Patrick McHenry

McHenry Photos Raise Conservative Eyebrows

Bob Fertik — Mon, 05 May 2008 00:10:57 -0400

Oh dear. What is Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC) doing in this photo, courtesy of BlogActive?

The woman in question appears to be conservative Republican activist Jackie Sullens, who happens to live with a woman. Perhaps that's the woman who makes up this lovely threesome?

As BlogActive notes, "What does your gaydar reading say?"

According to BlogActive,

what do hard right wing congressmen do when they are hanging out with right wing conservative friends like Jackie and the woman she lives with? In photographs obtained by BlogActive, Pat McHenry is not acting very conservative. Oh wait, based on the past few years... he IS acting like a conservative!

There's more:

As Page One Q reported in September, the two-term Congressman owned a home with another man (and took the DC homestead exemption for the place while maintaining North Carolina residency). Co-owning a home with a member of the same sex can bring on a Don't Ask Don't Tell investigation and taking the Homestead deduction on what is not your primary home is a crime.

Rumors have circulated in the district since before his election that McHenry was gay, partied with younger men and that his campaign provided beer for underage teenagers at the 2004 Catawba County straw poll.

Oh, did I mention that he had a slew of young men living in his house? Well, that's what the voting rolls show.

The photos are being circulated all over the 10th District this weekend. Ya saw them here first.

Hehe.

Pentagon Post Makes Patrick McHenry an Iraq War Veteran!

Bob Fertik — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 12:10:36 -0400

Rep. Patrick McHenry (NC-10) has been an enthusiastic rightwing Republican footsoldier since he was elected to Congress in 2004. And before that? He served one term in the N.C. House of Representatives.

So it came as a shock to read this in today's Pentagon Post:

Republicans, by contrast, seized on the plan as a political lifeboat after months of being forced to vote against measures repudiating Bush's policy. "Let the generals in the field dictate," said Rep. Patrick T. McHenry (N.C.), an Iraq war veteran.

The Iraq War started in March 2003 - and McHenry has been in elected office the entire time, voting repeatedly to send other young men and women to fight and die in his place.

Perhaps the Post meant Iraq War I in 1991? Probably not, since McHenry was 15 years old at the time, struggling to suppress his gay sexual identity, not exactly leading combat troops into battle.

And McHenry would have been ineligible to serve in either war because he's a closeted gay.

So how did the Post make this ludicrous mistake? Did McHenry lie to them, or did the Post just decide to rewrite his resume to promote him for President someday?

And will the Post issue a correction? Stay tuned...

Which Gay Republican Hypocrite is Next?

Bob Fertik — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 11:34:58 -0400

Jon Ponder connects the dots so I don't have to:

In the wake of closeted Sen. Larry Craig’s self-outing in an airport men’s room this summer, Mike Rogers, the Washington-based publisher of blogActive who outed Craig, is threatening to reveal the secret sexual identities of two leading GOP senators, while two allegedly gay Republican congressmen are making headlines and drawing unwelcome attention to themselves, the timing of which could not be worse.

The Senators are Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), while the Representatives are Patrick McHenry (R-NC) and David Dreier (R-CA).

Beyond the individual scandals, Ponder assesses the larger political impact on the GOP's dying coalition:

Republicans painted themselves into this gay corner when they formed their star-crossed coalition with Christian nationalists in 1979. It was never a good fit. Country club Republicans don’t generally care about discussing family values, and going to church is not the central focus of their lives — not hardly.

The GOP could find itself right back where it was after Watergate. Bush and his toadying to the Christian right has driven away the right-leaning independents. Without the support of the poor, dumbass so-called Christians, there aren’t enough country clubbers and anti-taxers out there to win a national election. Status quo circa 1977.

If the secret lives of any of these men are revealed as the election cycle ratchets up, the Christianists could well seek solace in a third party next year, leaving the GOP’s Washington elite literally without a base to stand on.

Gee wouldn't that be a tragedy.

Is Patrick McHenry Involved in the Tawdriest Republican Scandal Ever?

