A Republican congressman exploded when a CNN anchor tried to pin him down on accepting campaign cash from a GOP colleague accused of abusing his ex-wife and daughter.
Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) was among 16 GOP incumbents to receive contributions from Rep. Max Miller’s (R-OH) Dependable Conservative Leadership PAC, and CNN’s Dana Bash asked him about a statement from his campaign spokesman saying he would not give back a $10,000 donation from this campaign cycle.
“Well, first of all, there’s been a lot of allegations leveled,” Lawler said. “I know Max very well. I’ve talked to him personally over the last two years about this very difficult family situation. It’s tragic; I don’t think anybody disagrees about that. But this is something that should play out in family court. I think the fact that some in the media and my Democratic colleagues have tried to turn it into a spectacle and, you know, use this situation for political points is wrong.”
Lawler then tried to turn the tables by bringing up a contribution to his opponent from disgraced former New York governor Eliot Spitzer.
“But look, my opponent, Cait Conley, took tens of thousands of dollars from Eliot Spitzer, who admitted to trafficking young women across state lines for the purpose of prostitution and sexually abusing them,” Lawler said. “She’s not returned those funds.”
Spitzer resigned as governor in 2008 after federal authorities found he had paid tens of thousands of dollars to a high-end escort service to transport sex workers to New York from out of state, but he was never charged with a crime in the case.
“So I’m asking you specifically about Max Miller,” Bash said. “So it sounds like you said you’ve talked to him a lot privately, right? It sounds like you’re saying that you’re not returning the donations because you believe him.”
“Look, this is a private family matter that unfortunately has spilled out into the public,” Lawler responded. “It should be adjudicated in family court. Max has been accused. Max has also made accusations against his ex-wife. It is tragic, and obviously I don’t condone any level of abuse. But ultimately, there’s been nothing that has been corroborated here, which is part of the reason why Max is continuing to run for re-election.”
Bash continued to press the congressman on why he didn’t give back the donation in light of the allegations, and Lawler asked whether Conley should give back the donation from Spitzer.
“I don’t have an opinion on that either way,” she said. “I’m just asking you a question.”
“But you were,” Lawler insisted. “But you were asking me about an unverified allegation versus a verified allegation in which the former governor resigned in disgrace because he sexually abused young women.”
“This has been hugely in the news,” Bash interrupted. “This is your sitting colleague in Congress, and you’re talking about something that happened two decades ago.”
“But you just admitted,” Lawler cut in. “You just acknowledged –”
“I’m not admitting anything,” Bash fired back. “I’m telling –
“You just acknowledged that you don’t have evidence to verify the allegation,” Lawler argued. “I’m simply saying, if you’re going to go down that road, then hold everybody to the same standard.”
– YouTube youtu.be
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