I Did Not Have Sex With That Woman, Part 2

Carlene · May 2, 2007

I can't believe no one has posted about this yet. What's with you guys...

Deputy Secretary of State Randall L. Tobias submitted his resignation Friday, one day after confirming to ABC News that he had been a customer of a Washington, D.C. escort service whose owner has been charged by federal prosecutors with running a prostitution operation.

Tobias, 65, director of U.S. Foreign Assistance and administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), had previously served as the ambassador for the President's Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief.

A State Department press release late Friday afternoon said only he was leaving for "personal reasons."

On Thursday, Tobias told ABC News he had several times called the "Pamela Martin and Associates" escort service "to have gals come over to the condo to give me a massage."

Tobias, who is married, said there had been "no sex," and that recently he had been using another service "with Central Americans" to provide massages.

Tobias' private cell number was among thousands of numbers listed in the telephone records provided to ABC News by Jeane Palfrey, the woman dubbed the "D.C. Madam," who is facing the federal charges.

In an interview to be broadcast on "20/20" next Friday, Palfrey says she intends to call Tobias and a number of her other prominent D.C. clients to testify at her trial.

As the Bush administration's so-called "AIDS czar," Tobias was criticized by some for emphasizing faithfulness and abstinence over condom use to prevent the spread of AIDS.

In a 2004 interview, Tobias explained his approach as "A and B and C. . . Abstinence works. 'Be faithful' works. Condoms work. They all have a role. But it's not a multiple choice, where there is only one answer."

As a top official overseeing global AIDS funding to other countries, Tobias was responsible for enforcing a U.S. policy, enacted during the Bush administration, that requires recipients to swear they oppose prostitution and sex trafficking. USAID adopted a similar policy in 2004.

At an April 18 speech, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice praised Tobias' work. "Randy Tobias has indeed had many roles in his life, but none more important than the roles he's played in government, where he has been someone who has been most involved in organizing America's compassion to the world."

lisah25 · May 2, 2007

I think I'm just in scandal-shock. It seems like every week it's something else!

wavydaby · May 2, 2007

I want to pose this. Should it really be a scandal? Its his private life, he is obviously not "practicing what he is preaching". But he is publicly trying to get things changed. Granted I dont follow all of what he does or necessarily want to be 'pro-what he is PUBLICALLY standing for'.

Why do we really care what anyone does behind closed doors?

So he wanted a "happy ending" with his massage.

I think its said he had to go to a prositute to get said massage, I dont agree with it and I think thats horrible.

But is it a scandal-worth subject?

Maybe I am in "scandal overdose"

Daisalana · May 2, 2007

I have limited my intake of Fox News since being banded. The day I was banded was the Virginia tech shooting.. and you know how like if you get sick eating xxx, it's hard to eat xxx later on? I woke up directly out of surgery (Fox News was on in my room, someone knew I liked that channel!) And in my drugged up stuper, literally from 10am (after surgery) till noon the NEXT Day when I was discharged, I would fade in and out to the VT shooting. It really overloaded me, and with the pain I was in from surgery, left a bad taste in my mouth- on top of the tragedy I mean.

So, ever since I have not beeing watching the news. Getting good vibes, not all this worry and scare.--That's where I've been :target:

With the sex with people in authority, there are exceptions, like the Florida guy who solicited sex from boys.. I don't think it's our business. Unless it's breaking the law, because then I worry that they feel bending the law to suit them will only harm us in the long run.

I'm up in the air about the escort service, really. It's legal in some parts of the US (Maybe only the one place outside of Vegas, not sure if there's more?). I guess the bottom line is he did it illegally, and that's a moral issue, not just his sex life. I guess a better example would be Clinton. I am not pro-Clinton but I feel we had absolutely no business delving into his sex life. It was consentuating adults, and was better left out of the media.