Saturday, October 17, 2015

David Vitter - Interview with Wendy Ellis, October 13, 2015


The following interview segments are with former prostitute, Wendy Ellis, also known as Wendy Cortez in original stories that surfaced from Hustler magazine back in 2007.  Ellis originally came forward with allegations that she had serviced Vitter here in New Orleans during the height of the prostitution scandal involving the D.C. madame, Debra Jean Palfrey. 

After speaking with Ellis, she told me that the Hustler interview was not totally accurate and not only did they publish a small portion of the story, some of the facts were misconstrued.

Upon meeting her, she informed me that she was terminally ill with an advanced form of lupus. She agreed to let me interview her because she wanted to "set the record straight" in the time she has left.

The interview lasted about an hour.  This first segment details how she first came into contact with David Vitter and how their relationship developed, one she said lasted for about three years from around 1998 through 2000:

Wendy Ellis on how she met Vitter - 1 from Jason Berry on Vimeo.

The next segment is about her pregnancy in 2000:

I asked her to further detail her alleged relationship with Vitter.  In the time frame Ellis says she carried on a relationship with Vitter, 1998 to 2000, he was originally in the Louisiana House of Representatives where he served from 1992 to 1999.  In 1999 he won a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in Louisiana’s 1st Congressional district:

Wendy Ellis on Relationship Development MASTER from Jason Berry on Vimeo.
  
In respect to the ring that she claimed was given to her by Vitter, she said she thought he gave his wife the exact same ring.  This is a picture of it:



Of course the obvious question is why she is coming forward with this story now.  Aside from her failing health, speaking with her off camera, she explained to me that she was under an exclusivity contract with Hustler up until a few months ago.  Originally Hustler was considering doing a follow up story with her during this campaign cycle but she told me they suddenly changed their mind and terminated their relationship with her.  She said she was told by an employee at Hustler that Larry Flynt had no interest in generating negative press about Vitter any longer:  

To be clear, Senator Vitter has denied he ever solicited prostitutes in the state of Louisiana.  I asked her about this denial:

Wendy Ellis on Vitter denial MASTER from Jason Berry on Vimeo.

Ellis did pass a lie detector test paid for by Larry Flynt and administered by Edward Gelb, a former president of the American Polygraph Association.

I also asked her if she could say one thing to Senator Vitter now, what would it be:

Wendy Ellis what she would say to Vitter - 5 from Jason Berry on Vimeo.

Ellis said the escort service she worked for operated out of 905 Dumaine Street in the French Quarter.  
I asked her about her health, later on in the interview:

Wendy Ellis on health MASTER from Jason Berry on Vimeo.

I have talked to numerous sources who contradict the Senator's original claim that he never solicited prostitutes in the state of Louisiana but so far Wendy Ellis is the first person who was willing to go on the record about it.  I believe there will be more information I can publish in the coming weeks.

It is very important to her, and very important to me, that the identity of the child remain anonymous and I realize that it would be the one foolproof way to corroborate her story but I believe it can be corroborated by other means than putting the child's well being at risk.  I do know more about the adoption and I personally believe the information she provided in this interview to be true.

I had contact with David Vitter's legal counsel and repeatedly requested an interview with him on the phone to address the story but his lawyer stated he was too busy to speak with me. 

This post, forgive the overused adage, really is the tip of the iceberg.  I have much more information I will share in the near future, from this interview and hopefully others, as I obtain it.  Stay Tuned.

UPDATE:  In this WDSU article it states "..the claim of three-year relationship is contradicted by legal documents that show Ellis was incarcerated for at least some of that time -- including part of 2001 and 2002."

Aside from "at least some time" being a very ambiguous statement, that does not "contradict the claim of a three-year relationship". In fact, Ellis told me about the 2001/2002 incarceration in the interview:

Wendy Ellis on what happened after the adoption from Jason Berry on Vimeo.


Just to clarify, I have only posted a small portion of the interview and information Wendy shared.  I am available to any media outlet if they wish to discuss the story before they publish.





 

38 comments:

Phillip Beard said...

My God. This woman is supremely believable. The scandal has cost another woman her life. I viewed a silent film called "Way Down East" by D.W. Griffith staring Lillian Gish. The plot is so close to this human story of a natural urge to have sex and the constraints of American views on morality. The Bush administration has gotten away with murder. Wall St. and the Supreme Court have legalized the bribery of public servants. But this woman and her family, and anyone caught in bed while married become objects of scorn and have their lives ruined.

lil'oya said...

wow

Bil said...

