Huckabee's faith-based, bald-faced lie: "No. I did not. Let me categorically say that I did not."

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Former Aide Contradicts Huckabee Defense Of Rapist's Release

December 5, 2007 05:42 PM



http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2007/12/05/former-aide-contradicts-h_n_75519.html

Directly contradicting Mike Huckabee's claims, his former senior aide tells the Huffington Post that, as governor of Arkansas, Huckabee indeed told the state's parole board that he supported the release of a convicted rapist. The senior aide, Olan W. "Butch" Reeves, personally attended a controversial parole board meeting with Huckabee in Oct. 1996.

"The clear impression that I came away with from the meeting was that he favored Dumond's release," Reeves said, referring to convicted rapist Wayne Dumond. "And I can understand why board members would believe that to be the case."

This stands in stark contrast to Huckabee's assertion, repeated at a press conference today that he "did not ask to do anything." When asked directly about trying to influence the board, Huckabee responded: "No. I did not. Let me categorically say that I did not."

But, according to Reeves, Huckabee actually told the parole board members that the prison sentence meted out to Dumond for his rape conviction was "outlandish" and "way out of bounds for his crime." Huckabee believed there "was something nefarious" about the how the state's criminal justice system had treated Dumond, Reeves said.

[Bluebear]

1. Now, now, Reverend. It's a sin to tell a lie. nt

[gratuitous]

2. On ABC News last night . . .

They were giving a little report on this story (even with a tangential mention of the driving forces behind the controversy!), and right near the end quoted an unnamed Huckabee spokesman said that the Wayne Dumond episode was not a legitimate issue or some such thing. The gist was that the campaign was trying to order the media not to cover this.

We'll see how successful the Huckabee campaign is in this effort.