We at The Red Shtick would like to take this opportunity to clarify that we had absolutely nothing to do with state Treasurer John Kennedy’s recent statement denying his U.S. Senate campaign had any involvement in creating or promulgating allegations his opponent had sex with prostitutes who were later murdered.

The Republican front-runner for Sen. David Vitter’s seat issued the denial — which reads remarkably like something we might have written — Monday, the day before the release of Ethan Brown’s book Murder in the Bayou, about the deaths of eight women in Jefferson Davis Parish.

In it, Brown reportedly cites three anonymous sources who assert Congressman Charles Boustany was a client of some of the murdered women, all of whom were sex workers now known as the “Jeff Davis 8.” The book also reportedly claims the motel where some of the victims entertained their clientele was operated by one of Boustany’s staffers.

On Monday, according to The Associated Press, Boustany’s wife, Bridget, sent to supporters of her husband’s Senate bid an email, in which she dismissed Brown’s claims as “lies,” defended her husband, and suggested “Charles’ opponents have resorted to lies about him.”

Kennedy’s statement may reek of insincerity and dickishness (two of our mainstay literary traits), but we did not have a hand in helping the folksy former Democrat from Zachary write this remarkable response.

Kennedy responded — with zero input from us — with a statement addressing Mrs. Boustany’s insinuation that any or all of the 23 other candidates for the seat being vacated by Vitter were involved in spreading falsehoods about the six-term Lafayette Republican. Kennedy — not us — said:

Earlier today, the Boustany campaign sent out an email alleging that my campaign and other candidates’ campaigns for the U.S. Senate played a role in the shocking story alleging illegal behavior from Congressman Boustany and his staff. I want to be very clear that my campaign played absolutely no role in creating this story alleging Congressman Boustany’s sexual relationships with prostitutes that were later murdered, his staff’s alleged involvement in running the bar and hotel where this illicit behavior took place, or publishing the book Murder in the Bayou written by Ethan Brown and published by Simon and Schuster.

While this reads like something we would have published, you can rest assured that no one on our staff was involved in composing this statement of denial that blatantly seeks to remind people, in excruciating detail, of the unsavory accusations levied against Kennedy’s fellow Republican.

Kennedy’s statement may reek of insincerity and dickishness (two of our mainstay literary traits), but we did not have a hand in helping the folksy former Democrat from Zachary write this remarkable response. As far as we know, he and his campaign managed to do this all on their own.