DC Madam Trial Started This Morning

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Jury Selection Under Way Now

This should distract the mainstream media for a few days from the serious news.

Louisiana's own champion of family values, Sen. David Vitter (R), wants to remind all of us that he is hard at work focusing on crucial challenges facing Louisiana families, such as "health care reform and good-paying jobs," and therefore doesn't have time for this nonsense.

"I want to reaffirm how sorry I am to have hurt the people I love so deeply, starting with my family and certainly including the people of Louisiana," Vitter said. "I continue to work every day to make up for that."

He continued: "I continue to focus on crucial challenges for Louisiana families like health care reform and good-paying jobs."

Deborah Jeane Palfrey's attorneys have subpoenaed Vitter to testify for the defense. Believe it or not, they intend to ask him to confirm that it was just "fantasy sex" and no actual sex ever took place. The DC Madam contends that all of her hundreds (thousands?) of customers willingly paid $300/hr to meet in expensive hotel rooms with her 'employees' where they talked about sex but didn't actually engage in sex.

I wonder if the prosecution will call Randy Tobias? Evidently the prosecution has granted immunity to a number of the DC Madam's former clients who are expected to testify that they did indeed engage in various acts of a sexual nature.

David Vitter's attorney asked the judge to dismiss the defense's subpoena requiring Vitter to take the stand. Vitter's attorney is asserting Fifth Amendment privilege but that can only be asserted by Vitter himself and only on the stand in open court. That should be fun.

I wonder if Vitter will receive another "loud standing ovation" in the regular weekly GOP luncheon caucus following his assertion of his constitutional right against self-incrimination? It's rather rare to see a sitting United States senator take the Fifth.

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I wonder if the prosecution will call Randy Tobias? Evidently the prosecution has granted immunity to a number of the DC Madam's former clients who are expected to testify that they did indeed engage in various acts of a sexual nature.

Randy Tobias, former Deputy Secretary of State, is on Palfrey's witness list. No doubt she's doing this to embarrass as many high-ranking Republicans as possible by forcing them to take the Fifth. Tobias was the guy who was responsible for promoting abstinence. He resigned as soon as his phone number showed up on the DC Madam's phone list.

Military strategist Harlan Ullman, who is known for developing the "shock and awe" warfare strategy, is on the government's witness list. Ullman is/was a close personal friend of Donald Rumsfeld. The prosecution has offered immunity to several former clients of the DC Madam. These men have been forced into cooperating with the prosecution in exchange for not being prosecuted themselves for participating in prostitution as paying customers.

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David Vitter's Driver Runs Into Parking Sign in Parking Lot

Pesky reporters pestered Sen. David Vitter (R-LA), noted family values champion, with more questions today about his hooker hookups. In their haste to make a speedy getaway, Vitter's assistant ran into a parking sign and damaged Vitter's car. Neither man bothered to get out to investigate the damage.

Here is the video clip from WAFB-TV in Baton Rouge showing Vitter's stock replies to questions about his "very serious sin" and then Vitter's car running into the parking lot sign on the way out. The driver was waiting outside the building with the motor running and Vitter literally ran from the building and jumped into the car without answering any questions from reporters waiting outside.

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The AP Says Vitter May Testify

WASHINGTON (AP) — Louisiana Sen. David Vitter may be called to testify on behalf of a woman accused of running an upscale Washington prostitution service, attorneys said at the opening of trial.

The Republican senator was among several possible witnesses identified Monday in the racketeering and money laundering case against Deborah Palfrey. Among others on the list is Harlan Ullman, a military strategist who created the concept of "shock and awe" that the United States used to open hostilities against Iraq more than five years ago.

Prosecutors said they planned to call about a dozen former escorts and several clients.

Vitter, a Republican senator in his first term, has acknowledged being involved with Palfrey's escort service. But after issuing brief statements apologizing for "a very serious sin," he has ducked follow-up questions. At trial, he would not have that luxury.

Vitter's attorney has already informed the judge that his client intends to assert his Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination. Is the AP reporter correct in saying that "at trial, he would not have that luxury?" In other words, do you have to have a reasonable expectation of criminal liability in order to take the Fifth? In Vitter's case, the last of the five phone calls recorded on the DC Madam's phone records was on Mardi Gras 2001. I guess he gave it up for Lent? That was seven years ago, so the statute of limitations has expired.

Can they force Vitter to answer questions about his previous criminal behavior if he has no current exposure to prosecution? In other words, can they put him on the stand and then force him to take the Fifth as each question is asked and then object if it is obvious that his answer could not possibly cause him any criminal liability now because of the expiration of the statute of limitations?

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Job Description: "Tester"

For explanation of job duties, see below:

Call Girls Testify at Palfrey Trial

Three self-described call girls testified in federal court today that they engaged in sex for money with male clients on dozens of occasions after being dispatched to homes and hotel rooms in the Washington area by the escort service run by Deborah Jeane Palfrey.

An Arlington County man also appeared as a government witness in Palfrey's trial, testifying that he used the escort service about 50 times and had sex with female escorts on all but about five occasions.

[...]

All four of today's witnesses were compelled to testify after being subpoenaed and being granted immunity from prosecution by the government.

The women testified that they answered ads for Palfrey's now-defunct business, Pamela Martin and Associates, and were employed after submitting photos and biographical information and meeting with longtime clients of the firm who served as "testers," as prosecutors described them.

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Guilty

In case you missed it, the D.C. Madam was convicted. Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) was not called to the stand by the defense as threatened. His attorneys had made it very clear to the defense that he would invoke his Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination if called and that would not have helped their case one bit.

P.S. -- Proof that not everyone can expect to make money off their feminine charms.

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Breaking News:

DC Madam Deborah Jeane Palfrey has committed suicide in Florida.

She was scheduled to be sentenced on July 24 and would probably have received a sentence of between four to six years. She did 18 months in prison in California for a prostitution conviction 17 years ago.