It boggles my mind that Louisiana, EVEN the Republican party can elect and re-elect a man like David Vitter. The Hypocrisy, IT BURNS.

J said...

Thanks, Mr. Berry, for holding hypocrites' feet to the fire. Quite a scoop!

Anonymous said...

Wow! This interview might just save the state of Louisiana.

Anonymous said...

I want to know why the mainstream media is completely ignoring this story. The La. governor's race is in 6 days and no one seems to care about this story or the fact that their next potential governor's stand on Family Values and Pro Life is a big crock of do do. He is a liar and a thug who has dodged the important questions the entire campaign. Vitter's henchmen are known to be scary and powerful people but can the media continue to ignore this story for another week with so much at stake?

Jason Brad Berry said...

Because they are questioning the veracity of her story, and I understand that. I believe Wendy is telling the truth in this interview but she has a sketchy past and this will be used against her to call into question her credibility. I think she deserves to be heard, the MSM may doubt her but I don't.

Jason Brad Berry said...

minus ,

knnick said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jason Brad Berry said...

Well...they both have sketchy pasts....Wendy and David. I would say they are on equal footing in respect to the veracity of the story. The only difference is one of them is willing talk and the other isn't.

knnick said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

I am afraid Louisiana is doomed. You cant fix stupid. i.e. 8 destructive years of Pyush "Bobby"Jindal. Voters in Louisiana and the US always believe the best liars. Liars only answer the questions you ask with the answer they want to give. or mostly not give.
Media is a joke, left, right or in the middle. NEVER any follow up when questions are
evaded, ignored, or other wise left unanswered. Vitter wont even show up for the debates. Where are the real "journalist" such as Woodard and Bernstein? not on Fox, CNN, MSNBC, etc etc etc.
Watch Vitter and Pyush, add you favorite liar here_____ in any interview,
Full of sound and fury signifying nothing.
apologies to William S.
thanks mr berry for trying to get the info out to people who wont be reading this and will vote for Vitter because his loyal wife tells us she knows what a good man he is.
I seen it on the TV.

J said...

Question for Mr. Berry: What is the status of this story going viral or at least getting more coverage than it is getting? This is some hot stuff, and it seems pretty damned plausible. I thought more would be happening by this evening. Thanks again for having the courage to take Vitter on!

J said...

What's the status of this story getting wider coverage? It couldn't be hotter, and it is certainly plausible. Thanks again for taking on the Vitter machine!

Anonymous said...

Mr. Vitter must understand that this is NOT going away. So long as there is offspring roaming around, that's the incontrovertible proof. Whether that proof emerges in the next 6 days or next 6 years, it will emerge eventually. In the case of Schwarzenegger, it took many, many years, also. But, it did finally emerge.

Anonymous said...

Would she allow a paternity test of her adopted child?

She seems extremely truthful, by the way. She doesn't read like someone who is in it for the fame; hell she doesn't even seem to enjoy doing the interview. I believe her and would bet everything on her. I hope telling her story will make things better for her.

Unknown said...

To Ms. Ellis, I recommend you get in contact with Dr. Kris Kresser. Try not to worry too much about the past. I wish you speedy and complete recovery.

Unknown said...

To Ms. Ellis, I recommend you get in contact with Dr. Kris Kresser. Try not to worry too much about the past. I wish you speedy and complete recovery.

Unknown said...

Please keep up the fight!!!!! Bitter needs to be exposed!!! We don't need four more years of failed government! I pray that the mainstream media will pick this up before the election on Saturday! Thank you for your work! Be safe!

knnick said...
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Joseph B. Stahl said...

In a state like Louisiana, with its perverted, retarded electorate that has put so many clowns, incompetents, morons, outlaws and thieves in the Governor's Mansion, this interview could make Vitter a hero and win him the election as Governor. He should pay to have this woman's testimony as to what a sonofabitch he is broadcast as widely as possible.

Anonymous said...

Good job, Jason. Nice to see real journalism for a change.

Anonymous said...

Some of the legal community have been saying that Vitter's son is adopted and that Vitter is the biological father and the mistress is the bio mother. Hate to bring the boy into this, but this is something the electorate should be aware of if it's true.

Anonymous said...

