Big Head DC has conducted an exclusive interview with Larry Sinclair, the Minnesota man who claims he used drugs and had a sexual encounter with Sen. Barack Obama in 1999. We caught up with Sinclair just two days after the Web site WhiteHouse.com posted a statement indicating that Sinclair had been deceptive about his Obama claims during a polygraph test conducted by lie detector expert Ed Gelb. Sinclair, feeling the test’s administrator had been biased and that he couldn’t trust the people who arranged the test, decided to answer several of our questions about his complex situation:

Big Head DC: Do you think that Dan Parisi or anyone else who works for WhiteHouse.com is or has been employed by David Axelrod and/or other members of Sen. Obama’s campaign for president?

Larry Sinclair: I believe Dan Parisi and Robert Braddock were acting as agents of David Axelrod and the Obama camp in making the offer for me to take the polygraph. I believe this to be true as I received a tip via phone at 12:43 a.m. instructing me to find help in obtaining financial records from the Obama camp and Axelrod because an account and communications were accessed in which WH.com and Parisi were having a dispute with Axelrod over the payment of the remaining part of $750,000 to get a polygraph stating I was lying posted fast enough.

BHDC: What do you make of the “deception” finding from WhiteHouse.com’s polygraph conducted by Ed Gelb?

LS: I honestly believe that these results and the claims by Gelb are false, I believe he knowingly accepted money to provide WH.com with the desired results. This is based on the request upon arrival by Gelb’s office for payment of an additional amount that I personally heard a receptionist tell Parisi that Gelb said there was an extra charge and Parisi acknowledged he was advised. I believe this based on all the whispering done while I was present and the amount of time the three spent in closed door discussions before, during and after the exam.

BHDC: There have been several claims that Gelb is not a real PhD — did he present himself as one to you? Did he seem professional?

LS: Gelb did in fact represent himself to me as having a PhD that I found out after returning home was in fact not the case. He did appear somewhat professional with a constant shaking, however he did not control anything about the process and in fact was taking his direction from Robert Braddock of WH.com and Dan Parisi.

BHDC: How did Parisi act toward you throughout the polygraph process?

LS: Parisi did not even look me in the face from the time I met him that Friday morning through the entire visit. He continued to look down toward the floor every time I spoke to him or he was in my presence. He did not at any time produce any ID for me to verify he was who he claimed to be. Not even when he wrote out the checks and I asked for ID, he laughed and said, “I am me.” Mr. Parisi and his assistant Robert Braddock were rude and attitude changed considerably after the exam was done. They met behind closed doors for another hour or so with Gelb.

BHDC: What do you make of all of the false information that is being passed around on the Internet about you?

LS: I find it appalling that most of it is being paid for by Axelrod and the Obama camp by use of paid bloggers who are being fed information that Axelrod and Obama know to be false, know not to be me — but know that these kids will sit up and post it as fact and they (Axelrod and Obama) will not have to answer for it. But I say they will.

BHDC: Would you have come forward with your claims had you known what has happened would happen?

LS: I had put out everything about my past from the start, so I did not worry about what they tried to say about me. I will get vindication against all the knowingly false claims made when this is over because slander and libel is easy to prove when they keep repeating it after being told to retract it.

BHDC: Do you stand by your claims about Barack Obama 100 percent, given the polygraph results?

LS: 1,000 percent, and I have stated from day one, polygraph or not, I will not recant or back down because I am stating truthful claims.

BHDC: Some people will say Big Head DC is biased for even interviewing you. What should we say to those people?

LS: What is biased about trying to get to the truth? The bias is on those media outlets who see the false claims made against a U.S. citizen by a candidate for the president of the U.S., and they still do not report anything. The media knows these attacks against me and the claims made in these attacks are false but they ignore it.

BHDC: What do you make of Obama’s increasing popularity?

LS: Does the phrase “snake oil sales man” give you a hint?

BHDC: Do you think Obama has been well enough vetted on the national political stage?

LS: Obama is not even close to being vetted; everyone says I am a kook, well I am not a kook, and I expect that I am not going to be standing here alone much longer. I expect we will see others come forward before this is over.

BHDC: Have you recently spoken to the limo driver you say was with you and Obama in 1999? What does he think about what you’ve been put through? Has it discouraged him from coming forward?

