Anti-Vitter Ad Features ABC News Report On Violent Aide

Sen. Vitter had continued to employ aide who attacked girlfriend.

ByABC News
June 14, 2010, 4:27 PM

Aug. 12, 2010 — -- Democratic challenger Charlie Melancon has released an ad attacking Sen. David Vitter (R.-La.) for continuing to employ an aide who had been convicted of attacking his girlfriend, a story first reported by ABC News.

The 30-second commercial, which includes a photo of the victim with stitches on her chin, says that Vitter's decision to keep Brent Furer on staff, and Vitter's positions on women's issues, comprise a more serious sin than the "serious sin" Vitter admitted publicly in 2007 after his name was linked to a D.C. madam. "His serious sin isn't even his worst," says the ad, which will begin airing Friday.

"When Vitter's staffer violently abused his girlfriend, Senator Vitter let him keep his job – working on women's issues," says the ad, which then lists Vitter votes and positions the Melancon campaign says are anti-women. The ad includes a shot of Furer's rap sheet and footage of Vitter walking through a Washington park that appeared in the ABC News report. The Melancon campaign is also launching a web site that references the Furer report, http://www.serioussins.com.

Brent Furer resigned in June after ABC News revealed that he had been arrested in 2008 for attacking his girlfriend and had pleaded guilty to three charges in connection with the attack. Victim Nicolia Demopoulos told police that Furer had asked her, "Do you want to die?" while holding an unknown object to her neck. The police report says that a cut on her chin took eight stitches to close.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE ORIGINAL ABC NEWS REPORT

The report also revealed that Furer had past arrests for cocaine possession and drunk driving, and an open warrant in Baton Rouge for drunk driving.

Furer had worked on Vitter's 2004 campaign and was then posted in his Washington office for five years. He was listed in congressional guides as the senator's point man on women's issues.

