Larry Flynt is at it again, looking for the next big political sex scandal. And this time his target is Texas Gov. Rick Perry. Last Friday Flynt posted online a $1 million offer to anyone who can provide evidence of gay or straight sexual encounters with Perry.
“Can you provide documented evidence of illicit sexual or intimate relations with the governor?” Flynt writes. “Larry Flynt and HUSTLER Magazine will pay you up to $1 million if we choose to publish your verified story and use your material.”
Reuters reported Friday that Larry Flynt Productions bought full-page ads in The Onion and the Austin Chronicle, and alternative Texas newspaper. Flynt told Reuters, “We’ve found running these ads were very successful in finding sources to come forward.”
A representative from the pornographic magazine Hustler commented on the investigation: “We’ve gotten a lot of calls and feedback. Whenever you have a tip line, you get a lot of stuff. We thoroughly investigate everything, there is a precedent.”
In a telephone interview with The Daily Caller, Flynt said he doesn’t necessarily expect past Perry flings to come forward, but emphasized that any information is welcome. “If anyone’s got something that wants the reward, we process the information,” he told theDC. “The only difference between us and New York Times is we pay for information but that doesn’t mean the information is bad.”
Flynt is a veteran of tip-line scandal crowdsourcing. “I’ve been doing this for almost 20 years,” he said. “This is no different. I don’t care about exposing something sex wise, but it’s the hypocrisy I want to expose, to put it out there.”
Flynt’s motivation for fanning the flames of sex scandal is exposing hypocrisy among family-values Republicans. “Conventional wisdom in Washington is that if Democrats are, its sex; if its Republicans, its money. But that’s not true — it’s just the opposite. Republicans are scandalized by sex and with Democrats its money.”
Not that he’s only interested in skin sensationalism. “We don’t just look for sexual improprieties; we also look for financial improprieties.” Sources can even use the same hotline number.
Flynt said he began hearing chatter immediately after Rick Perry announced his presidential candidacy. “As soon as he announced, there was rumblings. There were lots of rumors, in the Austin area … Rumors that he was bisexual or having affairs.”