7 of 9 In Political/Sex Scandal!!

[Darryl G. Thomas]

GOP Nominee Fights Calls to Exit Contest
Ex-Wife Alleges Coerced Sex in Public

By Dan Balz
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, June 23, 2004; Page A04

Republicans suffered a significant setback in their bid to hold on to the open Senate seat in Illinois as GOP nominee Jack Ryan yesterday tried to fight off calls to quit the race after allegations by his ex-wife that he had pressured her to perform sexually in front of other people.

The allegations were contained in documents from the couple's bitter custody battle four years ago were ordered unsealed by a California judge after the Chicago Tribune and WLS-TV sued to have them made public. Ryan, 44, denied the allegations and said he had no intention of dropping out of the race.

The GOP candidate, a millionaire former investment banker who left the business world to teach at a Roman Catholic school in the inner city of Chicago, already faced an uphill battle against Democratic state Sen. Barack Obama, with the most recent public poll showing Obama with a lead of about 20 percentage points.

The sensational allegations divided Republicans in Illinois and Washington. Rep. Ray LaHood (R-Ill.) called for Ryan to drop out of the race to help Republicans maintain their slim majority in the U.S. Senate. "I think it becomes very difficult for Jack to win," LaHood said in a phone interview.

Sen. George Allen (R-Va.), chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), gave Ryan his support. "Senator Allen talked to Jack this morning," said Dan Allen, NRSC communications director. "They had another good conversation. We're fully behind and fully supportive of Jack."

Ryan was married to television actress Jeri Lynn Ryan. In the documents released yesterday, she alleges that in the late 1990s, her then-husband took her to "bizarre clubs" in New York, New Orleans and Paris, where he asked her to have sex "and he specifically asked other people to watch."

Jack Ryan, in the documents, charged that his wife was trying to ruin his reputation with "ridiculous" allegations. Saying he had been "faithful and loyal" to his wife throughout their marriage, he said in the documents that he had arranged "romantic getaways" with her. He said they had gone to "one avant-garde club in Paris, which was more than either one of us felt comfortable with. We left and vowed never to return."

Some top Republicans in Illinois, including former governor Jim Edgar and the state chairman, Judy Baar Topinka, made clear through friends or advisers that they felt they were misled by Ryan, who had assured them in separate conversations there was nothing embarrassing in the court documents.

Edgar and Topinka declined to comment further yesterday as they and other GOP officials waited to see the fallout. House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) also declined to comment. Spokesman John Feehery said the speaker had not spoken to Ryan since the candidate held a news conference on Monday evening to answer the allegations.

Mike Lawrence, interim director of the Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University and former press secretary to Edgar, said the allegations would make it difficult for Ryan to wage a credible campaign against Obama for the Senate vacancy created by the retirement of Sen. Peter Fitzgerald (R-Ill.). "People are going to react instinctively to this, and I believe most of the reaction will be negative," he said.

Ryan's campaign spokesman said that, with the allegations public after months of rumors about what the documents contained, the candidate could begin to refocus his campaign on other issues and move forward.

"He's got the monkey off his back," Bill Pascoe said. "For months, there's been a whispering campaign about what's in the documents from political opponents. Now that the documents have been released, everybody can see: a, those rumors weren't true, and b, there's not an allegation that there was any marital infidelity, there's not even an allegation that he broke one of the Ten Commandments, there's not even an allegation that he broke the law."

Ryan said he had fought release of the documents to protect their young son. The Ryan campaign also issued a statement from his ex-wife in which she said, "Jack is a good man, a loving father and he shares a strong bond with our son." She added that he would make "an excellent senator."

Obama kept his distance from the controversy. Asked whether he believes the allegations are relevant to the campaign, he said in a phone interview, "I just think our campaign's going to focus on matters that are important to the voters and if we do, we'll do fine."

[clinthopson]

Sounds like Ryan would be more at home in the British Cabinet.

[bluenoter]

Barack Obama was already poised to whip his ass, "with the most recent public poll showing Obama with a lead of about 20 percentage points." Too bad something like this didn't happen in a close Senate (or House) race.

[Scott Dolan]

"About" 20 points?

Tuesdays news blurb said 11.

Guess the scandal has really broken his back.

[Chris D]

"About" 20 points?

Tuesdays news blurb said 11.

Guess the scandal has really broken his back.

It has been 20 points for a while. Ryan's real problem with this is that he wasn't entirely truthful with GOP leaders who quizzed him earlier about what was in the file.

