How Little Scandals Become Big Scandals
2012-05-07 - by
House Speaker Thom Tillis spent last week catching hand grenades – first his Chief-of-Staff landed on the front page of the newspaper for having an affair with a lobbyist then a second Tillis aide confessed to a peccadillo with another lobbyist; — both aides promptly resigned (at Tillis’ request) then the press asked Tillis the million dollar question: Did either of those lobbyist get any special treatment – to help pass their bills – from your aides?
Now a fellow who’d brushed up against a scandal or two would have taken a deep breath and said, I’m calling for an independent investigation today to find out the answer to that question, and if anything wrong was done I’ll do my best to set it straight – but to Speaker Tillis’ misfortune this is his first scandal so when the reporter asked the question he said he’d already investigated himself and the answer was No, those lobbyists hadn’t received one scrap of special help.
When the Democrats read that in the newspaper they couldn’t believe their eyes: Tillis had climbed out on the end of the limb – and the Democrats immediately set about sawing it off behind him: By demanding an independent investigation.
What could Tillis do? If he said No it’d look like a cover-up so he said Yes and if the investigators find one of those lobbyists did get a bit of special help with a bill then Tillis will have a whole different problem.
But one thing is for sure – both Democratic and Republican legislators agree: There will be no independent investigating of peccadilloes involving legislators and lobbyists.
How Little Scandals Become Big Scandals
2012-05-07/
House Speaker Thom Tillis spent last week catching hand grenades – first his Chief-of-Staff landed on the front page of the newspaper for having an affair with a lobbyist then a second Tillis aide confessed to a peccadillo with another lobbyist; — both aides promptly resigned (at Tillis’ request) then the press asked Tillis the million dollar question: Did either of those lobbyist get any special treatment – to help pass their bills – from your aides?
Now a fellow who’d brushed up against a scandal or two would have taken a deep breath and said, I’m calling for an independent investigation today to find out the answer to that question, and if anything wrong was done I’ll do my best to set it straight – but to Speaker Tillis’ misfortune this is his first scandal so when the reporter asked the question he said he’d already investigated himself and the answer was No, those lobbyists hadn’t received one scrap of special help.
When the Democrats read that in the newspaper they couldn’t believe their eyes: Tillis had climbed out on the end of the limb – and the Democrats immediately set about sawing it off behind him: By demanding an independent investigation.
What could Tillis do? If he said No it’d look like a cover-up so he said Yes and if the investigators find one of those lobbyists did get a bit of special help with a bill then Tillis will have a whole different problem.
But one thing is for sure – both Democratic and Republican legislators agree: There will be no independent investigating of peccadilloes involving legislators and lobbyists.