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To the editor:
I have been following Rep. Shelley Capito and have noted numerous misleading statements she and her staff have made to the press, as well as to her constituents. Let’s just review a few of these.
Strike one:
During an interview about her and her husband’s alleged “insider trades,” Capito’s spokesperson, Kent Gates, said, “ … Swint’s claims are not based on facts … The author of the book he’s citing basically admitted in a radio interview that she did not engage in insider trading. He backtracked from his claim in the book. So, it’s just not true, quite frankly, and the facts speak to that.”
As an academic, I was doubtful that Paul Schweizer, a conservative scholar at Stanford, spent years researching and writing a book only to backtrack. Therefore, I emailed him. Mr. Schweizer responded and wrote, “I didn’t recant on anything.” So, I agree with Mr. Gates; let the facts speak loudly.
Strike two:
Stephen Koff of Cleveland’s Plain Dealer wrote: “The stockbroker husband of West Virginia’s Shelley Moore Capito, a Republican, sold more than $100,000 in Citigroup stock in several transactions late last year. His brokerage firm was owned by Citigroup and his compensation included Citigroup stock. A Capito spokesman said the House Ethics Committee gave her verbal approval to join the committee, despite her husband’s job.”
Consequently, I called the House Committee on Ethics. A lawyer there told me that the House Committee on Ethics never gives approval. It is outside the committee’s responsibilities. So Brubaker, Capito’s chief of staff, was not letting the facts speak for themselves either.
Strike three:
From her website, Rep. Capito has stated, “… Congresswoman Capito has opposed privatization of Social Security and is committed to keeping the promise to West Virginia seniors.”
However, the truth is that she voted for Bush’s Social Security privatization measure. Also, Rep. Capito voted for the Ryan budget, which privatizes Social Security over time.
Now, with three strikes, most players would be out of the game, but I am throwing another ball for good measure. Capito states she is concerned about the lack of jobs. Why did she vote against the “Bring the Jobs Home Act,” which both Manchin and Rockefeller supported?
Christina M. Vogt
Great Cacapon, W.Va.
I have been following Rep. Shelley Capito and have noted numerous misleading statements she and her staff have made to the press, as well as to her constituents. Let’s just review a few of these.
Strike one:
During an interview about her and her husband’s alleged “insider trades,” Capito’s spokesperson, Kent Gates, said, “ … Swint’s claims are not based on facts … The author of the book he’s citing basically admitted in a radio interview that she did not engage in insider trading. He backtracked from his claim in the book. So, it’s just not true, quite frankly, and the facts speak to that.”
As an academic, I was doubtful that Paul Schweizer, a conservative scholar at Stanford, spent years researching and writing a book only to backtrack. Therefore, I emailed him. Mr. Schweizer responded and wrote, “I didn’t recant on anything.” So, I agree with Mr. Gates; let the facts speak loudly.
Strike two:
Stephen Koff of Cleveland’s Plain Dealer wrote: “The stockbroker husband of West Virginia’s Shelley Moore Capito, a Republican, sold more than $100,000 in Citigroup stock in several transactions late last year. His brokerage firm was owned by Citigroup and his compensation included Citigroup stock. A Capito spokesman said the House Ethics Committee gave her verbal approval to join the committee, despite her husband’s job.”
Consequently, I called the House Committee on Ethics. A lawyer there told me that the House Committee on Ethics never gives approval. It is outside the committee’s responsibilities. So Brubaker, Capito’s chief of staff, was not letting the facts speak for themselves either.
Strike three:
From her website, Rep. Capito has stated, “… Congresswoman Capito has opposed privatization of Social Security and is committed to keeping the promise to West Virginia seniors.”
However, the truth is that she voted for Bush’s Social Security privatization measure. Also, Rep. Capito voted for the Ryan budget, which privatizes Social Security over time.
Now, with three strikes, most players would be out of the game, but I am throwing another ball for good measure. Capito states she is concerned about the lack of jobs. Why did she vote against the “Bring the Jobs Home Act,” which both Manchin and Rockefeller supported?
Christina M. Vogt
Great Cacapon, W.Va.
