Christian Group Calls for David Vitter to Resign Following Weiner's Lead
A conservative Christian group sent Louisiana Senator David Vitter, who in 2007 confessed to using the services of a high-profile prostitution ring, a letter Monday calling on him to follow former New York Rep. Anthony Weiner's lead and resign.
Weiner announced his resignation last week following a Twitter scandal. The Democratic representative, whose resignation is effective midnight June 21, sent lewd photos to women via Twitter then lied about it.
Several Democratic leaders, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, had called for Weiner's resignation.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Unlike Weiner, Vitter, who admitted to "serious sin" in 2007 after his number was disclosed by the alleged prostitution ring "D.C. Madam," never faced the same pressure from fellow Republicans to resign following his scandal.
In the letter, Joe Glover, the president of the Family Policy Network, based in Forest, Va., said Republicans are "committing outright hypocrisy" as long as Vitter stays in office, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reported.
"There are a lot of people that I think are committing outright hypocrisy and are forced to do so as long as he (Vitter) remains in office," said Glover.
"I don't think the senator should put those folks in the untenable position of having to pragmatically defend his presence in the Senate."
Family Policy Network plans to publish an article on its website tomorrow that reads, "So what did Republican leaders do about Senator Vitter? They let him off the hook."
Media interest over whether Vitter should resign was re-ignited in the wake of Weiner's resignation.
On the day Weiner said he was stepping down, Fox News host Bill O’Reilly was asked about his views on Vitter's case.
“I don’t think Vitter should be there. Absolutely not," O'Reilly responded.
In his Talking Points commentary for "the O'Reilly Factor" that same day, the political pundit said that the scandals of President Clinton and Vitter were worse than that of Weiner but they survived their scandals because they didn't lie about it.
Weiner, however, "lied to the media. He tried to use the press to cover his Twittering activities. Once the media turns on a politician, it is very difficult for that person to survive in office. A movie star or athlete might survive, but not someone who operates in the court of public opinion," said O'Reilly.
Kevin McCullough, a conservative political commentator, also noted that difference between Weiner and Vitter in a commentary Sunday on TownHall.com.
"Vitter had confessed to his wife, members of his church, and others of his behavior years previous to the revelation," wrote McCullough.
"Both did decide to stay in their jobs initially, but no doubt one of the biggest reasons was the fact that the American people felt they got a straight story from Vitter, and everyone felt there was much Weiner had not 'fessed up to."
Over the weekend, Andrew Breitbart, a conservative blogger whose work helped bring down Weiner, also commented on Vitter, saying he was "not a fan."
"I tend to think all these guys who behave this way put themselves in a position to be blackmailed," said Breitbart told a Netroots Nation activist.