LS: I placed a call to him Saturday that was not returned. I had spoken with him last week, and he thinks I am crazy for going through this over a lying fraud like Barack Obama and David Axelrod. I truly believe he will come forward, and he knows I am not going to back down.

BHDC: Who is your lawyer in the lawsuit against Obama?

LS: The suit will be dismissed, it will be re-filed. It is being dismissed for failing to state a claim in which entitles me to relief, not because as claimed by others I am not credible. I am attaching a copy for your verification of this statement. WH.com leaked that I was in talks with Gloria Allred to discourage her, which they accomplished.

BHDC: Have you heard from anyone in the Obama campaign since you came forward with your claims?

LS: I have not. I received an e-mail via YouTube asking me to confirm or deny claims made by some Ron Allen of the Obama camp, which I stated were false. I will attach. I will forward copy to you.

BHDC: When did you first realize that Obama was a U.S. Senator?

LS: I became aware he was a politician during watching the 2004 DNC speech while residing in Mexico.

BHDC: How is your health? Are you afraid that this publicity is harmful to your health?

LS: I have some very serious heath problems, which I deal with according to decisions that I made. I do not use my health as an excuse for anything. I live alone, I care for myself, I do not reside in any assisted living complex, nor do I receive an assistant in my daily life.

BHDC: What are you going to do next regarding this whole situation?

LS: I will continue to put my story out there. I am getting some assistance in amending the lawsuit for refiling, and please note, it has not yet been dismissed, nor has the recommendation to dismiss been received or written as claimed by the judge identified on the Web. I am not going away, I am not recanting anything, and I am fighting on, especially with the tip I received this date. I will do a polygraph arranged by me, video tape it non-edited and with the findings released before stopping the camera and will post it before Tuesday if all goes well.

Earlier: A BHDC Greatest Hit: Interview With the “DC Madam”

................................................................................................................................................................................................
comments (148) | digg this | reddit | facebook | del.icio.us | stumble | permalink

Big Head DC featured an interview with MSNBC’s David Shuster in July of 2006 — after Jessica Cutler shared with us that she once had an affair with the political reporter. Cutler, you’ll recall, is a former congressional staff assistant for former Sen. Mike DeWine. She was fired in 2004 after describing her sexual exploits in a blog called Washingtonienne. 

BHDC: What do you love/hate about reporting from Washington day in and day out?

David Shuster: I love the stories, I hate the humidity. Seriously, the weather here stinks. We should all move the nation’s capital to the California coast. Back to the stories… All of us who work as reporters in D.C. are quite fortunate compared to our colleagues elsewhere. Unlike war correspondents or people who cover natural disasters, the worst thing that ever happens in D.C. is somebody loses their reputation.

BHDC: How do you get along with Chris Matthews/Dan Abrams?

DS: I get along well with both Chris Matthews and Dan Abrams. Chris is the best boss and mentor I’ve ever had. And Dan is the most brilliant management choice I’ve ever seen. Dan is a great guy with a terrific view of cable news and how to improve MSNBC. Read more…

................................................................................................................................................................................................
comment | digg this | reddit | facebook | del.icio.us | stumble | permalink

UPDATE, September 26: The case is roiling; take some time to catch up.

UPDATE, July 10: As a result of Deborah Jeane Palfrey’s wide-scale release of her phone records, which was first reported on Big Head DC, it has been revealed that GOP Sen. David Vitter used her escort service — a story that went unreported by the ABC News investigative team in May. When we interviewed Palfrey last month, she was adamant that ABC News made some mistakes:

June 19: Big Head DC sat down last week with alleged “DC Madam” Deborah Jeane Palfrey for a wide ranging three-hour interview, which is sure to make some notorious political power players squirm. New allegations of political corruption and sexual exploits, shocking insights into her case, and honest observations of media coverage to date were frequently on the tip of her tongue. (A tongue, we might add, that was schooled in criminal justice and has had intense training for a law degree.)

We spoke to Palfrey via telephone while she sat in her not-so-luxurious laundry room, labeled “command central” by Palfrey and made famous by her less-than-revealing interview with Brian Ross on ABC’s 20/20 last month, inside her government-seized home in California. Having seen and heard her in action before, we knew she’d be candid, but we wondered how far she’d be willing to go. After all, many DC Madam spectators have wondered why bigger names weren’t revealed as past clients of Palfrey during the ABC interview, and we were left to wonder, too, whether this might turn out to be a rehash of no news.