He also has proven odious in having an employee stalk Obama with a video camera.

[Gordon B]

Why would a person with high political aspirations go to S&M and sex clubs with his well-known wife?

[Pete C]

Why would a person with high political aspirations go to S&M and sex clubs with his well-known wife?

Maybe his only aspiration at the time was to teach at a Catholic school.

[Chris D]

Ryan campaign looking for exit strategy?

Don't know if you can get to this link; the Tribune is a free-password site.
As you can imagine, they've been the main source for all aspects of the Ryan store.

If you can get it, follow the links on the left to trace the history of the story.

[Pete C]

"Meet the Swinger, Polaroid Swinger. It's more than a camera, it's almost alive, it's only 19 dollars and 95."

[Chris D]

Here's the full text of the Trib's original story on the divorce file:

Ryan file a bombshell
Ex-wife alleges GOP candidate took her to sex clubs

By John Chase and Liam Ford
Tribune staff reporters
Published June 22, 2004

Republican U.S. Senate nominee Jack Ryan's ex-wife, TV actress Jeri Ryan, accused him of taking her to sex clubs in New York and Paris, where he tried to coerce her into having sex with him in front of strangers, according to records released Monday from the couple's California divorce file.

Jack Ryan denied the allegations when they were made in 2000, when the couple was engaged in a bitter child custody battle a year after their divorce.

The papers were released by California Judge Robert Schnider following his decision last week to unseal portions of the Ryans' divorce file.

Attorneys for the Tribune and WLS-Ch. 7 sought release of the records, but the Ryans had fought disclosure because they said it could harm their son. The Ryans decided not to appeal Schnider's ruling.

The political impact of the revelations on Jack Ryan's candidacy will play out over the next several days. One prominent Illinois Republican, U.S. Rep. Ray LaHood of Peoria, said he was "shocked" that Ryan would run for public office carrying such baggage and called on him to get out of the race.

Reaction from other Republicans ranged from caution to outright defense of Ryan.

"We're not looking at trying to replace Jack Ryan. He's an excellent candidate," said Dan Allen, a spokesman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee. "We feel this race will be decided on the issues."

Still, other Republicans acknowleged that Ryan's political future was in doubt. An adviser to President Bush said the revelation made it more likely the Bush-Cheney campaign would steer clear of Illinois.

Ryan is facing Democrat Barack Obama in the November general election to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Peter Fitzgerald (R-Illinois). Obama said it would not be "appropriate" for him to comment on the revelations. "Obviously Mr. Ryan and his supporters will be discussing this and I don't think that's my role," Obama said.

Among the hundreds of pages of documents released was a legal filing dated June 9, 2000, in which Jeri Ryan said she knew her marriage was over by the spring of 1998. She went on to contend that her then-husband--whom she repeatedly refers to as "respondent" in the filing--surprised her with trips to the cities but didn't tell her he planned to bring her to sex clubs while there.

"They were long weekends, supposed `romantic' getaways," Jeri Ryan said in the filing. "The clubs in New York and Paris were explicit sex clubs. Respondent had done research. Respondent took me to two clubs in New York during the day. One club I refused to go in. It had mattresses in cubicles. The other club he insisted I go to."

In releasing the files, Schnider allowed many passages to be blacked out. In the portions that were released, Jeri Ryan gave details of the trips she says she was taken on to clubs in New York and Paris. She also alleged that Jack Ryan took her to a sex club in New Orleans, but no elaboration on that trip was included in the released portion of the file.

In responding to Jeri Ryan's charges, Jack Ryan six days later described the accusations as "ridiculous" and accused her of trying to "libel" him with what he called "smut." He implied that his ex-wife had made them to ruin his reputation as he contemplated a political career.

"I was faithful and loyal to my wife throughout our marriage," Jack Ryan said in the filing. "I did arrange romantic getaways for us but that did not include the type of activities she describes. We did go to one avant-garde nightclub in Paris, which was more than either one of us felt comfortable with. We left and vowed never to return," Jack Ryan said.

He also accused Jeri Ryan of hiding a love affair from him while they were married.

On Monday, following the release of the documents, Ryan was asked several times by reporters if he stuck by his claim in the divorce file that the charges from his ex-wife were untrue. He declined to answer directly, referring repeatedly to his statement in the divorce file.

Ryan said he fought release of the files not to avoid personal and political embarrassment but to protect his son.

