Alleged Kerry Affair with Intern Draws Media Attention

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John F. Kerry (D-MA) has allegedly been involved in a two-year extramarital affair with an intern beginning in Spring 2001, according to The Drudge Report on Thursday.

Drudge said a full-scale investigation into this is underway at Time Magazine, ABC News, the Washington Post, the Hill, and the Associated Press.

"There is no lawsuit testimony this time [like former President Bill Clinton with Paula Jones]," a top source told Drudge Thursday night. "It is hard to prove."

When asked about the investigation on Thursday, Jack Stokes, a spokesman for the AP, told the Editor & Publisher, "We simply don't comment on stories we are pursuing or not pursuing."

In addition, the executive editor for The Washington Post, Leonard Downie, Jr., admitted the newspaper was looking into Kerry's past, but said he was not aware of an extramarital affair.

"What we're finding, I don't know," Downie exclaimed to the Editor & Publisher. "This is the first we are looking into him this way."

A source at one of the major television networks told Talon News that they are specifically forbidden to talk about this story on the air until one of the other major television networks reports on it first.

The unknown woman involved is a former employee for the AP, according to Drudge, and a previous intern with Kerry. Drudge states that she "recently fled the country, reportedly at the prodding of Kerry." The woman is allegedly in an undisclosed location in Africa after a top news producer approached her about her relationship to Kerry, Drudge reports.

A friend of the woman told her story to a reporter in late 2003 and said she had "fantastic stories" that may bring an end to the Kerry presidential campaign, Drudge continues.

Yet, retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark, who dropped out of the race on Wednesday and will officially endorse Kerry for the Democrat nomination today, told a group of reporters earlier this week, "Kerry will implode over an intern issue."

"Three reporters in attendance confirm Clark made the startling comments," Drudge contends. Actually, ShortNews.com reports Clark reluctantly confirmed he made the statement on Thursday.

These reporters who heard Clark make the statements are amazed the retired Army general would endorse Kerry.

Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, who last week said he would drop out of the race if he did not win the Wisconsin primary on February 17, apparently changed his mind because of these looming charges against Kerry, campaign officials told Drudge.

But Dean campaign officials said this is "absolutely false" and "didn't have anything to do with our decision" to remain in the race.

"I actually think it's too bad this is starting," an anonymous Dean campaign aide told Scotsman.com. "It has no relevance to the campaign."

Nevertheless, in the past few days, the criticism of Kerry has become more intense by the Dean campaign, including Dean describing Kerry as a part of "the corrupt political culture in Washington."

Yet Democratic sources imply the Republican Party had something to do with this and have accused them of playing "dirty tricks" in an attempt to smear the leading candidate to face Bush.

Kerry has been racking up big victories in primaries and caucuses for the Democrat nomination to face President George W. Bush in November. In all, he has won 12 of 14 states.

Kerry is expected to be in Wisconsin Friday campaigning for next Tuesday's primary election.

The Kerry campaign did not immediately return calls inquiring about these allegations. However, the embattled presidential candidate is scheduled to appear exclusively today on the Don Imus radio talk show to talk about these allegations made by Drudge.

Matt Drudge, who was responsible for breaking the story about Clinton's affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky in 1998, cleared his web site for most of Thursday to devote space to this story.

But this is not the first time Kerry has been accused of being engaged in an extramarital affair.

While separated from his first wife, millionaire Julia Thorne, in the mid-1980s, Kerry was rumored to be linked to Morgan Fairchild, Cornelia Guest, and Patti Davis, the liberal daughter of Ronald and Nancy Reagan.

Then, the Boston Globe reported last year that Kerry had an affair in the 1980s with a young British reporter while still married to Thorne. When she and the other alleged women eventually heard that Kerry was still married until 1988, it "came as a surprise to some of his frequent companions," according to the Boston Globe.

Last week, the Boston Herald's Inside Track had a story on a recent National Enquirer investigation into Kerry's "eye for Hollywood honeys" including Fairchild, Michele Philips, and Catherine Oxenberg. The Herald added that Fairchild and Philips were so disgusted by Kerry that they decided to give political contributions to other candidates running for the Democratic presidential nomination instead of the Massachusetts senator.

The Boston Herald also noted that the National Enquirer story made note of a "22-year-old blonde who was spotted around midnight 'dropping off her resume' at Kerry's Louisburg Square home while wife Teresa Heinz was in Nantucket."

The Congressional Quarterly's Craig Crawford remarked that Chris Lahane, Clark's press secretary and a previous adviser to former Vice President Al Gore, has known about the Kerry affair story for a while and "has shopped around for a long time" to find someone to publish it.

Interestingly, Crawford states Lehane also briefly worked as an adviser for Kerry's latest presidential bid.

"The Kerry camp has long expected to deal with this, and have assured party leaders they can handle it," Crawford said.

Crawford added that the affair story was "one reason the Gore vetters in 2000 shied away from Kerry as a running mate choice" because of the possibility it might get leaked and remind people of "Clinton's personal failings" with Monica Lewinsky and Paula Jones.

Responding to questions about whether the Lewinsky affair during the Clinton impeachment was affecting his job as president, Kerry told the Boston Globe in a September 21, 2001 story, "I think it is entirely possible [the extramarital affair by Clinton] was a distraction that kept him from performing his duty as president."

Also, in a statement from the U.S. Senate's closed deliberations on the articles of impeachment against Clinton on February 12, 1999, Kerry made some rather intriguing comments about the former president's infidelity that reveal his thoughts on the matter.

Responding to criticism that Clinton's affair was corrupting American culture, Kerry defended the two-term Democrat president by saying the Clinton affair gave parents a tool for teaching their kids about various character flaws.