But Palfrey did make news, talking strongly and eloquently about alleged clients, a list of whom she says likely includes Vice President Dick Cheney, Bill Clinton political guru Dick Morris and other high-ranking politicos. She also adamantly denied that Chandra Levy, a government intern and acquaintance of former Congressman Gary Condit found murdered in DC in 2001, ever worked for her escort service, despite many behind-the scenes claims to the contrary. Read more…

................................................................................................................................................................................................
comments (45) | digg this | reddit | facebook | del.icio.us | stumble | permalink

A scheming vice president of the United States, tired of being #2, sets a devious plan into motion to get rid of the president, making him look like a bumbling idiot. Congress is filled with creatures whose tiny minds stand in inverse proportion to their wide, spreading butts. Journalists are in bed with politicians, literally. Oh, and hookers are everywhere.

But enough about last week’s headlines.

Jamie Malanowski, the managing editor of Playboy, has written his second novel, The Coup (Doubleday), a satirical tour de force of Washington, in which he masterfully rips most of his plot points (see first paragraph) from the contemporary political palette (again, sadly, see first graph).

The names therein have been changed, we presume, to protect the not-so-innocent. But why? At many points during our reading of his 240-page tome, we wished, probably quite naively we admit, that Malanowski had done away with that perfunctory pleasantry. Tell your readers, Jamie, which politician we all know has been having an affair. Use his real name. Highlight the journalist who’s sexed and is still sexing her way to the top of the DC journo-world. Use her real name. Let it all hang out, and face the consequences. Get sued, Jamie. For the sake of humanity, get sued. Forget about selling a book via the traditional route. Burn bridges for the simple sake of telling the truth.

The book is good and will be an especially fun and funny read for those far removed from the insidious world of Beltway politics and journalism. Anyone with a conscience who still chooses to live within the milieu, however, will probably have to stop reading by page 11 to reconsider his or her life’s journey. No doubt, the masochists among us, like Ana Marie Cox, for instance, will get her kicks (and quips) without really examining, or explaining to her readers, why the book “manages to excavate an ugly and hilarious truth about Washington.” Explaining how, after all, is the easy part. The why, perhaps, could get her in trouble.

But Jamie went the traditional route, visiting DC late last week to attend a party hosted by The Washington Monthly in his honor. He saw old pals who’ve published his work; he met young journalists who gushed about Playboy’s articles (hoping all the while to see their bylines in its pages sooner rather than later); yes, he danced within our milieu for a few short hours.

And then he left — leaving us and others like us to ponder the whys of this specific universe, the hub that happens to lead the free world. After the party Big Head DC caught up with Malanowski in an effort to help you, dear readers, to piece together your own whys, whatever they may be: Read more…

................................................................................................................................................................................................
comments (4) | digg this | reddit | facebook | del.icio.us | stumble | permalink

Once upon a time, there was a mysterious Web site set up by a Congressional staffer, or staffers, which only allowed other Congressional staffers to post messages on it. Speculation often ran rampant by commenters on the site regarding the sexiness of various Senators, the best place to grab a drink after work, and, rarely, wonky policy matters were even discussed. At some point, the identity of the staffer who set it up was revealed, and lots of people got fired.

But!

The firing part hasn’t happened yet. Today, Big Head DC brings you an exclusive interview with the site’s still anonymous creator:

Big Head DC: Would you expose the IP addresses of users, if you were ever caught?

Anonymous Creator: That would be impossible. The site is setup in such a way that I don’t even collect IP addresses.

BHDC: How did you come up with the idea for the Web site? Read more…

................................................................................................................................................................................................
comments (1) | digg this | reddit | facebook | del.icio.us | stumble | permalink

For better or for worse, Christopher Tidmore’s life has long been intertwined with that of disgraced GOP Sen. David Vitter. Tidmore, now a politician himself running for a Louisiana state legislature seat at as a Republican, was not too long ago a journalist — a journalist who struck gold when he uncovered Vitter’s extramarital affair with a prostitute named Wendy Cortez (who Vitter knew as “Leah”) in the summer of 2002. While Vitter was able to successfully dodge and deny Tidmore’s hard-hitting reports back then, this week’s revelations about his “DC Madam” entanglements have largely redeemed Tidmore. We sat down with the candidate to talk about the news:

Rob Capriccioso, Editor, Big Head DC: Are you surprised that Sen. Vitter has been caught with his pants down again?