"A lot of people were saying to me the last three months it's politically damaging to keep these files sealed, just release the files," Ryan said. "But what dad wouldn't do the same thing I did? What dad wouldn't try to keep information about your child, that might be detrimental to the world knowing, private? Even the things moms and dads say to each other, about each other, should be kept away from children."

Ryan's campaign on Monday released a statement attributed to Jeri Ryan in which she did not retract the allegations about the sex clubs but also went on to declare that her ex-husband had never been abusive or unfaithful during their marriage.

"Jack is a good man, a loving father and he shares a strong bond with our son," the statement read.

In her 2000 filing, Jeri Ryan alleged that after she and Jack Ryan left the first sex club they entered in New York, he asked her to go to another. She said he told her that he had gone out to dinner with her that night even though he didn't want to and "the least I could do in return was go to the club he wanted me to go."

She described the second place as "a bizarre club with cages, whips and other apparatus hanging from the ceiling."

"Respondent wanted me to have sex with him there with another couple watching. I refused," Jeri Ryan continued. "Respondent asked me to perform a sexual activity upon him and he specifically asked other people to watch. I was very upset.

"We left the club and respondent apologized, said that I was right and he would never insist that I go to a club again. He promised it was out of his system."

But later, Jeri Ryan said, Jack Ryan took her to Paris where he again took her to a sex club without first telling her where they were going.

"I told him I thought it was out of his system. I told him he had promised me we would never go. People were having sex everywhere. I cried. I was physically ill. Respondent became very upset with me and said it was not a `turn-on' for me to cry. I could not get over the incident and my loss of any attraction to him as a result. Respondent knew this was a serious problem. I told him I did not know if we could work it out."

In the filing, Jeri Ryan said that by December 1998 the couple had tried counseling and reconciliation but that she thought too much damage had been done and she admitted that she had fallen in love with another man.

In another set of court documents released by Schnider, Jeri Ryan's mother Sharon Zimmermann, said her daughter complained to her in November 1998 that Jack Ryan was too controlling.

"Jeri Lynn told me that she was tired of being told what to eat, how to sit, what to wear, tired of being criticized about her physical appearance and told to exercise," Zimmermann said.

In his Monday press conference, Jack Ryan acknowledged that he had been too controlling and expressed regret. "There are a number of things I could do better," he said.

Controversy over the sealed divorce file first erupted during Ryan's Republican primary campaign following revelations that a divorce file sealed by one of the Democratic contenders for the Senate, Blair Hull, contained allegations of spousal abuse.

Ryan refused requests from his opponents to release the file, saying it could harm his son and only dealt with custody matters. At one point, State Republican Party Chairwoman Judy Baar Topinka said she asked him flatly whether there was anything embarrassing in the file. Topinka said Ryan assured her there was not.

"I consider him an honest man and I take him at his word," she said shortly before the primary, which Ryan won over seven opponents.

On Monday, a source close to Topinka, who is also the state treasurer, said she felt Ryan had misled her. "She stuck her neck out for him and he assured her nothing in those files was embarrassing to him or to the Republican Party," the source said. "There's a general feeling by a lot of people that they've been lied to."

LaHood was even more direct. "In the interest of saving further embarassment for him and his family, he needs to immediately withdraw from the race," he said. "There is no way Republicans in Illinois will vote for somebody with this kind of activity in their background."

That sentiment, however, was not universal. State Rep. Paul Froehlich (R-Schaumburg), who was an early supporter of Ryan, said he felt the revelations would not hurt.

"After personally reviewing the documents released, the flap over Jack Ryan's divorce file is much ado about almost nothing," he said.

State Sen. Steve Rauschenberger (R-Elgin), one of the candidates who lost to Ryan in the primary, said Ryan might have handled it better but didn't think the revelations were too serious. "Racy bars in three different cities, that's it?" asked Rauschenberger. "I just think he would have been better off coming out with this information earlier. But I don't think it's a big deal."

- - -

Statement of Jeri Ryan

"Jack and I were married for almost eight years. We both tried very hard to make our marriage work, unfortunately our lives moved in different directions, and we were ultimately unable to save the marriage. But we were both blessed with the love of our lives, our son.

"We maintain a good relationship and I consider Jack a friend. In response to the rumors that have been circulating, there was never any physical abuse in our marriage--either to myself or to our son--nor, to my knowledge, was he ever unfaithful to me. Jack is a good man, a loving father, and he shares a strong bond with our son. I wish him all the best, both in his life and career. I have no doubt that he will make an excellent senator."