It's a shame that Miss Yow/Ellis/Williams/Cortes is only brought out when David Vitter is running for election. Supposedly she is in Texas right now in rehab that she had a gofundme campaign for (it's been removed in the past week, quite possibly after agreeing to this interview). I didn't see anything in the interview about her being a 2-bit heroin shooting pole dancer while stripping in a suburban New Orleans hole in the wall strip club. So her Hustler interview wasn't completely truthful and some of the comments were misconstrued? I thought she told the truth when interviewed in 2007. What makes you people think that the liar in 2007 is now telling the truth. She has a problem, in the immortal words of Roger Clemens, she must be misremembering what she says during interviews. Crawl back under the hole you came out of.

Anonymous said...

Previous commenter wrote: "What makes you people think that the liar in 2007 is now telling the truth. (sic)" He's not; Vitter has been lying all along.

Anonymous said...

Shouldn't the USAO's office be discussed here - as in why did they pursue the madams and not the johns? Vitter and probably many others were given a pass, but the madams weren't. In my mind, that pass is a much bigger issue in terms of our society's treatment of women and corruption within the Justice Department.

Clay said...

Um, Vitter is the most likely next Governor of Louisiana.

If we're dredging up the Canal Street Brothel case, isn't our most likely next Lt. Governor ALSO linked?

http://slabbed.org/tag/canal-street-madam/

Will we just drop the pretense and hold Special Sessions of the Louisiana Legislature at Rick's on Bourbon Street (all expenses and champagne room visits paid for by lobbyists)???

Anonymous said...

How about you writing another story on how thr Lakeside Christmas display is a racist display as that would be more entertaining then bringing whores into your house for profit to allow another whore politician defeat Vitter. I know you will only print favorably posts that support your whore seeking plan for monetary profit. I dare you to deny you have not been rewarded for your blog against Vitter

Jason Brad Berry said...

I have not received a dime....not a fucking dime. But you are always welcome to donate on the Paypal button on the blog.

Oh...and rest assured....I absolutely will another post on the Lakeside Christmas display this year if it is as racist as it has been in the past.

Misogyny becomes you.

Jason Brad Berry said...

I'm sure you need to look that up in the dictionary and still you will probably need me to explain it to you....feel free to come back....I'm here for you, donation or not.

Dionne said...

Bil, I agree totally! Not many things worse than hypocrisy!

Anonymous said...

Bil, you are so right ~ the hypocrisy of it all is the worst!

Richard in Denham Springs said...

Vitter shouldn't be elected for anything if for no other reason than he is a dullard who hasn't led by any innovative or initiated legislation that would benefit the constituents he ignores.

Vitter shouldn't be elected for anything because he ducked out on most of the gubernatorial debates as though he were above it.

Vitter merely rubber stamps whatever the Republican leadership proposes, lacking the grey matter to understand it.

Vitter shouldn't be elected if for no other reason than his Koch Brother paid for and out-of-state advertising only attacks his opponents and does so with lies.

Vitter shouldn't be elected because he dare espouse the holier-than-thou attitude of the worst right-wing hypocrites while consorting with prostitutes.

Vitter shouldn't be elected because he knows no shame and because he humiliated his wife by trotting her out to face the public in that foolish leopard outfit in that all too brief period when he was forced to address his whoremongering.

Unknown said...

I feel like this she created all this drama for herself. I'm not saying he is right they both knew what they were doing. So with that been said she should have kept her mouth shut. I'm not here to judge neither one of them . Why all of sudden she wants sympathy for her and her kids. I'm go back to before if she would have kept her MOUTH SHUT no one would be waiting outside her job. My question is what did she accomplish by letting the world know she had a relationship with David Vitter. Nothing the people are still going to keep voting for him and his wife is not going anywhere. Waste of time

Anonymous said...

she can't allow a paternity test on something that doesn't exist. it would totally destroy her farce. it's simple. birth records are not private. doing a simple birth record search for any child she gave birth to at that time would just blow it all up.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Unknown said...

This is my friend whom I have known for awhile. She has had a long hard life that has led her down a dark and destructive road. She is speaking now because she is trying to make a change in her life while fighting off the many demons of her past. We all make mistakes and we all have the ability to make a change so that we can have a better future and in order to do that you have to face, accept and deal with things of your past in order to move forward. That is all she is trying to do now.

Jason Brad Berry said...

Thank you, Jennifer.

Wendy has had a challenging life. I am one of those who will choose to listen to her.