New Sanders aide apologizes for role in race-baiting '99 website

[JoeOtterbein]

(Disclaimer; the Politico article was written by this DU poster's daughter)

By HOLLY OTTERBEIN 03/22/2019 05:37 PM EDT Updated 03/22/2019 06:17 PM EDT

[link:https://www.politico.com/story/2019/03/22/sanders-speechwriter-racially-inflammatory-website-1232953|

David Sirota, who Bernie Sanders announced this week would be joining his campaign as a speechwriter, was hired by the senator for a different job two decades ago — the same year the aide was fired from a mayoral campaign for his role in a racially inflammatory and fraudulent website.

In a 1999 mayoral race in Philadelphia, Sirota was tied to a fake website apparently intended to scare off white residents from voting for a black opponent. On Friday, the controversial political aide and journalist apologized for his role in the episode.

“I deeply regret being involved in this whole incident,” David Sirota, Sanders’ senior communications adviser, told POLITICO. “I am absolutely ashamed that it happened, and I have felt genuinely terrible about this for 20 years. Even though I was a junior political staffer, I should have known better, and I certainly do today.”

more at link

[RandySF]

1. Good to know it only took 20 years.

[Cha]

11. It's all over the internet.. he had to.

Link to tweet

[George II]

13. That's exactly what I was going to say. Now, after evading it for 20 years he's been "caught"....

....so he apologizes.

I didn't read the actual apology (really not interested, it's obviously not sincere), did he say he's sorry "for anyone who may have been offended"?

[Socal31]

2. Wow they are not messing around against a couple candidates

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

3. Very disappointing to hear that... no excuse for it!!

Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[RandySF]

4. Wait a minute. Bernie hired Sirota right after he was busted?

So it was okay to Bernie?

[NurseJackie]

5. Some people have higher standards...

... some have lower standards.

[redstateblues]

6. Bernie only hires the best people! Where have we heard that before?

[bobbieinok]

7. Does Sanders or anyone on team vet their hires? Or do they just not care about some things?

[George II]

16. From some of the recent hires, I think one requirement is that they voted for Jill Stein in 2016.

[bobbieinok]

17. !!!

[Talking Tom]

8. Now apologize for attacking Hillary on election eve

He wanted Trump to win.

[Cha]

9. Yes.. Now Apologize for this, sirota.. bet he won't.

Link to tweet

[R B Garr]

20. Ooh, nice to see that Steven Leser tweet! I'll have to

check his Twitter. He is missed —such an asset here,

Hi Cha!

[Cha]

21. Yes, it was really nice

to come across Steven's tweet. And, I told him so.

RB

[Cha]

12. Weaver said.. that kind of conduct wouldn't be tolerated in a BS campaign..

Link to tweet

[George II]

14. Hah! So he hires him as his speech writer. I guess with Weaver out such conduct WILL be tolerated.

[Cha]

18. BS liked what he heard.

[George II]

15. If Sanders wants ANY credibility and "transparency" with Democrats....

...Sirota should be fired immediately!

There's no way to explain this guy away. There's that incident 20 years ago, and now Sirota is trying to "hide" his past by deleting more than 20,000 tweets going all the way back to 2008.

Even if there was nothing there (highly doubtful, based on the examples we've seen), this looks BAD!

[ucrdem]

19. I think Beto's big haul spooked him.

For a while there it looked like Beto had had it and was ready to throw in the towel. Then all of a sudden he's the six million dollar man. Otherwise I think Sanders would have thought twice before making such a blatant desperation move. And VT(I) means never having to say you're sorry so I don't expect an apology.