New Hampshire Lawmaker Accused of Hitting Porn Producer Says It's #MeToo's Fault, or Something

A New Hampshire lawmaker is alleged to have produced and starred in a porn film and then assaulted his business partner “after he felt his scenes didn’t go well,” according to an Associated Press story that I had to read approximately a dozen times to ensure that I actually was understanding things correctly.

The Republican lawmaker in question, Rep. Frank Sapareto, appears to obliquely blame #MeToo for the accusation.

On Friday, Jonathan Carter filed a civil lawsuit against Sapareto seeking unspecified damages. The suit alleges that the pair partnered up to make porn movies and that the first film would star Sapareto. It claims that “Sapareto filmed scenes for the movie in California but became upset with how they went and the next day went to Carter’s home and hit him in the head, face and body,” reports the AP.

When the AP contacted Sapareto on Friday, he denied the claims and alleged that he didn’t even know Carter. Then, a few days later, he said that he did know Carter, after all. Which is interesting.

The AP explains: “He said Monday that he joined with Carter and invested roughly $5,000 to make tourism videos but got concerned on his trip to California when Carter told him he was involved in an insurance fraud case and knew people involved in porn movies.” But Carter’s attorney reportedly provided the AP with a police report in which “authorities say Sapareto told them that he met Carter online under a different name while seeking a business partner to make an adult film.”

Sapareto claims that Carter attempted to extort him before coming forward with his allegations. “In today’s age, all it takes is an accusation—everybody is guilty now,” he said. “[Carter] knows that, so he figured, ‘I am going to finish this guy’s career.’” That was not his only vague reference to #MeToo. Earlier, before admitting to knowing Carter, Sapareto told the AP: “I thought we were all done going after men.” No such luck.