from www.thefrisky.com – John Edwards should have known better than to let his videographer/lovah bring her camera into the bedroom. Andrew Young—the former Edwards’ staffer who originally took the fall for having the affair with Hunter—described finding the tape in Rielle Hunter’s trash in his book and he’ll be appearing on “Nightline” and “20/20” tonight to describe exactly what was on it. Hunter is in court as we speak, trying to get a restraining order for the tape to be kept under wraps. If she doesn’t, who knows what could happen? Let’s just say that more than a few people would be interested in watching.
While politicians make sex tapes with far less frequency than Hollywood folk or rock stars (or maybe they’re just better at keeping them a secret?), Edwards is hardly the first to find himself in this situation. After the jump, a history of politicians and their naughty tapes.
* In 2008, a film strip of Marilyn Monroe giving a man a blow job surfaced and was purchased for $1.5 million by a collector working on a documentary about Monroe. The film, which is 15 minutes long, shot in black and white, shows Marilyn on her knees, going to town on a man who’s only shown from the shoulders down. FBI director J. Edgar Hoover thought the man in the film could be John F. Kennedy, or even Robert F. Kennedy. The FBI still holds the original—this is the only known copy, and it came from the son of a dead FBI agent. [CBS News]
* Bill Clinton was smart enough to not make a sex tape, per se. But about a year ago, Gennifer Flowers and Paula Jones—two women who claim that the did the deed with the former president—teamed up and created a website, called Two Chicks Chatting, where they sell audio clips called “Paula and the President’s Penis” and “Gennifer’s Story and the Presidential Penis” for $1.99 a pop. [Wonkette]
* Taiwanese politician Chu Mei-feng, a 36-year-old woman, was carrying on an affair with a married man while running for Parliament. In 2001, someone recorded one of their romps, and gave the footage to a tabloid, which packaged the 40-minute video with the issue of the magazine. The video became an overnight sensation in Taiwan. When police investigated, they found more than 10 hidden cameras in Mei-feng’s office, car, and house. It also came out that Mei-feng had an affair with a mayor. Mei-feng spoke to reporters camped outside her house and tearfully said that she had kept “bad company and erred.” She then passed out and was rushed to the hospital. [BBC News]
* In 2006, Indonesia was also rocked by a political sex scandal when a video surfaced of big deal Parliament member Yahya Zaini in bed with famous singer Maria Eva. The video was particularly shocking because Zaini was not only married, but Eva was much younger than him. Zaini resigned and Eva eventually spoke about the video. She said it was made two years prior, while the two were carrying on a full-fledged affair. She said that she got pregnant around that time, and that Zaini had pressured her into getting an abortion. [Female Beauty]
* A few years ago, Atlantic City council member Eugene Robinson, a Baptist minister, was filmed having sex with a prostitute in a motel room. It was obviously a set-up. Turns out that the city council president, his brothers, and several others conspired to get him in the room where the camera was set up. They hoped to use the video to strong-arm him into resigning. When he didn’t, the video was leaked to the media. City council prez Craig Callaway went to jail over the whole sordid incident. [Fox News]
* In 2008, a video surfaced of Malaysian politician Chua Soi Lek getting into bed and doing an anonymous women. Lek fessed up. “I would like to verify that I am the man in the tape. The girl is a personal friend,” he said, before stepping down from his post. [Asia Sentinel]
* Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has gotten in all sorts of hot water for his sexual appetites—from his flirty phone calls with an 18-year-old family friend to his plan to stack Parliament with showgirls. In June, a prostitute came forward and said she had sex with the PM and that she had audio proof. She gave the media tapes of her and Berlusconi allegedly doing the deed and talking about it afterward. In the tape, she says, “You know how long it has been since I had sex like I had with you tonight?” He replies, “You should have sex with yourself. You should touch yourself often.” [Times Online]
* California state assemblyman Mike Duvall, who dubbed himself a family values warrior, accidentally made a sex audio tape, too. In September, this smart guy decided to tell his assembly buddy all about two women he was sleeping with, including how he was getting really into spanking. His microphone was on and when the clip was released, he stepped down from his office.
* In December, the 86-year-old Indian governor, Narayan Dutt Tiwari, got a nasty shock when he turned on the television. A network aired a three and a half minute video of him with two naked women, who were kissing and fondling him. Tiwari claimed the video was fabricated, but he resigned anyway. Turns out that the video was released by a man who had recently filed—and lost—a paternity suit saying Tiwari was his father. [Fox News]