Hundreds of internal emails show executives of the New Orleans Saints were far more involved than previously known in providing public relations help to Catholic church leaders as they confronted a cl

When the Saints emails began, Wendy Vitter was the general counsel of the archdiocese of New Orleans. She is also the wife of former US Sen. David Vitter, R-La., and had been nominated to serve as a judge at the city’s federal courthouse by Donald Trump in his first presidency.

Email records detail the efforts made by Saints team officials to assist New Orleans church leaders handle the fallout from a sexual abuse crisis within the archdiocese.

A trove of emails shows the team’s leadership using their influence in New Orleans to aid the archdiocese, including writing talking points for media interviews.