Very possibly, but the fact that Vitter outted himself with his statement after the media supposedly went over the list of numbers and found nothing makes little sense. It just looks like a "Hey everyone, look over there at the bearded lady while I sneak this bit of lousy news past you," kind of thing.
Now, on the other hand, if the parties were reversed, and a Dem were sitting in the White House, I'd think the same thing. Politico's are slimy no matter what party is backing them.