At some point there will be no Republicans left to scandalize – at least if the current track record is any indication – because people will get so fed up, they’ll look elsewhere for a political home.
The latest scandal, broken by Greg Patterson at espressopundit and picked up by Dennis Welch at the Arizona Guardian, is in Arizona, where the founder of a social political club, Politics on the Rocks, showed up on the client list of a call-girl ring. Charles Jensen has said it’s “100 percent false” and he’s hired an attorney to defend him and his name.
The good news is that two of the advisory board members, radio personality Mike Broomhead and Paradise Valley Mayor and potential gubernatorial candidate, Vernon Parker, have resigned the Politics on the Rocks board out of protest. *UPDATE - It appears that John Munger has resigned as well.
I’ve never been to any of the Politics on the Rocks events, but I’ve heard they generate big crowds of young professionals. It’s sad that this scandal will taint these young people’s view of politics.
Escort client list shakes up political community
Sunday, 27 September 2009 21:45 Dennis Welch
By Dennis Welch
The Arizona GuardianAt least two prominent Republicans quit an influential GOP organization this weekend because its leader has been linked to one of the state’s biggest prostitution stings.
Charles Jensen, founder of Politics on the Rocks, was one of several thousand names on a list of clients of the Desert Divas, a high-end escort service busted last year by Phoenix police.Although Jensen denies any involvement with the prostitution ring, Paradise Valley Mayor Vernon Parker and conservative talk-radio personality Mike Broomhead have resigned from the political group’s advisory board. Parker last week announced his intentions to explore a run for governor at a meeting of the group at a Paradise Valley resort.
Phoenix police released the list of clients’ names last year but without any addresses or other information. A more detailed list was made public last week after Greg Patterson, who writes the political blog Espresso Pundit, obtained it through a public records request. He published the list on hs Web site last last week and the political community has been buzzing ever since.
Parker told the Guardian on Sunday that he is stepping down from the advisory board until the matter is cleared up. He said he had no idea Jensen’s name was on Desert Divas’ list when he joined the group.
Jensen “and I spoke on the phone last night and came to the conclusion that it would be best for the organization that I resign until this gets resolved,” Parker said.
Jensen created the national organization –- which has seven chapters through the country — as a way for conservative Republicans to meet and network in a social setting. Most of the gatherings for the local chapter take place at a posh resort in Paradise Valley. The political social-club’s logo is an elephant holding a martini glass.
Besides Parker, other high-profile Republican leaders have appeared at the group’s gatherings. Arizona Sen. John McCain recently was the keynote speaker. And state Treasurer Dean Martin, who also is eying a run for the governor’s office, is scheduled to speak next month.Jensen, who said he didn’t even know his name was on the list until last week, adamantly denies he used the escort service. He says he has hired an attorney to “go after” anyone who accuses him of doing so.
Jensen’s name and home address appear on list of alleged clients, according to police records.
The documents show that escorts from Desert Divas visited his home three times between July and December 2007.
“I’ve hired an attorney to fight anyone who insinuates I had anything to do with this,” Jensen said Sunday. “This is 100 percent false.”
Jensen said he’s got airline tickets and hotel receipts showing he was out of town each time the records show the escorts were going to his north Scottsdale home. But Jensen said he needs to confer with his attorney before making his own records publicly available.Jensen said he suspects someone staying at his home during that time period may have called for escorts. But he declined to identify that person or their relationship to him.
He has never been contacted by police about the Desert Divas, Jensen said.Jensen also confirmed that Broomhead, who hosts the Republican-friendly Mike Broomhead Show on KFYI 550 AM, has also stepped down from the board, at least for now. Broomhead was unavailable for comment on Sunday.
“I feel really sorry for him. It’s too bad,” Jensen said. “He hadn’t even been to an advisory board meeting.”
Members of the advisory board meet once a year and don’t have a large role in the organization, Jensen said.Having well known GOP leaders affiliated with the club helps with promotion and establishes it as a legitimate group, he said.
