Report: Accuser says Paul didn’t kidnap her; describes incident as hazing
A photo of a few of the NoZe Brothers published in a 1983 issue of The Rope. Rand Paul is dressed in a black robe and straw hat, according to GQ. Photo Courtesy GQ.com
By Bill Estep – bestep@herald-leader.com
The unidentified woman who said Republican U.S. Senate nominee Rand Paul made her take part in an apparent college prank that included worshiping “Aqua Buddha” has clarified her story, making clear that Paul did not kidnap her or force her to smoke marijuana, according to the Washington Post.
However, the woman stood by the details of her story, the Post reported Wednesday.
The woman’s account first surfaced Monday in a posting on the GQ magazine Web site. She told GQ that Paul and another young man — members of a society at Baylor University called the NoZe Brotherhood — blindfolded her, tried to force her to smoke pot, then took her to a creek outside Waco, Texas, and told her to worship the Aqua Buddha.
“The whole thing has been blown out of proportion,” the woman told the Post. “They didn’t force me, they didn’t make me. They were creating this drama: ‘We’re messing with you.’”
The woman, who was not identified by the Post or GQ at her request, told the Post that the incident was so strange that she ended contact with Paul.
“I went along because they were my friends,” she told the Post. “There was an implicit degree of cooperation in the whole thing. I felt like I was being hazed.”
Paul and the other young man had been smoking pot, the woman told GQ.
The alleged incident happened in 1983, before Paul left Baylor to attend medical school at Duke University. He is now an eye surgeon in Bowling Green who faces Democrat Jack Conway in the Nov. 2 election.
Speaking on Fox News Tuesday, Paul strongly denied kidnapping anyone or forcing anyone to smoke pot, and denounced the GQ article.
Jason Zengerle, who wrote the GQ piece, put the woman in contact with the Washington Post after Paul attacked the story. Zengerle told the Herald-Leader the woman did not want to talk to any additional reporters.
Paul’s campaign told the Post that the clarification vindicated him, but the campaign didn’t directly address the odd details of the incident.
“It is satisfying to see the libelous and grossly irresponsible charges of kidnapping completely shot down,” Paul campaign spokesman Jesse Benton said in an e-mail. “It remains puzzling to us why the drive-by media continues to focus on an alleged 30 year old teenage prank when our nation faces high unemployment, a thirteen trillion dollar debt and are threatened with a Cap and Trade national energy tax.”
Democrats said Paul still has questions to answer.
“Does Rand Paul think this woman is a liar?,” Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Communications Director Eric Schultz said in a news release. “Rand Paul’s accuser confirms she was blindfolded, tied-up, and forced to worship a false God. Instead of running to his lawyers and to the national media, Paul should start answering questions from Kentuckians, who would like to know what really happened during the night in question.”
Paul’s campaign has not responded to questions from the Herald-Leader about the alleged incident.
Filed Under: Elections • Rand Paul • US Senate Race
About the Author: John Stamper is the accountability editor for the Lexington Herald-Leader. A native of Monticello, Ky., he has been with the Herald-Leader in a variety of roles since graduating from Western Kentucky University in 2000. Reach him at jstamper@herald-leader.com
I’m not that worried about this. His current weird statements are more troubling than something he did as a college student.
I’d be really worried though, if he spent the last 20 years hanging out with communist anti-American radicals, attending a church where hate-America is preached, befriending domestic terrorists who planted bombs and killed people, etc. But then again, that would be a stretch Who would ever actually do that here in America?
Actually she changed her story to “they took her to a room filled with pot smoke and told her to partake” which is not proof that Rand Paul took part or was smoking himself.
Thus yet another correction may be necessary to “Paul and the other young man had been smoking pot, the woman said.”
Would any of us really want to be judged by the things we did in college? I’m not a Rand Fan by any means, but I hope this isn’t the issue that defines this election. The primary, on both sides, was enough about BS. Don’t Kentucky voters deserve just one campaign season with actual issues being discussed?
Coffee Party, you hit the nail right on the head.
Con-way went around shopping this bologna. Joe Arnold as WHAS said Conway’s campaign called him to make sure he knew of the story’s existence on Monday.
I think Con-way has some explaining to do for pushing fake garbage.
“Paul should start answering questions from Kentuckians, who would like to know what really happened during the night in question.”
Something tells me Kentucky cares more about Conway’s support of Obamacare and flip-flopping on cap and trade and the Bush tax cuts.
Kidnapping is illegal, so is smoking dope. More interested why he was against yesterdays stimulus bill that saved the jobs of 2,300 Kentucky teachers.
Paul is a goober and wont have my vote, but I dont judge people for things they did as a college student that was non harmful to anyone. What I find funny is comments like the first one and ones like it. The Right Wing morons threw all of that out in the media during the campaign. And guess what OBAMA STILL WON. Maybe Americans didnt mind that GASP!All I gotta say “HAIL AQUA BUDDHA”. I do think that is awesome makes me like Randy a lil more than I did yesterday, he still sucks as a politican but thats cool.
How is it that no one seems to know who this “unidentified woman” is, but she’s just been interviewed by a SECOND well-known media outlet?
I can understand how a person who wants to remain annonymous gets interviewed by one media outlet. But how did the Washington Post get ahold of her?
There’s a lot about this story that just doesn’t add up. It’s really begining to smell like a ill-conceived, liberal media, hatchet job.
“Jason Zengerle, who wrote the GQ piece….”
http://bit.ly/cfN2cG
The Chucky Caper by Jason Zengerle: “I was at Swarthmore for a good two-and-a-half years before a professor threatened to file criminal charges against me.”
Unidentified source? Unsubstantiated political attack….
Why is this widely reported? It’s almost as if…….. it’s almost as if the herald leader has endorsed Jack Conway without formalizing their endorsement for the sake of appearing impartial…. hmmmm
Gosh, I sure wish the media would tell me about this stuff re: Paul and his ‘read the bills’ thing and Conway and health care.
But apparently people are supposed to vote in November based on decades-old college fun and swearing at Fancy Farm? At least that is what it seems. I guess we really do get the government we deserve!
Agreed we have more pressing issues to focus on, but one cannot deny the entertainment value of this story. (Suffering by the young lady during the prank aside)
I am particularly intrigued by the theology espoused by adherents to the teachings of The Aqua Buddha, and how that would affect their stand on environmental policy, particularly water quality. Would pool pH’s below 7.0 be a sin in their faith? I think Candidate Paul needs to come clean on this issue!
There’s nothing to see here, so move along folks.
phyre | Aug 11, 2010 | Reply
Kidnapping is illegal, so is smoking dope. More interested why he was against yesterdays stimulus bill that saved the jobs of 2,300 Kentucky teachers.
what a joke phyre! that is like me having to cash in my ira to keep paying bills this year. yeah, i kept the lights on but I didn’t “save” anything.
the only difference is I will keep my child from paying for it, while you cheer our grandkids insolvency.
Maybe it’s just me, but it seems like the H-L has quit covering Conway. Weird, isn’t it? Almost like the newspaper has an agenda.
Whereas America had no problem with Clinton’s pot (including Kentucky) nor Bush and Obama’s crack-snorting youth…I can’t imagine any relevant number of people caring about Paul and marijuana, especially since there a poll a few days ago from Rasmussen I believe that showed 52% of Americans want the stuff legalized.
Who is Jack Conway?
You are so right. Just a couple of months ago if Conway was constipated- the HL would have reported on it and now poof- it’s like he doesn’t even exist anymore. Too bad instead of reporting on something as silly as a aqua buddah if the HL reporters dug into some of the lawsuits filed against the AG’s office . . . . that’s where the real news is.
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