Bob Fertik — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 17:28:10 -0400

Former Rep. Mark Foley's lead defender, corrupt gay rightwing Republican Patrick McHenry (R-NC) is back in the news, and this could be the tawdriest Republican scandal ever. Howie Klein tells the story, which reads like the plot of a mystery:

it looks like there is a connection between McHenry and a murderous Republican homosexual love triangle/escort service.

The murdered gay Republicans include Ralph Reed's purported ex-lover, Ralph Gonzalez (former head of the rabidly homophobic Georgia Republican Party), David Abrami and McHenry guy-pal Robert Drake, the shooter. All three were found last week in a murder-suicide in an Orlando apartment. According to right-wing website, the North Carolina Conservative "All three men were active in Republican politics." They mention that Drake is "an associate" of McHenry's but don't define that. He is alleged to be an associate of quite a few younger men, some of whom are gay and some of whom are just gay-for-pay.

That's just the tip of the iceberg - read it all here. (And don't miss the comments.)

And if you like to solve mysteries, start digging because this one could be HUGE!

Rep. Patrick McHenry's Voting Fraud Scandal is Also a "Sleepover" Scandal

Bob Fertik — Sun, 13 May 2007 15:11:30 -0400

Remember Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC), the GOP's lead defender of page-molesting Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL)? It seemed strange that anyone would defend Foley, so I decided to learn more about McHenry and - suprise surprise! - last October I outed him as gay.

Now McHenry finds himself at the center of a voter fraud scandal - a real one, not the bogus kind cooked up by Karl Rove and his "loyal Bushie" U.S. Attorneys. A young male campaign staffer, Michael Aaron Lay, was indicted on May 7 for voting in McHenry's 2004 primaries in North Carolina while living (and receiving his campaign paycheck) in Tennessee. (Michael Rogers has the voting and pay records to prove it.)

Now it's not unusual for young campaign workers to leave their home towns to work for Congressional candidates. But usually they rent an apartment or stay with friends. Where did Lay sleep? According to his illegal voter registration, he slept at 1100 Requa Road - Patrick McHenry's home!

And here's where it gets fun - McHenry and Lay weren't the only single young men in this bachelor pad! Michael Rogers did some digging and found another out-of-town paid staffer, Jason Jent Deans. And he also found Matthew Allen Hamilton, who registered in 1998 but only started voting in primaries when McHenry was on the ballot. Rogers also found a registration for Neil Everett Capano.

McHenry's secret life inspired the creation of the Patrick McHenry blog, which asks "Why Won't He Just 'Come Out' And Tell The Truth." The blog reports

Lay was one of six college-age men living temporary at McHenry’s Cherryville home during the primary campaign, and all showed up in N.C. State Board of Elections records as having voted in Gaston County.

And here's another key fact: McHenry won the primary by only 86 votes.

As Rogers writes,

I mean, enough already!

The funny thing about McHenry is this: I've received tons of tips from across the state, including one from an elected official who told me, "I can tell you Patrick McHenry is gay. I've known him long enough to know."

Now, I'm not saying he is gay, but he does seem to like engaging with Barney Frank. If you have not seen the video of their exchange, it's priceless.

And on Thursday, McHenry refers to Congresswoman Ellen Taucher as a man. It seems clear to me that Patrick has some serious gender identity issues.

In typical form, is it any wonder that Patrick McHenry was the Republican attack dog against the Democrats on Foleygate? What is really funny here, is how he tries to call Foley an "obscure congressman from Florida." Check this video out:

Joseph Cannon sums it up:

This story has it all: Republican hypocrisy on gay issues (McHenry first came to my notice when he tried to blame the Foley scandal on Nancy Pelosi!) and a revealing look at the voter registration fraud controversy. Karl Rove wants us to think that only Dems would fill out a registration form improperly -- but so far, the only evidence of such a thing actually occurring points to the four Village People hanging out at the McHenry pad. And to Ann Coulter.