While Parker and Broomhead are the only two who have officially stepped down from the 12-member board, others are considering whether they will continue working with Jensen’s group.
Sen. Jonathan Paton, a Republican from Tucson, says he’s undecided whether he’s going to stay on the board or not.
“I’ll have talk to Charles first,” Paton told the Guardian on Sunday. “I haven’t done anything with them yet.”
Paton said he joined this year after Jensen called him and asked if he could help with events in the southern part of the state.
The Desert Divas case began in 2007 when police got a tip about the prostitution ring. They made a first round of arrests in August 2008. Since then, more than 50 people have been arrestd in what authorities have called the largest prostitution bust in Arizona history.
A less detailed list of Desert Divas’ clients was released last year, but that document did not include addresses or other personal identifying information. The latest document released by Phoenix police does.
Authorities have discovered that some of the names on the list were made up. Police have not been concentrating on the clients of Desert Divas, saying those on the list are not suspects.
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Sean
Why are you publicizing this story? Charles says he hasn’t used the service, and he’s further said that he has receipts and other documentary evidence of his out of state travel during the dates in question.
When he releases those, which department will he go to to get his reputation back?
The fact of the matter is that hundreds of people attend these events, in sharp contrast with any other GOP event in Arizona. Charles has done more to promote the party and bring people into the fold than ANYBODY in recent memory.
Why bring this up? Saying that people resigned “in protest” is wildly inaccurate, and contradicts what they themselves have stated for their reasons.
I really don’t get this.
If you’re going to report that Charles Jensen is on the list, who no one has heard of and who denies it, why don’t you report that bigtime Republican lobbyist Mike Williams is on the list? Show some fairness.
Disappointed Sean that you would write this without the facts. When you soon find out who is actually behind this,and what it’s all about, the truth will be out for all to see and its not going to be pretty.
Do you guys propose that Sean not write about things like this (read: things with potentially negative outcomes for Republicans) in the hopes that ignoring them will make them go away? He’s not reporting any of this as a fact, if you actually read what his post says. True or not, it IS sad that the GOP is going to suffer from another sex scandal. Sean would have been irresponsible to brush something like this under the rug; and just remember the bloody murder we would be screaming if the shoe was on the other foot.
[...] Sunday. Sean Noble also picked up on it today and even reprinted Welch’s article on his blog, Noble Thinking. And one of our own, “GOP Cannon” posted his/her take on it earlier today. So now [...]
Thank you for exposing this story on Charles Jensen being listed in a prostitution ring’s records, Sean. I’ve been appaled by what I’ve read so far.
I had always gotten the feeling that there wasn’t something kosher with the man after meeting him at an event. It wasn’t hard to see through his fake salesmanship charm. He came across as just another gloryhound Scottsdale clubber who likes to throw big parties.
I mean the man’s organizational logo is an elephant holding a martini glass, after all. Getting a bunch of Republicans together to drink at a bar doesn’t make Jensen important. Sorry to burst his bubble.
Shame on those who defend him merely because they like the guy. Where are your facts to contradict the merits of the stories Sean presents??? Charles simply saying, “They aren’t true” doesn’t cut it.
One of his big supporters is someone who blogs incessantly to attack his political opponents with little to no fact checking. Sean offers no opinion on his guilt or innocence and uses credible sources (papers, a police-seized database and respected bloggers), unlike the anonymous junk some bloggers call “credible sources”… Shame on you all for attacking the man for breaking an important story.
Lowdown: Charles has done little to further the Republican cause. In fact, with this exposed scandal, he’s just doing more to set us further back.
Talk is cheap. If Charles has sound evidence to refute his allegedly repeated use of high-end prostitutes, then why not present it now? Charles, provide the receipts you claim to have and prove it was your roommate and not you. Until then, do the GOP a favor and disappear for a while.
Regardless, from what I’ve heard about Jensen and read about him on the blogs, even if he is innocent of the prostitution use charge, I will no longer be attending any more POTR events.
