Fascinating.
With less than a week until the special election to replace former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham, national Republicans launched a television advertising campaign yesterday in an attempt to discredit the ethics credentials of the leading Democratic candidate, Francine Busby.
Busby is making the Republican ethics scandals involving Cunningham and former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, a central element of her campaign to succeed Cunningham, who resigned and was sentenced to prison after pleading guilty of bribery and tax evasion.
The ad, sponsored by the National Republican Congressional Committee, chastises Busby for emphasizing ethics while “taking thousands of dollars of campaign money from lobbyists and employees of government contractors.”
It singles out a contribution from former Sen. Dennis DeConcini, an Arizona Democrat and one of the so-called Keating Five senators. He was politically tarnished by, but not disciplined for, his involvement with a failed savings and loan in the late 1980s. Though the ad doesn't say so, DeConcini contributed $500 to Busby.
“If Francine Busby is making ethics a centerpiece of her campaign while taking campaign contributions from corrupt ex-members of Congress, she's a hypocrite and voters have a right to know that,” said Jonathan Coleggio, press secretary for the Republican committee.
Call the NRCC and ask them if they think that members of Congress who get any kind of support from Keating 5 alum John McCain are ethically tainted:
NRCC Main Number - (202) 479-7000
News Media Inquiries - (202) 479-7070