Now that the D.A. has indicted one of McHenry's sleepover staffers, it seems likely that one or more of the others will follow. And McHenry could also be charged with conspiracy to commit voter fraud.

And with all of this attention on McHenry's sleepover staffers, people are going to ask whether McHenry was having Foley-style "sleepover parties" with the young men. How will that go over in Jesse Helms country?

Anyone wanna bet on how long McHenry stays in Congress?

Questions for Patrick McHenry

Bob Fertik — Thu, 05 Oct 2006 10:31:39 -0400

GOP "attack dog" Patrick McHenry (NC-10) is demanding yes/no answers under oath from House Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Rahm Emanuel.

“Is the American public to believe that neither of you nor your staffs nor anyone associated with your staffs had prior knowledge or involvement with the release of Foley’s e-mails and/or explicit instant messages? Is the American public to believe that ABC News stumbled haphazardly on this story without Democratic assistance?” wrote McHenry, a freshman Republican who has emerged as an attack dog for the GOP.

Actually, McDoggie, they "stumbled haphazardly on this story" with Republican assistance. As you well know, the Republicans who knew about the scandal adamantly refused to tell any Democrats about it.

Of course you won't admit that on your endless interviews on the only network that will put you before a camera - FOX News.

But since you're so eager to have Members of Congress provide answers under oath, here are a few questions we'd like to as you - under oath, of course.

Are you gay?
Have you ever had sexual relations with another man?
Have you ever had phone or internet sex with another man?
Have you ever propositioned a teenager on the Internet?
Have you had "overly friendly" relations with any House pages or interns?
Why didn't you serve in the military? Were you rejected because you're gay?
If you believe so strongly in "traditional marriage," why aren't you married?
Were you molested as a child?
Have you ever molested a child?
Do you employ any gay staffers?
Who is feeding you the crap you're spewing?
Are you working with Denny Hastert? Is he gay?
Are you working with David Dreier? Is he gay?
Are you working with Ken Mehlman? Is he gay?
Are you working with Karl Rove? Is he gay?
Are you working with Roger Ailes? Is he gay?

That's just off the top of my head. I'm sure our readers will have lots more questions for you!

My motive for asking you these questions is not lurid. According to Newt Gingrich, Cliff Kincaid, Linda Harvey, and other conservative leaders, I am obligated to ask you these questions - because to ignore them would be homophobic, which is wrong.

Here's Kincaid:

"the entire scandal might have been avoided if Foley's homosexuality had been exposed and confronted, rather than protected, over the last several years."

Here's Linda Harvey:

"Open or suspected homosexuals should never be elected. The problem with homosexuals is that they frequently don't have common sense and don't acknowledge appropriate boundaries. Weird sex, public displays of 'affection' and nudity, and sex with youth are built into the 'gay' sub-culture."

Here's Ben Stein:

"I hope it won't come as a surprise to anyone that a big part of male homosexual behavior is interest in young boys."

Update 1: After days of unchallenged TV coverage, Wolf Blitzer finally exposed McHenry as a liar on his Sunday show:

BLITZER: Do you have any evidence at all that Democrats or others might have been behind the timing of this scandal?

MCHENRY: Look, let’s be honest…

BLITZER: Do you have any evidence to back that charge up?

MCHENRY: No, no, actually, if the Democrats had any issue with saying this, putting all the facts out on the table, they would say, certainly, I’ll testify under oath that I had no involvement in it. They’ve said no.

BLITZER: Well, you don’t have any evidence, though, right?

MCHENRY: Well, look at the fact points.

BLITZER: Yes or no, do you have any evidence, Congressman?

MCHENRY: Do you have any evidence that they weren’t involved?

BLITZER: I’m just asking if you’re just throwing out an accusation or if you have any hard evidence.

MCHENRY: No. It’s a question, Wolf. The question remains, were they involved? And if they were not involved, they need to say clearly. And it’s a question. It’s not an accusation.

Closeted Gay Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC) Leads Hastert Defense

Bob Fertik — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 18:25:15 -0400

I just watched Tucker Carlson's show on MSNBC and was astonished to see none other than closeted gay Republican Patrick McHenry (R-NC) vigorously defending Denny Hastert!