You know, Sean, Greg Patterson, all of them have the right. A call girl client list is notoriously common in political circles, just ask the likes of Gary Hart or Dick Morris.
But, I would encourage the guys slimed, if you’re telling the truth, take a photo of the one or two scumbags, term used purposely, to the WOMEN of the night, and see if they remember what the guys looked like. I would not be shocked if one or two scum pulled a fake identity scam.
For to long we a Republicans have allowed this type of thing to go on in our party and have put up with it. It doesn’t matter if it is true or not it is the preseption that matters. We in the Republican Party have a preseption problem and rightfully so.
This is just one of the preseption problems we have. While the Democrats have these problems it is not as big a deal. Why? Because it is expected of them. We hold ourselves as Republicans to a much higher standard and put ourselves out there as a hire standard. So we need to act that way. If we don’t want our name associated with this type of behavior, we shouldn’t associate with people who don’t have our same values.
Is Charles guilty or not? I don’t know? Do I care only in that it put another mark on the GOP.
First, Charles tells the “AZ Guardian” that it was his roommate who must have done it. Now, Shane Wikfors of the “Sonoran Alliance” reports that Charles told him he didn’t even reside at the house in question in 2007. Something doesn’t add up.
I’ll try to keep an open mind, but it doesn’t look promising for Mr. Jensen. Let’s look at this story from multiple perspectives:
#1) Charles isn’t really that politically important. So why should we care?
#2) Since it’s all the buzz and threatens to ruin his and POTR’s reputation (not to mention hurting the GOP’s), ask yourself: Why hasn’t Charles submitted any proof to defend himself?
(a) Btw, receipts don’t prove anything unless he can provide them for the day before the alleged prostitution services day, the day of and the day after to show he wasn’t in town.
(b) Why? Because he could have had his alleged encounter with the prostitute on Monday, for instance, and flown out of town later that day and have receipts showing him in Houston or wherever on Monday night and Tuesday.
#3) Why are Charles’s supporters trying so hard to take our focus off Jensen and deflect the issue to the AZ GOP ED? Personally, I don’t care for Mecum nor approve of his actions, but how are they germane to whether or not Charles Jensen had sex with at least 3 prostitutes? Jensen wasn’t a known entity in ‘07 so I don’t buy any of the “he was set up” conspiracy theories.
Also, whether or not Mecum helped leak the story is irrelevant to Jensen’s guilt or innocence. Mecum didn’t create the list. He didn’t do the research. Nor was he the one who broke the story.
#4) These were unaltered records seized by the Phx PD from Desert Diva’s computer files. Keep in mind, Desert Diva’s incentive is to try keep accurate records so they can follow up with repeat customers to ensure their continued service. They also try very hard to screen and verify their users’ identities to avoid being set up by the police.
The smart Johns use aliases and rendezvous with the hookers at hotels. The dumb ones…well they end up on a list that Desert Diva’s undoubtedly promised would “remain absolutely confidential and never disclosed but maintained to ensure ‘optimal customer service.’” Oops…
Sean here is the PROOF that Mr. Jensen had NOTHING to do with this. I think some of the commenters her owe Charles a HUGE apology!
I am fairly disappointed Sean that you are assuming he is guilty. I don’t think it’s bad that you post the news, because it’s the news, but your conclusion at the end really assumes he is guilty. What is that about?
Now while I trust Charles, and if he says he didn’t do it, I believe him, but really, what if he did? The man is single, and prostitution should be legal. It would be different if he were married because that would be clear evidence that he was violating his wedding vows or whatever, but really I don’t see what the big deal is here… I guess none of that matters because he didn’t do it, but even if he did I don’t see what the big deal would be.
Mr. Vath,
Shame on you! You owe US a huge apology. I believe it is YOU who should apologize for your irresponsible claim that the documents you post are somehow definitive proof that Jensen didn’t have sex with hookers on 3 separate occasions, despite being in Desert Diva’s database.
