I’ve already commented here on the story that broke yesterday about the potentially illegal campaign contributions received by John Oxendine.
But let’s look at the complete timeline:
Weds-Fri last week: AJC begins working on an article about potentially illegal campaign contributions recieved by John Oxendine and contacts the Oxendine campaign seeking comments/clarification. Oxendine tells the AJC on Weds “It’s not like an oversight or I didn’t know what the law was,” he said. “We received it from completely different sources, and they are not common.”
Friday: Oxendine releases an email telling supporters to expect “Lies, rumors, and more lies”.
Saturday: Peach Pundit gets wind of an AJC article forthcoming re: Oxendine
Sunday: AJC article comes out and is a major front page story with the headline “Oxendine’s big funder”
Ox ‘responds’ to AJC article: “Yes, these intrepid, profit generating, cracker jack ‘reporters’ have attacked John Oxendine with a front page ‘story’ which they consider to be serious investigative reporting.”
Monday: Ox actually adresses the report: “I decided to return the funds”
So first Oxendine warns of ‘lies’ to be forthcoming – knowing that the AJC is working on an article about illegal campaign funds he received. Then, when the AJC article comes out, he denies NOTHING about it, but instead attacks the AJC for its perceived (and, to my view, accurately perceived) bias and even takes a swipe at Karen Handle – this despite Friday’s email stating that he would run a ‘positive’ campaign ‘on the issues’. Finally, Monday he says that he is returning the money – pretty much admitting every detail of the AJC story, but trying to save face regardless.
Hmm… seems that John Oxendine doesn’t think the honesty and integrity of a person seeking office is an ‘issue’. I beg to differ on that, and I think the majority of Georgians will agree with me.
For full disclosure, the full text of all three emails from Ox is below the fold.
[Read Ox Campaign Emails]
