Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman Outed As Gay Man

WASHINGTON, DC -- Ken Mehlman, chairman of the Republican National Committee and close advisor to U.S. President Bush, was outed as a gay man on
CNN-TV's "Larry King Live" by American political pundit Bill Maher on Wednesday (Nov. 8, 2006). This news has in turned been covered widely by other U.S. media.

Maher said it's an open secret in Washington that Ken Mehlman is a homosexual and that Mehlman has never denied it.

"A lot of the chiefs of staff, the people who really run the underpinnings of the Republican party are gay," said Maher, on the live program.

"Ken Mehlman, okay, is one (person) people have talked about."

Ironically, the Republican party is well-known for being virulently anti-gay and it courts support from the American "religious right" to fight against same-sex marriage laws, gay adoption and other benefits for gays that straight Americans take for granted.

While the Republican National Committee has officially denied that Mehlman is gay, when asked directly by gay publications, Mehlman has avoided answering the question, says Maher.

Mehlman, age 40, is a single man who has never married.

Maher said that he plans to "out" other closeted Republican officials on his HBO show "Real Time with Bill Maher" on Friday night, Nov. 10.

To demonstrate the Republican Party's clout, in rebroadcasts of the CNN program, Maher's references to Ken Mehlman were completely edited out. # # #

EDITOR'S NOTE: To interview Ken Mehlman, you may call him direct in Washington, DC at 202-863-8700 or email him at chairman@gop.com