Christopher Tidmore: I had hoped for the sake of his family and career that Sen. Vitter changed his proclivities. By all accounts, he did not. In retrospect, though, no, I am not surprised. Vitter went vengefully after anyone related to the story, even me, the reporter, who told the tale as fairly as I could.

To paraphrase Shakespeare, “The Gentleman doth protest too much, methinks.” Why waste so much political capital and effort for five years if you did not have something to hide — especially if visiting prostitutes was an ongoing pattern of behavior, a saga of lies.

RC: Do you believe that the prostitute he used in the past was a separate person from the “DC Madam” escort he used?

CT: There is little doubt we are speaking of at least two different people.

Wendy Cortez lived in New Orleans, and relocated to Atlanta after Vitter’s election to Congress. She had no links to the DC Madam. In the interviews with Wendy Cortez, she said that she met Vitter independently, through a friend, and visited him at a small apartment at the corner of Dumaine and Dauphine Streets in the French Quarter.

The Madam of the raided Canal Street Brothel has begun to say that Wendy Cortez worked independently of her, but was a special favorite of Vitter’s.

Ultimately, I believe that Wendy Cortez was a separate case was due to the way she described that the relationship between her and Vitter ending. Their tryst reportedly lasted eleven months. Wendy C. had been using the name “Leah”, but Vitter asked her what her real name was. Apparently, seeing a call girl with the same name as his wife was a bit too intense for the-then State Representative. As it might be for anyone…

RC: What can you tell me about Wendy Vitter, the Senator’s wife? How do you think she is coping?

CT: I have to feel for Wendy Vitter and her children - particularly her children - facing comments and looks as they go to school each morning. Wendy Vitter has always put her life on hold to help David Vitter’s career. She is a very capable and intelligent woman who must be embarrassed to no end.

RC: How far did Vitter go to discredit you when you were a reporter?

CT: Quite far. He used his influence to deny job opportunities that were presented to me, as he did to others related to the story, and publicly said repeatedly that not only were the stories lies, but they were politically motivated to destroy him. Read more…

................................................................................................................................................................................................
comments (7) | digg this | reddit | facebook | del.icio.us | stumble | permalink

Big Head DC recently sat down for an exclusive e-mail exchange with Korin Miller, the Washington Post’s famed Names & Faces gossip columnist. For once, thanks to a silly little story she shared about Tom Hanks, we were glad not to be the ones doing the dishing!

BHDC: What’s a typical day like for Washington’s go-to gossip gal?

KM: Hmm…I don’t think any day is really typical by most standards. I usually start off by reading up on gossip in D.C. and beyond and then, depending on which celebrity is in town, may end up tracking that person around D.C. or interviewing them. The daily routine always varies – that’s the beauty of working in gossip.

BHDC: Do you want to be a gossip reporter forever?

KM: It’s hard to say right now. Gossip reporting is a ton of fun, but the fast pace and crazy subject matter lends itself to a high burnout rate.

BHDC: What do you hate and love about gossip reporting in the District?

KM: I love that Washington has so many unique personalities that pass through, from politicians to actors to athletes. It’s a blast to get the inside scoop on what they’re all up to and to get the chance to chat with celebrities up close and in person. I honestly don’t hate anything about the job except that gossip news tends to slow down big time in the summer.

BHDC: What’s the craziest thing that’s ever happend to you as a result of this gig?

KM: Well, I just tracked ducklings from the U.S. trade representative’s office to their new location in front of the Department of the Interior, so I wouldn’t exactly call that normal. The craziest thing probably happened when I first started with the column and was assigned to cover a Tom Hanks red carpet event at the Air and Space museum. The event was cutting very close to deadline so I had to get my interview and get the story in ASAP. An overeager photographer checked me out of the way in the press line and Tom accidentally bypassed me. His publicist made me run onto the red carpet and squish myself between him and his wife, Rita, while they did an interview for Entertainment Tonight to guarantee that I’d speak with him next. My terrified face was broadcast on ET that night, mushed between Tom and Rita. My family thought it was hilarious.

