Washington publicist and one-time Dole adviser Craig Shirley caught Larry Flynt in an interesting lie last week. Following an exchange with the president's favorite pornographer on a cable talk show, Shirley mailed a letter asking Flynt a number of questions that probed his ties to the White House and the Democratic party. Number 5 was, "Have you personally or has your company ever given money to President Clinton or the Democratic Party?"
Flynt gave a one-word response in a January 7 letter to Shirley: "No."
Shirley has now released a printout from the Federal Election Commission showing that Flynt tried to donate $ 10,000 to the Clinton/Gore campaign on Aug. 19, 1996. The money appears to have been refunded because Flynt, in his eagerness to help his allies, violated the $ 1,000 limit on such contributions.