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Senator linked to escort service
10/07/2007 14:06 - (SA)
Washington - A Republican US senator from Louisiana apologised for "a very serious sin in my past" after his telephone number appeared among those associated with an escort service operated by the so-called "DC Madam".
Senator David Vitter's spokesperson, Joel Digrado, confirmed the statement in an e-mail sent to The Associated Press on Monday night.
"This was a very serious sin in my past for which I am, of course, completely responsible," Vitter said in the statement.
"Several years ago, I asked for and received forgiveness from God and my wife in confession and marriage counselling. Out of respect for my family, I will keep my discussion of the matter there - with God and them. But I certainly offer my deep and sincere apologies to all I have disappointed and let down in any way."
The statement containing Vitter's apology said his telephone number was on old phone records of Pamela Martin and Associates before he ran for the Senate.
Deborah Jeane Palfrey was accused in federal court of racketeering by running a prostitution ring that netted more than $2m over 13 years, beginning in 1993. She contends, however, that her escort service, Pamela Martin and Associates, was a legitimate business.
Vitter, 46, a Republican in his first Senate term, was elected to the Senate in 2004. He represented Louisiana's 1st Congressional District in the House of Representatives from 1999 to 2004.
Vitter and his wife, Wendy, live in Metairie, Louisiana, with their four children.
Palfrey's website contains 20 compressed files of phone records, dating from August 1994 to August 2006. No names are listed, only phone numbers. Palfrey wrote on the website that she believed a disk containing the records had been pirated, and wrote that she was posting the records "to thwart any possible distorted version and to ensure the integrity of the information".
- AP
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