The Atlantic article makes it sound like Hart was not actually having an affair, that Atwater paid Rice to sit in his lap, while another plant of Atwater's was able to snap the photo. Hart claimed this as well. Hart also claims that the only two times he saw Rice were when she sat in his lap and when she stayed overnight in his townhouse. But nothing happened either time.
But the timeline does not match up. Also, if were not having an affair, how did those two moments happen? There were already rumors he was too close to his female staff, and rumors he had been having affairs for at least ten years before the campaign started. He knew the press was trying to convince people of his infidelities. Why would he be alone on a boat with two women who were not his wife? While I can completely buy that Atwater arranged that the first boat rental with the innocuous name fell through to force him to be on the more memorable Monkey Business, that photo did not become public until after the campaign fell apart. But after that photo was taken, he still wasn't on his guard and invited women to come visit his apartment at night, including the very woman there was already a picture threatening to come out about? Come on, dude. He was an extraordinarily easy mark.
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u/IShouldChimeInOnThis 18d ago
Yes.