Guide Note

Despite protests and an online petition against it, Minnesota man Larry Sinclair made a scheduled appearance at the National Press Club, detailing the supposed drug-fueled sexual tryst he claims to have had with Barack Obama in 1999. After the conference, Sinclair—who was wanted in Colorado on theft and forgery charges—was presented with an arrest warrant by Washington DC police, cuffed and taken into custody, according to reports.¹

Fast Facts

1. Appearance made June 18, 2008
2. Read a prepared statement and took questions from reporters

According to Bill McCarren, the National Press Club's General Manager, Sinclair is a "customer" who paid to use the venue, and the Club offers no position on the veracity of his claims.²

On his reasons for not coming forward with the allegations sooner:

• "The whole issue was based on [Obama]'s drug use and his claim that he had not used drugs since his college days, and that was the whole issue that brought this forward."³

Asked whether he is receiving money from anyone connected with the Republican Party:

• "I am not connected with any party... Nor are any parties contributing to the cost or the expense of this. Every penny that has gone into this press conference, my travel expenses, have come from average American citizens. Most of them, according to their own statements, are declared independents."³

Asked whether he will identify "physical features" (presumably Obama's) to prove his claims:

• "I will be identifying certain physical features, but I will not do so at this time."³