Newsweek states the obvious..."Whitman: It's the Cover-Up, Not the Sin, That Matters"

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Meg Whitman's Housekeeper Scandal: It's the Cover-Up, Not the Sin, That Matters

http://www.newsweek.com/blogs/the-gaggle/2010/10/01/meg-whitman-s-housekeeper-scandal-it-s-the-coverup-not-the-sin-that-matters.html



It's a rule even political veterans sometimes forget, but that rookie candidate Meg Whitman may be about to learn a hard lesson on: damaging revelations are much less damaging than a bungled response.

It doesn't get much more California than this story: a former Silicon Valley CEO running for governor is in hot water over allegations involving an illegal immigrant brought forward by a Hollywood lawyer. Whitman, the Republican candidate, is struggling to answer allegations that lawyer to the B-list stars Gloria Allred leveled against her on Thursday. Allred represents Nicandra Diaz Santillan, an illegal immigrant who worked as a housekeeper for Whitman and her husband, Griff Harsh; Diaz was fired after confessing that she didn't have papers, but she now alleges that a letter from the Social Security Administration in 2003 should have tipped Whitman off. In essense, she's accusing Whitman of knowingly employing an illegal immigrant.

It's fair to say that there was some initial skepticism about the allegations. Allred's clients aren't always the most reliable or admirable ones—for example, alleged Tiger Woods mistress Rachel Uchitel. As conservative journalists have been quick to point out, Allred is a friend of Jerry Brown, Whitman's opponent.

But as Whitman's response has evolved, it's looking like a more serious issue for her campaign. The AP says the gubernatorial race has been "upended." She initially rejected the claims entirely, saying she had no idea Diaz was illegal and denying she or her husband had received the SSA letter. She even offered to take a polygraph—although MSNBC's First Read team points out that "a month out before an election, it is never a good thing for a candidate to declare he/she would be willing to take a lie detector test." Maybe it's a good thing she didn't take a test, because Allred then produced a copy of the letter with a note on it that she said was from Griff Harsh. By Friday morning, Whitman was conceding that the writing was indeed probably Harsh's.

The problem here isn't likely to be the immigration issue itself. As my colleague Ben Adler wrote about Connecticut gubernatorial candidate Richard Blumenthal back in May, "everything is OK, just don't lie about it." Whitman's swiftly-changing story raises questions about her credibility; seldom is a candidate forced to backtrack quite so quickly.

[tularetom]

1. I don't think people will cut Whitman a lot of slack - it's the sin too

It isn't just that she has lied about what she did, but what she did was at such odds with the bullshit she's been spouting. Throw employers of illegals in jail?

She comes across as very condescending. Not very warm and fuzzy. A superior attitude that comes across in her speech.

Plus she's fugly.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

3. If the housekeeper were 100% legal I could still give 1000 reasons for not giving this woman power

Everything you said, of course, and a truckload more.

She's rich, she's entitled, she's abusive (You DO NOT pay off an employee for shoving them if you DID NOT SHOVE THEM), she's just a lying PIG.

And as a Californian, I deserve better.

[Aramchek]

2. Nailed!

[gratuitous]

4. This went from a baseless smear to a real problem FAST, didn't it, Meg?

Maybe if you weren't such a screaming hypocrite, people might be inclined to cut you some slack, but it's the same everywhere in every time: If you rail against something, like immigration, it looks doubly bad when you're hiring an undocumented alien yourself.

I wonder if Ms. Whitman can produce the W-2s for Ms. Santillan, proving what she paid her housekeeper?

[Amerigo Vespucci]

5. The media is shining 100% of the spotlight on the fact that SHE...LIED.

Couldn't happen to a better person. FUCK her and her lying husband as well. Liars reap the rewards of LIARS. It's a pity the $140 million wad she shot is a drop in the bucket of her overall financial solvency.

[ladjf]

6. Whitman's desire to save money on a housekeeper may turn out

to have been a $140,000,000 mistake.