AM CDT

ACORN Takedown Campaign Overblown, Misguided

The actions of a half-dozen employees doesn't represent the huge organization

(Newser) - The conservative campaign against ACORN—which has now, thanks to a few video “sting” operations, lost its federal funding—is built on an outrageous set of exaggerations and falsehoods, writes Joe Conason for Salon. “No doubt it was fun to dupe a few morons into providing tax advice...

Porn Star Seeks La. Senate Seat

(Newser) - Louisiana GOP Senator David Vitter will meet a substantial opponent in his 2010 bid for re-election: porn star Stormy Daniels, CNN reports. A grass-roots “Draft Stormy” campaign, unaffiliated with the state’s Democratic Party, has encouraged the buxom blond to run on a platform of the economy, women’s...

'DC Madam' Mom Sues to Stop Release of Suicide Photos

Says disclosure is an invasion of privacy

(Newser) - The mother of 'DC Madam' Deborah Jeane Palfrey is suing to stop police from releasing photos of her daughter's suicide scene, the St. Petersburg Times reports. A public records law allows disclosure, but the Blanche Palfrey's attorney argues it's "inappropriate, unacceptable, and personally harmful." The late Palfrey faced...

DC Madam to the Big Screen?

Agents are shopping a book and documentary of the famed flesh peddler

(Newser) - The DC madam may have committed suicide last week to avoid jail, but her story lives on. Literary agents are discussing doing a documentary on Deborah Jeane Palfrey, the New York Post reports, and have lined up biographer C. David Heymann to write a book about the sex industry, with...

DC Madam as Feminist Entrepreneur
DC Madam
as Feminist Entrepreneur
May 6, 2008 9:49 AM CDT

DC Madam as Feminist Entrepreneur

Memoir reveals small-town go-getter with a 'touch of class'

(Newser) - Most know her as the feisty DC Madam who riled up the media by releasing her clients' phone records, but a half-finished memoir obtained by Newsweek reveals Deborah Jeane Palfrey's personal side. A small-town girl turned "fuddy-duddy white lady," she overcame a stifling childhood to turn feminist entrepreneur....

DC Madam Saw 'No Way Out': Suicide Note

Autopsy confirms Palfrey hanged herself rather than face prison

(Newser) - Unable to bear the prospect of prison time, the so-called DC Madam hanged herself, officials in Florida said today. Deborah Jeane Palfrey, whose body was found Thursday, left behind suicide notes in which she referred to "this 'modern day lynching'" and said she saw "no way out i....

Mother Found 'DC Madam' Hanging, Fla. Police Say

Deborah Jeane Palfrey, 52, faced prison time after conviction

(Newser) - The so-called “DC Madam” hanged herself in Florida, police said today, committing suicide two weeks after her conviction for money laundering and racketeering. Officials say her mother found Deborah Jeane Palfrey, 52, hanging in a storage shed this morning, along with suicide notes whose details they did not divulge....

'DC Madam' Guilty, Guilty, Guilty

Palfrey faces 55 years on racketeering, money-laundering convictions

(Newser) - Rejecting the defense that she didn't know her escorts were having sex with clients, a federal jury convicted the "DC Madam," who, WTOP–FM reports, met today's verdict with a sigh. Deborah Jeane Palfrey, whose prostitution-ring bust implicated Washington highbrows, including a Louisiana senator, faces up to 55...

Senator Won't Testify in 'DC Madam' Case

Defense rests without calling witnesses; Vitter off the hook

(Newser) - Louisiana Sen. David Vitter will be spared an embarrassing trip to the witness stand in the trial of Deborah Palfrey, the so-called “DC Madam,” CQ Politics reports. The defense and prosecution both rested today, with the defense declining to call any witnesses. The Republican lawmaker, who has admitted...

Spin Control: A Scandal Survival Guide

A high-profile madam (you know the one) has your number. What do you do?

(Newser) - You thought you were safe by confining your philandering to professionals, but now the cat's out of the bag. Portfolio offers tips for controlling the damage:
  1. Tell your spouse
  2. If you know you'll be ratted out, fess up first
  3. Go directly to the press
  4. Act quickly, then move on

Vitter's Sorry for ... Something
Vitter's Sorry for ... Something
Jul 17, 2007 6:57 AM CDT

Vitter's Sorry for ... Something

D.C. Madam client apologizes for a "serious sin" he refuses to name

(Newser) - Taking a page out of the Jason Giambi playbook, Louisiana Senator David Vitter yesterday held a press conference to apologize for "actions from my past" but categorically refused to specify what, exactly, he'd done wrong. Vitter spent a week in seclusion after his number showed up in the D....

Top 10 DC Hotels for Hookers
Top 10 DC Hotels for Hookers
Jul 14, 2007 7:05 AM CDT

Top 10 DC Hotels for Hookers

Ananysis of DC Madam's phone records generates a mini-travel guide

(Newser) - Direct from the phone records of the so-called DC Madam, Deborah Palfrey, here are the most-dialed local lodgings—or what the Consumerist calls the "Top 10 Most 'Ho-Friendly' DC Hotels."
  1. Marriott: 489 (18 numbers)
  2. Hyatt: 168 (6 numbers)
  3. Hilton: 151 (5 numbers)
  4. Holiday Inn: 132 (5 numbers)
  5. Ritz-Carlton:
...

La. Senator Caught Dialing DC Madam
La. Senator Caught Dialing DC Madam
Jul 10, 2007 1:33 PM CDT

La. Senator Caught Dialing DC Madam

Republican apologizes for "very serious sin" after escort-service revelation

(Newser) - Louisiana Republican Senator David Vitter atoned yesterday for a "very serious sin in my past," after his telephone number turned up on the scandal-soaked call logs of Deborah Jeane Palfrey. The so-called DC Madam was forced to denude the records of her million-dollar escort service last week.

DC Madam Says She'll Name Names
DC Madam
Says She'll
Name Names
May 1, 2007 9:15 AM CDT

DC Madam Says She'll Name Names

Needs clients to testify that the sex was only fantasy

(Newser) - A White House economist, the head of a conservative think tank, lobbyists, military brass and a prominent CEO—they’re among pay-to-play clients DC Madam Deborah Jeane Palfrey says she'll finger, ABC and the Post report. Palfrey said at a press conference yesterday she’s “genuinely sorry" if her...

Call Girl Ring Sucks in State Dep't Honcho

Deputy secretary of state resigns after ABC ties him to D.C. Madam

(Newser) - A deputy secretary of state resigned late yesterday afternoon, one day after an as-yet-unaired interview with ABC News tied him to the alleged "D.C. Madam." Randall Tobias, who ran the country's foreign aid program, says he received massages, not sex, from Deborah Jean Palfrey's high-end escort service,...

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