Larry Flynt's Crusade

Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flynt has made allegations against another Republican congressman. This time it's Rep. Bob Barr of Georgia, one of the 13 House members who are presenting the impeachment case against President Clinton.

Some serious political heavyweights and pundits have found themselves in the peculiar position of commenting on Larry Flynt's reporting.

Flynt and several of those pundits commented Tuesday on CBS This Morning.

Flynt also said that Barr, during divorce proceedings against Gail Barr in 1985, invoked a Georgia law to refuse to answer questions on whether he had an affair with the woman who later became his third wife.

On CBS This Morning, Flynt said this showed the "hypocrisy" of those seeking to remove President Clinton from office.

Flynt, who considers himself a defender of free speech, is offering big money for scandalous details on the lives of politicians. He says this is just the opening salvo of his campaign to expose politicians with double standards. He promises to expose an even "bigger fish" than Barr.

Barr denies Flynt's claims, saying he's "deeply saddened" by them and is trying to focus on substance, not personal accusations.

Larry Flynt told CBS This Morning Co-Anchor Thalia Assuras that his activities are prompted by the fact that the impeachment trial process against the president is continuing despite Mr. Clinton's high public approval rating.

"No one was standing up to be counted, and I said, 'hey, you know, there is hypocrisy on both sides of the aisle, let's expose it, give these women a reason to come out'," Flynt said. "Before, if you had an affair with a congressman or senator, there was no up side to admitting it because the most you can expect is to lose your job or get run out of town. Now we're giving them incentive to come out."

Many of those who impeached President Clinton have argued that the allegations against him are not about his private life but about lying under oath and obstructing justice.

Flynt responds: "The pundits and the legal scholars can argue until they are blue in the face about perjury and obstruction of justice. But I say, it still boils down to sex. That's what this whole matter is about."

How did we get to this point, and what is the manhunt doing to the political landscape? To political scientist, Larry Sabato, "It is beyond incredible that we have reached the point where a porno publisher is driving the American politics."

The halls of the Capitol have been abuzz since October, when Larry Flynt took out an ad offering to pay anyone who could prove an adulterous affair with a proinent elected official. Casualty number one was Republican Bob Livingston. The House Speaker-designate resigned when Flynt threatened to go public with details of several alleged extramarital affairs.

"Whether Congressman Livingston intended to do it or not," Sabato says, "he considerably shored up Larry Flynt's credibility."

Many see Flynt as the worst kind of sleaze monger. But Flynt sees himself as a crusader for sexual freedom and free speech.

Clifford May is communications director for the Republican National Committee: "I'm sure there are people preemptively confessing to their spouses all kinds of indiscretions. Unless he comes up with somebody who has lied under oath and obstructed justice, none of this is relevant."

Democrat Charles Rangel, who has served nearly 30 years in Congress, believes Flynt's tactics ultimately hurt both parties:
"Unfortunately there are far too many Democrats that are enjoying what is going on, not realizing that one day it is Flynt against the Republicans, the next day it's going to be some guy against the Democrats."

©1999 CBS Worldwide Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report