Over the weekend, House Speaker Dennis Hastert went on national television and accused billionaire philanthropist George Soros of receiving money from criminal drug cartels. Soros, not surprisingly, is demanding an apology, but for reasons that deny comprehension, Hastert and the Speaker’s office are standing by the slanderous attack.
In a tartly worded demand faxed to Hastert, Soros wrote: “Your recent comments implying that I am receiving funds from drug cartels are not only untrue, but also deeply offensive. You do a discredit to yourself and to the dignity of your office by engaging in these dishonest smear tactics. You should be ashamed.
“I must respectfully insist that you either substantiate these claims — which you cannot do because they are false — or publicly apologize for attempting to defame my character and damage my reputation.”
Hastert’s office, demonstrating the class we’ve come expect from the callous and corrupt party it helps lead, won’t back down.
John Feehery, a spokesman for Hastert, said, “George Soros has an agenda. He supports the legalization of drugs, and the statement stands. [Hastert] has been fighting Soros on this for years because it is a character flaw. The Speaker thinks legalizing drugs is wrong.”
Let’s think about this for a minute.
Soros believes we shouldn’t lock up drug abusers in prisons; Hastert disagrees. Therefore, Hastert is fully justified — in his twisted mind — in accusing Soros of accepting drug money from narcotrafficers, even with no proof to bolster the ridiculous charge. This is Republican logic at its finest.
It also creates a series of opportunities. Indeed, let’s apply the same logic Hastert has used: I believe it’s wrong for the American government to execute its own citizens; Hastert disagrees and supports capital punishment. Therefore, I’m fully justified in going on national television and accusing Hastert of accepting money from professional assassins. This makes sense, after all, because Hastert “has an agenda” and “supports the death penalty.” I think it’s a “character flaw” and that these executions are “wrong,” so therefore “the statement stands.”
Sounds ridiculous? Of course it does; that’s the point.
Feehery cited no evidence and would not comment on whether Hastert would ask law enforcement to investigate.
Why not? If the Speaker of the House has reason to believe a well-known philanthropist is being financed by criminal drug cartels, shouldn’t he be requesting an FBI investigation? He’s not because his goal is character assassination, not justice. Hastert is a coward and a bully and he if he had a conscience, he’d feel ashamed.
Josh Marshall, meanwhile, reported that Hastert is continuing to repeat the charge at the convention.
I’ve talked to reporters who’ve asked Hastert this around the convention hall. And he’s been aggressively restating the ‘charge.’ I’m told he even shoved his finger in the chest of one of them when repeating it…. Whatever you think of Soros, this is the sort of slur that only comes from a real pig. And to think that the author of it is the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and out in the light of day.
While I’m delighted to hear that some reporters are asking about this nonsense, I can’t help but notice that none of them are actually writing stories about it. If the Speaker slanders a rival with vicious lies and the press doesn’t inform the public, does it really make a sound?