Exclusive: Rand Paul's accuser clarifies "kidnapping"

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/2010/08/rand_pauls_accuser_clarifies_k.html

August 11, 2010
NWH

Exclusive: Rand Paul's accuser clarifies "kidnapping"

The woman who sparked a national firestorm by recounting Rand Paul's
youthful indiscretions to GQ magazine is now clarifying her account: She says she was not kidnapped nor forced to do drugs by Paul.

But she reiterated other odd aspects of her earlier story, including her claim that Paul and another college friend blindfolded her, tied her up, and told her to smoke pot and worship the "Aqua Buddha," even if they didn't physically force her to do these things.

(Slate: Racist 'Rand fan' actually Obama supporter)

The woman -- who was made available to me for an interview by GQ reporter Jason Zengerle in response to the Paul campaign's denunciations of his article -- said she didn't mean to imply that she was kidnapped "in a legal sense."

"The whole thing has been blown out of proportion," she told me. "They didn't force me, they didn't make me. They were creating this drama: `We're messing with you.'"

The woman said that much of the subsequent coverage of her allegations missed a key nuance: As a participant in a college ritual, where lines between acquiescence and victimization are often blurry, she was largely playing along with the notion that she was being forced to follow Paul's orders.