The following statement was released by Hustler magazine this afternoon, which would seem to indicate that a porno mag was able to accomplish what ABC News could not:

Larry Flynt’s ongoing investigation into the dirty secrets of prominent elected officials has exposed another hypocrite. Monday’s confession of marital infidelity by GOP right-wing marriage-protection advocate Senator David Vitter of Louisiana was the result of a multi-pronged investigation launched and run by Larry Flynt, publisher of HUSTLER Magazine.

Within hours of a phone call from the offices of HUSTLER Magazine asking Vitter to comment on an article HUSTLER reporters were working on, Vitter ran to the Associated Press in an attempt to get ahead of the story.

As of 2 p.m. West Coast time on Monday, only Larry Flynt and the HUSTLER investigative team knew that Vitter’s phone number appeared on the phone records of Deborah Jeane Palfrey, the so-called D.C. Madam. Within hours of obtaining the phone records, Flynt¹s team found what ABC News has so far been unable to ferret out. Flynt’s team is currently continuing its investigation into improprieties by other high-ranking elected officials.

Senator Vitter, a churchgoing Catholic who is married and has four children, is seen as a hard-line right-winger. A staunch supporter of President Bush, Vitter has built his reputation on family-values platforms such as marriage protection and abstinence-only programs.

In opposition to same-sex marriage, Vitter recently stated, “Marriage is a core institution of societies throughout the world and throughout history. It’s something that has provided permanence and stability for our very social structure.”

Sen. Vitter announced his support for Rudy Giuliani in March and was tapped by the presidential nomination candidate to serve as his Southern Regional Chair.

Earlier: Not-So-Strange Bedfellows: “DC Madam” Supports Larry Flynt’s Effort to Out Philandering Politicos; A Very Sexy Night Out With Larry Flynt; “DC Madam” Case Reveals Serious ABC News Flaws