Confessions of a D.C. Madam: The Politics of Sex, Lies, and Blackmail

When the words “prostitution” and “scandal” come to mind, you can’t help but think about the numerous examples of public figures, like Eliot Spitzer and Larry Craig, being humiliated and brought down by stories of sexual excess and governmental malfeasance. But, are these merely hints of a much darker, more widespread practice of sexual crimes endemic to our government?

Not only does Henry Vinson believe so, but he says his brief time running a gay escort service in Washington, D.C. made him a target of this shadowy consortium of political criminals. Confessions of a D.C. Madam details Vinson’s curious life, highlighting the circuitous path that brought him to D.C., the dangerous connections he made, and how the full, devastating weight of government reprisal has fallen on him several times.

This is a book mired in the worst humanity has to offer, and sadly, even Vinson’s sexual awakening and brief moments of success are tarnished by the forces arrayed against him.

I don’t know that all of this happened as Vinson describes it, but given the excesses of government overreach in the last thirty years, the recent misbehavior of the Secret Service, and numerous other scandals, Vinson’s tale is certainly worth scrutiny.