Former President Barack Obama said the now-late Barney Frank was “one of a kind.” Indeed, he was. He paid a young man to have sex with him and then hired him to “turn his [the young man’s] life around.” Then the young man ran a prostitution service out of the basement apartment. Barney claimed he didn’t know, but his house wasn’t that big.
Barney Frank was one of a kind. For more than three decades in Congress, he fought tirelessly for the people of Massachusetts, helped make housing more affordable, stood up for the rights of LGBTQ+ Americans, and helped pass one of the most sweeping financial reforms in history… pic.twitter.com/GS3iDLOlGz
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) May 20, 2026
Barack said he made housing affordable. Yes, and he helped inflate the housing bubble that caused the 2008 crash.
Bill O’Reilly said he liked Barney. You would never know from this harangue.
Tampa Bay Times, October 17, 2005
Rep. Barney Frank was “stunned” to discover that his Capitol Hill home was being used by a male prostitute to sell sex, according to a letter written by Frank’s former landlady. Frank released the letter on Thursday in response to comments by an alleged female prostitute who said the Massachusetts Democrat knew that Stephen Gobie was running a prostitution ring from the apartment.
The woman said on Cable News Network on Wednesday that Frank knew what was going on and would call to see if any clients were at the townhouse before he came home.
Barney Knew About the Brothel
The woman insisted that Frank knew his residence doubled as a brothel. The woman, who said she sold sexual services from Frank’s apartment along with Gobie, reportedly is telling her story to the House ethics committee.
The committee is investigating Frank’s relationship with Gobie.
Frank said the woman’s statements, which first appeared in the March issue of Penthouse Magazine, “are complete lies, fabricated stories about events which did not happen.”
Mrs. Daugherty Stood Up for Barney
The former landlady, Mary Jo Daugherty, gave her sworn statement Oct. 25 to the ethics committee, officially the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct.
She said she became aware in the summer of 1987 that different women _ and, on one occasion, men _ would visit Gobie at Frank’s residence.
“Until this type of activity began to occur, it never dawned on me that prostitution might be taking place,” she said, noting that Frank had moved into the basement apartment in 1983.
“I called Congressman Frank and reported what I had observed,” Mrs. Daugherty said. “He seemed stunned. I never saw Gobie again.”
She said none of the activities occurred when Frank was present.
“It is my strong belief, based on my knowledge of both Congressman Frank and Mr. Gobie, that Gobie took advantage of Congressman Frank and had begun to misuse the apartment without Congressman Frank’s knowledge or permission,” she told the committee.
Mrs. Daugherty is now in Seoul, South Korea, with her husband, Col. James Daugherty, an Army officer. Frank, a homosexual, has admitted that he paid Gobie for sex when they first met. However, Frank said he later hired Gobie as a personal aide in an effort to turn Gobie’s life around. Gobie has said Frank knew sex was being sold from the apartment.
How did he not know about a brothel in a basement apartment?
The investigation has proved troubling to the committee, as members grapple with incidents involving personal behavior. The committee, which is evenly split between Democrats and Republicans, could rebuke Frank or recommend that the full House reprimand, censure or expel him.
May he rest in peace.