The Miami Mob Boss is circling the drain. As reported in other diaries recently, a police incident report came to light a few days ago that indicated Sweeney had roughed up his second wife back in early December. His responses to reports in three newspapers began a dive so steep he can't possibly pull up before he crashes and burns.
Sweeney denied that the reports were truthful, saying they were concocted by the Gillibrand campaign. He trotted his wife out in an incomprehensible ad that referred to different 9-11 call "to save her husband's life" and accused Gillibrand of "hiring a man" to destroy her marriage.
Sweeney vowed to release the "real" report the following day. When it didn't come forth, he claimed it "took longer than expected."
This, knowing the police said the only thing he had to do to get the police report released was for him and his wife to sign and have notarized a letter releasing it.
Nothing.
Then at 5 p.m. today, his lawyer held a press conference saying he advised Sweeney not to release the report and oh, by the way, he wanted an investigation into who released the formerly false document.
It was all too much for the Post Star Newspaper, which had reluctantly endorsed him just days earlier.
http://www.poststar.com/articles/2006/11/03/news/doc454beb94004a5026428988.txt
EDITORIAL: Character questions continue to dog Sweeney
Our view: Post-Star withdraws endorsement in wake of latest
controversy regarding domestic violence call
Friday, November 3, 2006 8:24 PM EST
There's a time when you have to say, enough. Here is one such time.
Serious allegations of domestic violence were raised against
Congressman John Sweeney earlier this week after three newspapers published police accounts of a 911 call to his home in December.
The congressman has said he wants the truth to come out. But his actions in the wake of the incident and the disclosure of the 911 call in the media indicate otherwise.
The Post Star went into a day-by-day accounting of Sweeney's actions, which I generally outlined above. They continued with:
On Friday, as the citizens waited a third day for Sweeney to finally disclose the truth, again there was nothing from the congressman to support his claims as to what really happened. Instead, the congressman had himself seen with Governor Pataki and 9/11 hero Rudy Giuliani, telling reporters who questioned him about the waiver as he
walked away, "Talk to my lawyer."
Perhaps by appearing with these two political giants, Sweeney was hoping their aura would overshadow a newspaper report published Friday in which he was quoted in the Times-Union as saying he thought the whole domestic violence matter was a "non-issue."
We don't think it's a non-issue. And we're sure many of our readers don't either.
The Post Star continued by recounting a series they had done on domestic violence and the compelling stories they heard from woman who had been abused.
The congressman's curt dismissal of the domestic violence incident as a "non-issue" demonstrates that he either doesn't understand the seriousness of this matter as it relates to his role as a member of Congress, or that he simply hopes to divert attention from it so he can win the election.
The Post Star recounted the many reasons they had reservations about endorsing Sweeny, including his trip to the Marianas, his close connections to lobbyists, and more. But this was the straw that broke the camels back, as the saying goes and was enough to withdraw that endorsement.
His response to this incident reflects disturbingly not only on his character, but on his credibility to serve effectively as a representative of all the people.
There are still three days left until Election Day, and we urge the congressman to release the police documentation he says will unveil the truth about what really happened at his house that night.
Given this situation and Congressman Sweeney's unacceptable response to it, we can no longer stand behind our earlier endorsement of his candidacy.
We can only hope this is the straw that breaks the back of the voters, too and we can soon call Kirsten Gillibrand "Congresswoman."