Have House Republicans gone completely insane???

McHenry has quite a reputation on Capitol Hill, according to The Hill, a pro-Republican publication:

The House Republicans’ usual attack dog, Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) was back in the saddle yesterday.

“Who would turn over the instant messages to ABC News rather than the police?” McHenry said in a statement. “In my mind, this person, group or political organization is as sick as Foley himself.”

"Sick" is a commonly-used adjective among rightwingers who were trained in ideological warfare by Newt Gingrich's GOPAC in the 1990s.

In any event, the "sick" people are McHenry's fellow Republicans who first got their hands on the emails in the fall of 2005 but failed to hand them to the police:

Date unknown, "Fall" 2005
At some point Alexander's chief of staff calls Tim Kennedy, a staff assistant in the office of House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., according to a news release from Hastert's office, and says that Alexander "had," meaning possessed the text of, an e-mail exchange between Foley and a former House page. Kennedy "did not reveal the specific text of the email but expressed that he and Congressman Alexander were concerned about it." The release does not give a specific date, or even a month, and does not identify Alexander's chief of staff. (Source: Hastert news release, 9/30/06.)

But what could be more "sick" than a closeted gay Republican who rails about the "sanctity of marriage" while defending those who cover up the crimes of a child predator?

Congressman McHenry has always been a vocal advocate of traditional values and strongly supports a constitutional amendment outlining marriage as the union of one man and one woman. He believes that Congress must act to curb the influence of judicial activists who seek to recklessly redefine marriage and other traditional institutions.

Marriage, family and community are not just catch phrases; they are the backbone of American society. Sadly, however, there is an organized effort by the radical left and their allies in Hollywood and academia to destroy our traditional American culture.

America is an inclusive nation and we respect other cultures and traditions, but we must defend what is sacred in our country from the reckless actions of a dangerous few who seek to impose their radical view on all of society.

How do I know Patrick McHenry is gay? Let me put it this way: "everyone" knows Patrick McHenry is gay.

This weekend I learned that "everyone" knew Mark Foley was gay. Isn't that strange, since last week no one (outside the DC gay community) knew Mark Foley was gay?

In McHenry's case, I have completely reliable sources. With any luck they will go on the record soon.

Today we learned that Kirk Fordham is also gay. Fordham was Foley's Chief of Staff for 10 years, and then became Tom Reynold's chief of staff. Is Tom Reynolds also gay? If so, that would explain why he was sweating buckets during his press conference with Laura Bush today.

Of course there are more Republicans who "everyone" knows are gay. Joe Scarborough discussed gay Republicans at length on tonight's show, although he avoided naming names. He eventually forced rightwinger David Bossie to admit there are gay Republicans high in the House leadership. That probably means David Dreier, chairman of the Rules Committee, who "everyone" knows is gay - but I'm just guessing. Heck, John Boehner seems excessively "natty" to me - that's a possible sign. And Denny Hastert was a high school wrestling coach who spent every afternoon with his arms (and legs?) around sweaty, muscular, scantily-clad young men - doesn't that raise suspicions? Why doesn't Scarborough name names if he's really a "journalist" - not a Republican hack?

Interestingly, the highest-ranking closeted gay Republican whom "everyone" knows is gay - Ken Mehlman, the Chairman of the Republican Party - is going nowhere near the cameras. Isn't it strange that the Chairman of the Republican Party is afraid to appear on TV at the moment when the Republican Party is facing Armageddon?

The Foley/Hastert/Boehner/Reynolds/Shimkus/Fordham scandal is metastasasizing - even neofascist Charles Krauthammer said so on FOX tonight. Joe Scarborough went even further on Olbermann - he said the GOP has hit the iceberg and there is nothing they can do to avoid sinking to the bottom of the sea.

Before L'Affaire Foley is over, the whole "sick" Republican Party - closeted gay and perverted straight alike - could well be exposed and swept out of office en masse.