NBC's Reid: “Washington” is “surprised” by Vitter-“D.C. Madam” connection because Vitter says he's a conservative

Written by Brian Levy

Published


Reporting on Sen. David Vitter's (R-LA) apology after the disclosure that Vitter's phone number was among the phone records of alleged "D.C. Madam" Deborah Jeane Palfrey, NBC News congressional correspondent Chip Reid said that “Vitter's website says he is 'focused on advancing mainstream conservative principles,' which is one reason many here in Washington are so surprised by this revelation" -- suggesting that a conservative is far less likely to be involved in a prostitution scandal than a liberal or Democrat.

Palfrey was indicted on racketeering charges stemming from allegations that she ran a prostitution ring. As Media Matters for America noted, the disclosure of Palfrey's phone records previously led to the resignation of Deputy Secretary of State Randall L. Tobias, the first director of U.S. Foreign Assistance and administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development. ABC News noted that "[a]long with his wife, Marianne, Tobias donated over $100,000 to Republican candidates and political committees, according to the campaign finance Web site OpenSecrets.org."

Further, as the weblog TPMMuckraker noted, on the May 4 edition of ABC's 20/20, ABC News chief investigative correspondent Brian Ross indicated that the phone numbers linked to Palfrey included Republicans: “The phone numbers also tracked back to Georgetown mansions and prominent CEOs, officials at the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, and lobbyists, both Republican and Democratic.”

The media have previously suggested that illegal, predatory, or unethical sexual conduct is more antithetical to conservative principles than to those of progressives and have downplayed alleged sexual misconduct by Republicans, particularly that of former Rep. Mark Foley, by comparing it to conduct by Democrats:

  • On the May 3 edition of CNN's The Situation Room, host Wolf Blitzer observed that Washington is “no stranger to sex scandals,” then provided viewers only with examples of alleged misconduct by Democrats.
  • In the week following reports that former Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL) had allegedly sent sexually explicit messages to former congressional pages, numerous media figures -- including Newsweek columnist Howard Fineman, MSNBC anchor Amy Robach, CNN host Paula Zahn, NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams, CNN congressional correspondent Dana Bash, and Roll Call executive editor Morton M. Kondracke -- suggested that conservative Christians were most likely to react negatively to the scandal.
  • On the October 4, 2006, edition of CNN's American Morning, after airing a campaign advertisement from Minnesota Democratic congressional candidate Patty Wetterling accusing congressional Republican leaders of covering up Foley's “predatory behavior,” co-host Soledad O'Brien asked CNN senior political correspondent Candy Crowley whether “Democrats ma[de] a mistake by grabbing this issue and running with it” because "[t]here's certainly been enough scandal in the Democratic Party in the past." Similarly, on the same day's edition of MSNBC Live, responding to an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, MSNBC political analyst and Congressional Quarterly columnist Craig Crawford told host Chris Jansing that he has “some pause about this idea of Democrats on a roll, simply because when they were in charge, they had plenty of their own problems with abuse of power.”
  • Discussing the scandal surrounding Foley on the October 2, 2006, edition of MSNBC's Hardball, host Chris Matthews claimed that “in this case,” Republicans have “blow[n] it” on “moral behavior,” which he described alongside “stopping inflation and fighting wars” as issues that are Republicans' “best stuff.”

From the July 10 edition of NBC's Today:

NATALIE MORALES (Today national correspondent): A stunning confession from Louisiana Senator David Vitter. During the night, he says, he is sorry for what he called a “serious sin” after his phone number was linked to the so-called “D.C. Madam.” NBC's Chip Reid has more. Chip, good morning.

REID: Well, good morning, Natalie. Senator David Vitter's website says he is “focused on advancing mainstream conservative principles,” which is one reason many here in Washington are so surprised by this revelation.

REID [video clip]: Senator David Vitter, a conservative Louisiana Republican acknowledges that his phone number appears in the phone records of Deborah Jeane Palfrey, the so-called “D.C. Madam.” She faces federal racketeering charges for allegedly operating a prostitution ring that reportedly catered to prominent Washingtonians.