He missed major votes on Iraq in the Senate and made no public appearances, even as accounts of other relationships with prostitutes multiplied in the New Orleans news media. After his initial apology, a woman convicted of running a brothel on Canal Street said Mr. Vitter had been a client, and another woman, identified by The New Orleans Times-Picayune as a prostitute named Wendy Cortez, came forward to say that she, too, had had a relationship with him when the senator was in the State Legislature in the s.
These reports echoed longstanding rumors in Louisiana — which Mr. Vitter had vehemently rejected in the past — that he had had encounters with prostitutes.
Vitter struck a defiant tone, making a short statement denying the new reports and refusing to answer questions. Vitter said. View all New York Times newsletters. Earlier, Mr. Tell us what you think. Please upgrade your browser. See next articles. Invalid email address. Please re-enter.
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