Changes

Steers said Vidal was "terrified that conservative columnist William F. Buckley had evidence that Mr. Vidal had sex with underage boys" — or as Nina Straight put it, "Jerry Sandusky acts." Vidal spent a lot of time and money on litigation against Buckley for libel and this was a long-running feud.

Steers said Vidal was "terrified that conservative columnist William F. Buckley had evidence that Mr. Vidal had sex with underage boys" — or as Nina Straight put it, "Jerry Sandusky acts." Vidal spent a lot of time and money on litigation against Buckley for libel and this was a long-running feud.

Buckley’s son confirmed that Buckley had kept a filing cabinet full of evidence about Vidal’s illegal activities, but he had destroyed it after Buckley’s death.

Buckley’s son confirmed that Buckley had kept a filing cabinet full of evidence about Vidal’s illegal activities, but he had destroyed it after Buckley’s death.

When discussing the case of Roman Polanski, the film director who faced criminal charges for sex with various underage girls, Vidal in a 2009 Atlantic interview expressed indifference to age of consent issues and referred to Polanski’s 13-year-old victim Samantha Geimer, who was drugged and raped, as a "young hooker".

 

When discussing the case of Roman Polanski, the film director who faced criminal charges for sex with various underage girls, Vidal in a 2009 Atlantic interview expressed indifference to age of consent issues and referred to Polanski’s 13-year-old victim Samantha Geimer, who was drugged and raped, as a "young hooker".  

JOHN MERONEY OCT 28 2009, 4:37 PM ET

JOHN MERONEY OCT 28 2009, 4:37 PM ET