Mr. Jensen may very well be innocent but the evidence supplied to you by Mr. Jensen is weak, insufficient and missing key information (receipts, dates, travel itinerary, etc.). As my English uncle would say about your assertion of undeniable PROOF, “Poppycock!”
Your loyalty to Jensen and hatred of Mecum apparently prevent you from being neutral and fair. If it had been Mecum or Randy Pullen’s name on that Desert Diva list I strongly believe you’d be the first one trumpeting it as gospel truth.
The fact that soooo many of Jensen’s supporters are trying so hard to regurgitate old smears against Mecum makes me even MORE suspicious of Jensen’s alleged encounters with hookers. Why the desperate need to turn our attention elsewhere? Well, I read your 1 commentator’s analysis and agree with her. In fact, since Mr. Jensen seems unable to provide the necessary receipts to TRULY prove his innocence, I can only assume the worst…
Follow the link I followed on Jeff Vath’s (Tony GOPrano’s) post above to see what I’m talking about. Be sure to read the post’s 1st commmentator’s entry (unless Vath deletes it…)
P5sdvA I want to say - thank you for this!
Here are 2 articles, independent from me that say the same thing I have. Go after them like you have me. I am NOT the story here:
GOP organizer provides records showing he was gone on Desert Diva days
By Dennis Welch
The Arizona Guardian
The founder of a popular Republican social club has airline and credit card receipts that he says show he was not in town when a high-priced escort service allegedly sent women to his north Scottsdale home.
Charles Jensen, the founder and director of Politics on the Rocks, was in Chicago and the Los Angeles area on the dates in 2007 that appeared next to his name on a list of alleged clients of Desert Divas, his travel records show.
Jensen, who has maintained he never used the escort service busted by Phoenix police last year, released the information to the media on Wednesday. He has said that someone living …
Read more…
From yesterday’s AZ Cap Times YELLOW SHEET:
CHARLES JENSEN, ‘ON THE ROCKS,’ PRODUCES DOCUMENTS
ARTICLE POSTED 9.30.2009 | 3:53 PM
Charles Jensen of the GOP group “Politics on the Rocks” has produced documents he says prove that he never hired a prostitute from Desert Divas. The name “Charles Jensen” appeared on a client list released by the Phoenix Police Department, which busted the prostitution ring last year. And the address listed next to the name “Charles Jensen” matched that of the Politics on the Rocks’ Jensen. Jensen provided the documents to the blog Politico Mafioso (politicomafioso.blogspot.com), and he says they back up his claim that he was out of state on all three occasions “Charles Jensen” used Desert Divas. For the first date listed on the Divas’ list - July 16, 2007 - Jensen supplied a scanned copy of a Southwest Airlines itinerary that shows he was in L.A. from July 15 through the 19. On the second date - Nov. 27, 2007 - Jensen says he was traveling in Chicago, and he provides another scanned Southwest Airlines itinerary. He also apparently ate at a restaurant called Tavern on Rush in Chicago on the 29th, where he spent $240.07 on a dinner that included 3 filet mignons, asparagus, fruit sorbet and four Maker’s Marks, according to a scanned receipt. On the final date - Dec. 1, 2007 - Jensen provides a scanned copy of a hotel receipt from the Manhattan Beach Marriott in California. Capitol lobbyist Mike Williams also says he was traveling (to Seattle with family) on the date that the list says a “Mike Williams” of “Williams & Associates” paid for a Desert Divas’ prostitute named “Samantha.”
Wow. The Democrats just won here…without even being involved. Hurray for in-fighting.
This Charles Jensen guy seems like a real idiot. It is sad that a guy like this, even though he isn’t the greatest looking of guys in the world, needs to hire a prostitute.
Sad
I am not even going to get into how partisan (and pathetic) the comments on this page are. Sean took a FAIR look at what has happened. The Guardian’s story is not accusatory. Charles Jensen is not a political heavyweight, but the people who are shying away from his organization are, and THAT is the story.