BATON ROUGE – The Louisiana Democratic Party Chairman, Chris Whittington weighed in on the David Vitter—DC Madam trial issue by calling Vitter “a coward” and called again for his resignation.
Whittington made the statement after it became obvious that Vitter would be called to be a witness in the case against Jeanne Palfrey.In a written statement, Whittington said, “The humiliation and denigration David Vitter has thrust upon the people of Louisiana will only grow once he takes the stand in the DC Madam trial as he is now on a short list of witnesses to be called to testify. Already rumored to be pleading the 5th, Vitter must resign immediately amid his defiance at refusing to take responsibility for his actions”
Whittington has made party politics an issue in the Vitter trial by stating, “Vitter’s pleading the 5th to avoid public questions about his involvement is a coward’s way of dealing with the issue. The hypocrisy is contagious in the Republican Party. John Kennedy is proudly promoting Vitter as a key donor at his April 22 fundraiser, yet refuses to comment on Vitter’s ongoing public scandal. Will he support him or ask him to resign? Will he in turn support Vitter if he runs for re-election as he has publicly announced? If neither can answer the questions, neither are worthy of public office,” Whittington said.
The Democratic Chairman completed his statement by saying “Vitter’s defiance and air of entitlement are not only keeping the issue in the media, but are denying the voters of Louisiana a U.S. Senator whose priority is the concerns of his constituents, not planning his legal strategy to avoid testifying about his long association with prostitutes. For once, Vitter needs to put the voters’ needs first and resign immediately,” Whittington said.
Vitter has said that he has sinned but has refused to discuss any details regarding the nature of the sin.
The DC Madam case started Monday.Vitter is expected to take the 5th Amendment.
However, it is possible that the prosecutors who are claiming that Palfrey engaged in racketeering could provide Vitter immunity.The basis for the racketeering is the violation of the Travel Act.