BHDC: And finally, as we ask all BHDC interviewees, what do YOU think of Big Head DC?

KM: It’s an entertaining site and a fun read.

BHDC: Thanks, Korin, we love you!

................................................................................................................................................................................................
comments (3) | digg this | reddit | facebook | del.icio.us | stumble | permalink

Rosie O’Donnell calls him a gay Nazi. The Toronto Star calls him the Hunter S. Thompson of snark. Perez Hilton calls him his mentor.

We call him just another guy who hates bush.

Big Head DC recently caught up with legendary NYC columnist Michael Musto as he prepares to embark on a tour of Washington, DC to promote his new book La Dolce Musto, a gathering of his greatest hits from his popular Village Voice column over the past twenty years. Watch, love and learn, kids:

BHR: People probably best know you as the prince of celebrity pop culture, but sometimes you have Washington-focused items. Have you ever thought about leaving NYC to come here to gossip?

MM: Ah, there’s no way that’s gonna happen (laughs). I only can exist in New York, really. I know that there’s been gossips who’ve come out of DC to New York – and maybe did better in DC – but New York is just the milieu that’s right for me. I can’t drive. I don’t drive at all. I’m completely hopeless in any place other than New York City.

BHR: In your book, you recall an interesting time at the one of the Reagan inaugural balls. Have you been to any Presidential balls since?

MM: No. I was really a fish out of water in that case… It was the second batch of Reagan inaugural balls that I went to, I went to one of them, and I describe it as one of the eight circles of hell. I just didn’t belong. I had on a ratty rented tuxedo, you know, I was the only non-Republican in the room. I was trying to stuff myself on the trail mix. I think they called it shuttle mix. Yeah, I went running back to New York.

BHR: So you don’t feel comfortable here?

MM: Well, when I’ve gone there for nightlife jaunts, I’ve felt very comfortable. I’ve had a great time.

BHR: Mary Cheney has been in the news recently because of her pregnancy. Love her or hate her?

MM: Well, everybody’s always coming down on her, but I think it must be really difficult to be Mary Cheney. You know, she’s between a rock and a hard place. She’s a lesbian in a family that can’t be thrilled about the fact that she’s a lesbian, and her family has to act like they’re okay with it because she’s their daughter. Yet, they have to advocate public policy that seems to be against her way of life. So, I wouldn’t want to be her… She has to feel kind of like a second-class citizen in her own family. It’s easy to target her as a villain, but she’s in a very unenviable position.

BHR: What about Dick Cheney? Do you think he loves Mary or hates her?

MM: (laughs) I think he’s probably torn between the policies he’s chosen to espouse and the fact that she’s obviously a decent person and she’s his own flesh and blood. The good thing about Mary Cheney is that she holds up a mirror to the Republican Party’s own hypocrisy. And people keep reminding him and asking him how he feels about his daughter. He says it’s irrelevant, but it’s not irrelevant… If your own flesh and blood is a lesbian and has a family, then why shouldn’t she be afforded the same rights as anybody else?

BHR: Does Dick scare you at all? Read more…

................................................................................................................................................................................................
comments (14) | digg this | reddit | facebook | del.icio.us | stumble | permalink

Time to time, we’ve had some fun poking at the glorious legend that is Washington’s own Kelly Ann Collins, but, in the end, we always crave her quirky wit and classic allure. Graciously, the vivacious vixen recently sat down for an exclusive BHDC interview to fill us in on all things KAC. While she’s still got a mischievous glow that’ll never die, we were quite surprised when she decided to reveal a more serious side to her fans. Enjoy:

BHR: Several people have been asking me where you are, and I keep telling them that you’re busy workin’ it. Is that true?

KAC: I’m always on the go, as usual.

BHR: So, the old blog is on hiatus, but you’re toiling away at Revolution Health? What’s that about?

KAC: Club Rev is where it’s at … I update it daily. Check it out: https://www.revolutionhealth.com/blogs/kelly/. I’m still at STYLE mag, too:
http://dcstylemag.com/blog_main.cfm?T=%22%23M%2F0%0A

BHR: Are we reading a censored KAC on the Rev blog?

