Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder denies accusations from ex-model

ST. LOUIS -- Missouri Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder said Wednesday he visited an adult club in the mid-1990s but denied assertions from a former Penthouse model and exotic dancer about her dealings with him.

Kinder told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Wednesday that more than a decade ago he went to the Diamond Cabaret in Illinois across the Mississippi River after a baseball game in St. Louis. He said he returned about 10 times and stopped going after deciding it was against his religious beliefs.

"I came to realize that this is not consistent with my upbringing. I'm a Christian," Kinder said. "I was raised in a good family, and I thought, you know, continuing to go there is leading me down the wrong path."

Kinder, a Republican, has a faced a recent public relations hassle after the Riverfront Times, a weekly newspaper in St. Louis, published an interview with Tammy Chapman. The former model and exotic dancer claims that during dances Kinder twice pulled her down "forcefully." Chapman said she saw Kinder this year at St. Louis bar where she worked and that they exchanged small talk and took a photo. Chapman has asserted Kinder invited her to stay at his condo in the St. Louis area. Kinder's campaign pays for a condominium, according to campaign finance records.

A photo of Kinder with Chapman was published by the Riverfront Times.

An attorney for Kinder's campaign did not return a message seeking comment Wednesday.

In an interview with radio station KMOX, Kinder said Chapman is lying.

Kinder, who is single, said he never pursued Chapman or was forceful and that there is no record of any complaint. Kinder said it does not make sense that Chapman would get close enough to take a photo if she was made uncomfortable. Kinder said he never invited Chapman to stay at the condo and that campaign staff members stay there more frequently than him.

Kinder said he had lost contact with Chapman and that he saw her this year when he stopped at the bar where she happened to work. Kinder said he used the bathroom and ordered a glass of wine and recognized Chapman when she asked for a photograph. Kinder told the Post-Dispatch that he did not know how the photo ended up in the Riverfront Times.

Kinder is expected to challenge Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon next year.

Last week, Kinder issued a statement through his campaign denying Chapman's claims and calling them a "bizarre story" that was untrue. Kinder said Democrats previously have tried to use the tactics against him.

Kinder told KMOX that politics were behind Chapman's story and that he is focused on creating jobs.

"The real issues in this race are jobs, jobs, jobs," Kinder said. "And they want to make this about distractions and personal attacks. I don't think it's going to work."

Kinder pointed to Chapman's relationship with John Ross, who has said he is best friends with Chapman. Ross ran for Congress in 1998 as a Democrat but lost.

Chapman said Wednesday she did not lie and said that she has no reason to make up allegations.

Ross, a gun dealer, said he worked for more than a decade to get a concealed carry law in Missouri and that he does not consider himself a Democrat.

Democratic Party spokeswoman Caitlin Legacki said, "Kinder would obviously like to find someone else to blame for his problems, but he's an adult and responsible for his own behavior."