Tribune staff reporters Michael Martinez, Jon Yates, Rick Pearson, Rudy Bush, Jeff Zeleny and Michael Tackett contributed to this report.

[Darryl G. Thomas]

Actually I wasn't too concerned about the political ramifications of this...

Jeri Ryan is just plain phat!!!

You guys are taken this political stuff just a wee too serious.

[Chris D]

But Darryl, that full story I posted has the juicy details yours doesn't!

[Scott Dolan]

Jeri Ryan is just plain phat!!!

I agree.

There's more, but Patricia has voiced her displeasure with my way of voicing my attraction to folks of the opposite sex in the past, so I must try to keep this as sanitized as possible.

So with that said, allow me to use this animated smiley gif to better explain how I feel about Ms. Ryan:

[Ron Thorne]

Is this demure-looking woman the one ostensibly traumatized by the sight of people having sex in public?

[Enforcer]

Is this demure-looking woman the one ostensibly traumatized by the sight of people having sex in public?

That's her???

Stunned,
Larry

[Chris D]

Here she is in "Star Trek" garb:

[Enforcer]

And people are questioning this guy for making her have sex with lots of people and watching? Sheesh...

Larry

[Scott Dolan]

Yeah, and here she is, um..........,well, just looking hot:

[Chris D]

And people are questioning this guy for making her have sex with lots of people and watching? Sheesh...

Larry

Actually, he wanted to have sex with her while people watched.

[patricia]

I agree.

There's more, but Patricia has voiced her displeasure with my way of voicing my attraction to folks of the opposite sex in the past, so I must try to keep this as sanitized as possible.

So with that said, allow me to use this animated smiley gif to better explain how I feel about Ms. Ryan:

Consenting adults having sex at a sex club??????? MY GOD!!!! I'M SHOCKED!!!!!
Heads should roll and all involved should be compelled, by putting them in stocks in the public square, if necessary, to REPENT, THE END IS NEAR!!!!

[jesus marion joseph]

In this case, one of them is alleging that they didn't consent.

[Ron Thorne]

She doesn't appear consensual does she? Looks can be deceiving, fellas.



Respondent is now likely feeling despondent.

[patricia]

In this case, one of them is alleging that they didn't consent.

And it also alleges that the wife having not consented, the couple left, although the "respondant" was ticked at his wife.
I'm merely responding to the idea that the clubs exist, which is a little different than one half of a couple not wanting to be there and subsequently leaving. "Surprising" someone with a visit to a club and expecting them to participate in the activities is a little different than going to one voluntarily. I agree that the experience probably damaged their relationship. It's ALWAYS about consent, as you know, JMJ.

The photo posted, at the same time as I was posting doesn't, any more than the earlier one, mean diddley-squat. How one dresses or grooms oneself does not pre-suppose any proclivity for any particular sexual behaviour.

[Scott Dolan]

Yeah, but it doesn't hurt either.

[Ron Thorne]

The photo posted, at the same time as I was posting doesn't, any more than the earlier one, mean diddley-squat. How one dresses or grooms oneself does not pre-suppose any proclivity for any particular sexual behaviour.

I agree, Patricia. It was meant as a tongue-in-cheek remark addressing that particular, erroneous mindset.

[Monte Smith]

I could vote for a man who did 7 of 9 as one among many.

[Scott Dolan]

Oh do I wish to be among those lucky few..........................

[patricia]

I agree, Patricia. It was meant as a tongue-in-cheek remark addressing that particular, erroneous mindset.

I know, Ron and I was tempted to say that I have an ensemble, remarkebly similar to dress #2, [without the tacky little pin over the left side of the bosom], but resisted.

[Ron Thorne]

By the way, Patricia, I loved your use of diddley-squat, one of my favorite terms in just the right situation ... such as this.

[Tom Storer]

This is a typical content-free political scandal. This man tried to get his wife to go along with sexual practices she found distasteful. She couldn't get with it, and they ended up getting divorced. That in itself is no big deal and has nothing to do with his abilities or lack thereof as a public servant. But of course, to avoid the predictably prurient and hypocritical attention of the media and public, he denied it to his political masters in the hopes that it would go away. Now he looks like (gasp) a liar as well as (gasp) a mildly kinky guy who likes to go to sex clubs and hoped his wife would too. Don't they have anything more interesting to write about?