About as un-graciously as humanly possible, my Congressional representative has admitted that she’s a liar, and that she slandered filmakers last week when she accused them of doctoring tape to put words in her mouth.
Last week, Ros-Lehtinen was still denying that the tapes showing her calling for Castro’s assassination were accurate, and was accusing the filmmakers of doctoring the tape. Then they released the raw tapes, and we found out who was telling the truth. And it’s not Ros-Lehtinen.
U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen admitted on Friday, through a spokesman, that she did call for the death of ailing Cuban leader Fidel Castro during an interview with a British documentary-maker whom she had earlier accused of altering the video.
”Yes, it’s in the documentary, she said that,” said Alex Cruz, the congresswoman’s spokesman.
Ros-Lethinen did not want to respond further, Cruz said, because “she’s focused her energies on issues that are more important for the community.
”Neither she nor I have seen the raw footage, without editing, but if that’s in the documentary, she said it,” Cruz said.
Having wrongly and cravenly accused the documentary makers of the most serious professional misconduct, Ros-Lehtinen is waiting to see how the wind blows before deciding if she has to apologize:
”Ileana Ros-Lehtinen has made a very serious accusation against the documentary’s crew,” [director Dollan] Cannell said. “Her accusation is totally false and I would like her to retract what she said and to apologize.”
Cruz did not respond directly to whether Ros-Lehtinen plans to apologize to the director.
Recall that the tasks for a Congress-being are:
(a) raise money to get re-elected
(b) keep the base supporters galvanized
(c) constituent service
(d) …
(y) actually work on decent public policy
(z) actually be a decent person
Anyone in office who doesn’t put things in this order of priority may well lose the next election.