After the website Trump Dating launched last week and made national news for denying memberships to gay and bisexual people, journalists started digging deeper into Barrett Riddleberger’s past. Riddleberger and his wife are pictured on the site’s homepage.
What they found was, sadly, typical for a Trump supporter at this point. The 50-year-old would-be matchmaker was revealed to be a convicted child abuser who filmed himself having sex with a 15-year-old girl.
Riddleberger and his wife were married three years after he was convicted in 1995 for “taking indecent liberties with a minor.”
Related: Here are all the religious justifications for alleged child molester Roy Moore
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The site asks would-be users if they are a “straight man” or “straight woman,” but also lets users choose between “happily married” and “unhappily married.”
After being approached by WRAL News about the site and his dubious past, Riddleberger said that the marital status question was a mistake that was being fixed. He refused to talk about his conviction, however, saying he would only speak to a reporter if they promised to write about “the present, not the past.”
“I’ve already paid my debt for something I did 25 years ago,” he said.
While a press release listed a Sean McGrossier as the founder and owner, journalists have been unable to contact him or find out anything about him. The Riddlebergers, who have long been active in local Republican politics, wouldn’t say what their role was with the site.
Related: Senate urged to increase protection for teen pages if Roy Moore is elected
“We believe that, by matching patriotic and political viewpoints as a base foundation of the relationship, it will allow one to focus on what really matters – conversation, commonalities, and if all goes well, courting,” the site states.
“Being with someone who shares the same core standards is absolutely essential if you’re truly searching for a real, life-changing relationship.”
Just make sure your potential partner isn’t a teenager (unless you’re running for the Senate in Alabama, of course.)
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