"If anything, there may now be a greater appreciation for the trouble you can get into for certain behavior," Kerry said in the statement at the time. "More parents are teaching their children about lying, about humiliation, about family hurt, about public responsibility, than before we ever heard the name of Monica Lewinsky."

Addressing the affair itself in the statement, Kerry said he was "deeply disturbed by" it, but said it was "understandable" that Clinton wanted to "cover it up."

Before this story about his alleged affair with an intern was released to the public, Kerry was already in hot water over a photograph showing Kerry with political activist Jane Fonda at a 1970 anti-war rally in Pennsylvania published on the front page of the Washington Times on Wednesday. Kerry has attempted to portray himself as a hero of the Vietnam War, but has distanced himself from the aggressive protests he took part in after he returned from the war.

Some political observers are already speculating that this latest turmoil in the Democrat presidential race is laying the groundwork for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) to become the nominee in a brokered Democrat convention in Boston this summer.

It seems clear to me that there is more than one "affair" that Kerry is going to have to deal with. The cats will be coming out of the bag soon, methinks...

Only one thing will prevent that from occurring - their embarassment about having had an affair with him - unless, of course, he hid from them the fact that he was married or engaged.

41 posted on 02/13/2004 6:42:35 AM PST by AFPhys (((PRAYING for: President Bush & advisors, troops & families, Americans)))

No stained blue dress perhaps, but what if there is a little Frankenhead crawling around in a playpen in Kenya right now?

43 posted on 02/13/2004 6:45:03 AM PST by Sender ("This is the most important election in the history of the world." -DU)

Does anyone else find it odd that the only media coverage of Kerry's sexcapdes is overseas???? I've seen more articles from foreign newspapers than any here in the US.

DRUDGE better have some facts and quicko, or he's dead on the water!

I'll give him a week, but didn't it take a little while for the Monica thing to FLESH out?

45 posted on 02/13/2004 6:45:45 AM PST by thesummerwind (Like painted kites, those days and nights, they went flyin' by)

46 posted on 02/13/2004 6:46:38 AM PST by thesummerwind (Like painted kites, those days and nights, they went flyin' by)

Never even mentioned that it was about a woman. Weak.

What? ............ Was he fooling around with Barney Frank?

47 posted on 02/13/2004 6:48:31 AM PST by thesummerwind (Like painted kites, those days and nights, they went flyin' by)

It was 4 days until the Monica thing broke in the lamestream press, after Drudge reported it.

You don't expect the Lib press creeps to break this before Tuesday's vote - do you???

Disgusting.

49 posted on 02/13/2004 6:50:31 AM PST by veronica ("America will never seek a permission slip to defend the security of our people." GW Bush 1-20-04)

Yes, but Drudge needs some more info, or this is going nowhere in the mainstream.

This is looking like a disinfo setup by someone.

50 posted on 02/13/2004 6:51:21 AM PST by thesummerwind (Like painted kites, those days and nights, they went flyin' by)

Journalist Alex was in Kenya last night refusing to "comment."

Ahhhh... She shouldn't be hard to pick out of a crowd. I'm sure the paparazzi are closing in. The National Inquirer is paying good money I bet.

PravdABDNC doesn't have time for another philandering Rat who may broke his marriage vows, they have a Republican to bring down. Why would they ever investigate a sexual harrassment case on a fellow Rat?? 20 year old intern being banged by one of the most powerful 60 year olds in the country who is her superior = consensual???? He denied it and he is lying so the press wants to ignore it while they pummel W for a traffic ticket?? War has been declared and now is the time to fight!!

Pray for W and The Truth

I don't know about W, but they sure did try to float such a story on Dan Quayle. The attacked his viciously and continually. IMHO they were afraid that with his good looks he would be the next GOP star and they wanted to destroy him before that.

In addition, the executive editor for The Washington Post, Leonard Downie, Jr., admitted the newspaper was looking into Kerry's past, but said he was not aware of an extramarital affair. "What we're finding, I don't know," Downie exclaimed to the Editor & Publisher. "This is the first we are looking into him this way."

BLA-WOOSH! <--- pants burst into flames

Downie: "Aiieee...!"

I take it this is Alex Polier, 24, on the National Inquirer front page w/ Ketchup Boy! Mrs Ketchup said she'd kill him if she caught him cheating.

Bush Dental Records Show No Sign of Kerry Affair

... end of story.

hahhahaha.......Thanks for thread & this fun post...

56 posted on 02/13/2004 7:30:17 AM PST by DollyCali (2004: Opportunity for love, growth, giving, doing..... It is our choice.)

It's hard to imagine that within about 3 years of the Lewinsky scandal, a high-profile Democrat would have an affair with an intern; if true, it bespeaks of incredibly poor judgment, even recklessness. But perhaps Kerry was influenced by the "it's just about sex" mantra of the Lewinsky years, and figured the press would either defend him or be reluctant to pick up the story.

Only one thing will prevent that from occurring - their embarassment about having had an affair with him - unless, of course, he hid from them the fact that he was married or engaged

OR, if they are married/engaged... doubtful they did not know his status.

BTW, Hi! AFPhys!

58 posted on 02/13/2004 7:33:51 AM PST by DollyCali (2004: Opportunity for love, growth, giving, doing..... It is our choice.)

wouldn't you love to be hearing the phone coversations between Kerry & Mrs. Heinz? or be a fly on the wall on their first "face to face".... ?????

Glenn BEck is stating over & over today that Drudge did not merely mention about the affair but that "the major news sources are investigating"...

59 posted on 02/13/2004 7:36:39 AM PST by DollyCali (2004: Opportunity for love, growth, giving, doing..... It is our choice.)

60 posted on 02/13/2004 7:38:40 AM PST by AppyPappy (If You're Not A Part Of The Solution, There's Good Money To Be Made In Prolonging The Problem.)

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