ABC News Live

ABC News Live

24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events

","publishedDate":"2010-06-14T20:27:42Z","contributors":[{"name":"ABC News","url":"","role":"","logo":"","logoAlt":""}],"modifiedDate":"2010-08-16T23:40:01Z","section":"Blotter","wordCount":313,"relatedTags":{"heading":"Related Topics","tags":[]},"lead":{"ratio":"16x9","disableForMobile":false,"type":"xl","mediaType":"image","alignCaptionToBody":true},"ads":{"Sticky":{"kvps":{"test":true}},"RightRail":{"kvps":{"test":true}},"InlineBox":{},"InlineOutstream":{"disabled":false},"Taboola":{"position":"bottom","pageType":"article","config":{"network":"abcnews-abcnews","mode":"thumbnails-a","container":"taboola-below-article-thumbnails","type":"article","targetType":"mix","placement":"Below Article Thumbnails"}}},"featuredVideo":null,"dateline":"Aug. 12, 2010 —","seo":{},"LivePromotion":{}},"autoUpdate":{"enabled":false,"topics":["general-elections-2020-balance-of-power"]}},"upw":{"balanceOfPower":{"electoral":{"header":"Biden Projected to be President-Elect","candidates":{"democrats":{"id":1036,"displayName":"Joe Biden","shortDisplayName":"J. Biden","firstName":"Joe","lastName":"Biden","party":"democrats","major":true,"incumbent":false,"winner":true,"votes":306},"republicans":{"id":8639,"displayName":"Donald Trump","shortDisplayName":"D. Trump","firstName":"Donald","lastName":"Trump","party":"republicans","major":true,"incumbent":true,"winner":false,"votes":232},"other":{"displayName":"Other","votes":0}},"parties":{"democrats":"democrats","republicans":"republicans"},"type":"electoral","votes":{"democrats":{"available":{},"total":306,"difference":{},"popular":{"displayValue":"81,283,098","value":81283098}},"republicans":{"available":{},"total":232,"difference":{},"popular":{"displayValue":"74,222,958","value":74222958}},"other":{"available":{},"total":0,"popular":{}},"total":538},"needed":{"displayText":"270 to win","displayValue":"270","value":270},"lastUpdated":{"value":"2020-12-18T21:15:13.850Z","displayValue":"December 18, 4:15:13PM ET"},"reporting":"99% of Expected Vote Reporting"},"senate":{"header":"Senate Seat Results","candidates":{"democrats":{"displayName":"Democrats","icon":"party-democrats","votes":46,"winner":false},"republicans":{"displayName":"Republicans","icon":"party-republicans","votes":50,"winner":false},"other":{"displayName":"Other","votes":2}},"parties":{"democrats":"democrats","republicans":"republicans"},"type":"senate","votes":{"democrats":{"available":{"displayText":"12 Democrats up for election","shortDisplayText":"12 Dems. up for election","displayValue":"12","value":12},"total":46,"difference":{"displayText":"Gained 1 seat","displayValue":"1","value":1},"popular":{}},"republicans":{"available":{"displayText":"23 Republicans up for election","shortDisplayText":"23 Reps. up for election","displayValue":"23","value":23},"total":50,"difference":{"displayText":"Lost 1 seat","displayValue":"-1","value":-1},"popular":{}},"other":{"available":{"displayText":"0 Others up for election","shortDisplayText":"0 Others up for election","displayValue":"0","value":0},"total":2,"popular":{}},"total":100},"needed":{"displayText":"51 for control","displayValue":"51","value":51},"lastUpdated":{"value":"2020-12-17T18:22:05.390Z","displayValue":"December 17, 1:22:05PM ET"}},"house":{"header":"House Results: Dems Retain Control","candidates":{"democrats":{"displayName":"Democrats","icon":"party-democrats","votes":222,"winner":true},"republicans":{"displayName":"Republicans","icon":"party-republicans","votes":210,"winner":false},"other":{"displayName":"Other","votes":0}},"parties":{"democrats":"democrats","republicans":"republicans"},"type":"house","votes":{"democrats":{"available":{"displayText":"233 Democrats up for election","shortDisplayText":"233 Dems. up for election","displayValue":"233","value":233},"total":222,"difference":{"displayText":"Lost 10 seats","displayValue":"-10","value":-10},"popular":{}},"republicans":{"available":{"displayText":"201 Republicans up for election","shortDisplayText":"201 Reps. up for election","displayValue":"201","value":201},"total":210,"difference":{"displayText":"Gained 10 seats","displayValue":"10","value":10},"popular":{}},"other":{"available":{"displayText":"1 Others up for election","shortDisplayText":"1 Others up for election","displayValue":"1","value":1},"total":0,"popular":{}},"total":435},"needed":{"displayText":"218 for control","displayValue":"218","value":218},"lastUpdated":{"value":"2020-12-17T18:22:02.900Z","displayValue":"December 17, 1:22:02PM ET"}},"lastUpdated":{"value":"2020-12-18T21:15:13.850Z","displayValue":"December 18, 4:15:13PM ET"},"autoUpdate":{"enabled":false,"topics":["general-elections-2020-balance-of-power"]},"electionsConfig":{}},"types":["electoral","senate","house"]}},"analytics":{"accountID":"wdgnewabcnews,wdgasec,wdgnewabcnweb,wdgnewabcnewsrollup","ns":"abcnews","pageName":"abcn:blotter:story","pageType":"story","pageUrl":"abcnews.go.com/Blotter/charlie-melancon-accuses-david-vitter-sin-employing-brent/story?id=11386898&userab=abcn_web_article_ts-218*variant_b-819","globalSpecVersion":"v1.08","siteDifferentiator":"abcn:site","tagID":"apage_news01","userABCookie":"abcn_web_article_ts-218*variant_b-819","alertTag":"none","authors":"ABC News","authorsBureau":"none","authorsUnit":"none","dateline":"Aug. 12, 2010 —","id":"11386898","modDate":"2010-08-16","mediaOnPage":"none","modTime":"19:40","provider":"ABC News","pubDate":"2010-06-14","pubTime":"16:27","section":"Blotter","subBrand":"none","title":"Anti-Vitter Ad Features ABC News Report On Violent Aide","videoId":"none","videoName":"none","wordCount":313},"taboola":{"config":{"network":"abcnews-abcnews","mode":"thumbnails-a","type":"other","targetType":"mix","placement":null,"pageTypeOverrides":{"story":{"mode":"thumbnails-a","type":"article","targetType":"mix","placement":"Below Article Thumbnails"},"home":{"mode":"thumbnails-b","container":"taboola-homepage-thumbnails","type":"home","targetType":"mix","placement":"Homepage Thumbnails"},"section":{"mode":"thumbnails-b","type":"category","targetType":"mix","placement":"Section Front Thumbnails"},"liveBlog":{"mode":"thumbnails-d","type":"other","targetType":"mix","placement":"Blog"}}}}},"request":{"headers":{},"httpVersion":"1.1","method":"GET","url":"/Blotter/charlie-melancon-accuses-david-vitter-sin-employing-brent/story?id=11386898&userab=abcn_web_article_ts-218*variant_b-819","vary":{"host":"abcnews.go.com","cached":true,"path":"/Blotter/charlie-melancon-accuses-david-vitter-sin-employing-brent/story","forwarded-proto":"https","device":"desktop","country":"us","userab":"abcn_web_article_ts-218*variant_b-819","region":"gdpr"}},"viewport":{"width":1260,"height":0},"user":{}};