KAC: You’re reading a different side of KAC at Club Rev. Did you know I used to be a hardcore news gal? I was with USATODAY.com for Columbine, Kosovo, the JFK, Jr., crash. (It was called USA Today Interactive back then, I was there during the rise of the dotcom.) I also used to work undercover as an investigative journalist, have run a few companies (two newspapers, PR firm and a Web development company) and have won several press association awards. There are many things you don’t know about me, my dear.

BHR: Oh, I always knew you are hardcore, but some people have an impression of you as not much more than a party girl - DC’s Lindsay Lohan. What would you say to them?

KAC: Hmm. I’d say they need to loosen up. I realize that life is short. Watching my grandmother — who was my best friend — die from cancer was completely painful. I feel sad that she is gone, but lucky to be healthy and surrounded by wonderful people. Believe it or not, I used to be pretty uptight. All business. My grandmother always told me I needed to let my hair down and have more fun. She was right. I was missing out. So now I try to help others as much as I can while living my life to its fullest, in her honor.

BHR: Well said, KAC. How did that rumor get started that you are mad at me? Are you mad at me?

KAC: No idea…I don’t have time for baby games. It probably had something to do with a conversation you had with Jessica Cutler that was posted on some blogs? Someone sent a link to me, but I didn’t have time to read the whole thing. Don’t believe everything you hear — or read. The blogosphere (and the WWW for that matter) can be a crazy place.

BHR: Oh, do I know it. Until we meet again, my dear, keep your chin up and one high heel in front of the other.

................................................................................................................................................................................................
comments (10) | digg this | reddit | facebook | del.icio.us | stumble | permalink

On this happiest of Mondays, kids, we’re excited to help acquaint you with a new Big Head Rob character, Mockette, who officially begins her reign today as a co-editor of your most beloved Washington gossip Web site.

With a sense of fashion to die for and an equally impressive background in journalism, Mockette has long had her eyes steadily fixed on the DC media and culture scene. In other words, she’s a lady after our own heart. Before she starts regularly contributing to the site, we asked her to do one of our famous BHR interviews. And, since we’re paying her for her contributions, she readily agreed:

BHR: First of all, welcome to this crazy world that some people call ”the Google.” How does it feel to begin working for Big Head Rob?

Mockette: What can I say? It feels amazing. You’ve been asking me to do this for longer than DCB’s Sally has been getting her hair bleached, so I finally had to give in. Especially now that you can afford me, unlike DCist and Metroblogging DC.

BHR: Yeah, you certainly don’t come cheap. But what’s with the Mockette moniker? Are you afraid of revealing your true self to our readers?

Mockette: Fear is not in my vocabulary, BHR, as you well know. I prefer to think of myself as a “secret shopper.” You never know where I might turn up, and what little scoops I might uncover. WaPo’s Tom Sietsema goes to great lengths to make sure that people don’t know what he looks like. How else could he get a restaurant to serve him? I’ll go to great lengths to make sure no one unveils the real me, and I can guarantee it will be advantageous to your, er, our readers.

BHR: “Our” readers, indeed — already making yourself at home, huh? Can you at least share whether you have any tattoos?

Mockette: Yeah, my arms are enshrined with little twinkling stars in subtle tribute to Ana Marie Cox, but I went a step further: My legs, too, have red, purple and pink butterflies from toe to hip. Seriously, no, I don’t have any tats, but I’m considering getting the BHR logo inked in a special place at some point.

BHR: Fantastic! We’re thinking Christmas bonus… Now, a serious question: What version of A Star is Born is your fave?

Mockette: There’s more than one version? Judy Garland’s 1954 rendition is the only one that ranks in my mind (and heart). Maybe someday I’ll sing a song from the film and post it here.

BHR: You’ve always been a self-promoter, Mockette. We love that! And we certainly love you. We sincerely look forward to your contributions and are honored that you’ve decided to join the team.

Mockette: Thanks, BHR. Now watch out, kids, ready or not, here I come. There’s no place to hide. E-mail me anytime, day or night, with your most secret Washington media and cultural gossip: mockette@gmail.com  

................................................................................................................................................................................................
comments (1) | digg this | reddit | facebook | del.icio.us | stumble | permalink