NEW HAMPSHIRE — Despite Ron Paul’s constant refrain that he’s answered every question about a series of fringe newsletters published under his name in the 1980s and 1990s, there are actually still major gaps in his story.
While he has disavowed the content and says he didn’t write or see the offending passages, he has provided no information as to who wrote them or how he hired his team of ghostwriters, and has even walked out of interviews when pressed on the subject. In addition, he’s on record in the 1990s proudly discussing the publications and even acknowledged and defended some of the passages in question when it briefly became a campaign issue in 1996.
His aides are taking their cues from their boss when it comes to handling the issue, however. National Press Secretary Gary Howard stormed away from an interview after Saturday’s GOP debate after being asked whether Paul, would provide any further details on these gaps.
TPM: When he’s pressed who wrote them, what were the circumstances under which they were hired—HOWARD: He’s already answered those questions. He’s already answered all those questions.
TPM: What was the answer?
HOWARD: He’s already answered all those questions. Do you have a new question?
TPM: What was the answer?
HOWARD: Do you have a new question?
TPM: Can you tell me what the answer was?
HOWARD: He’s disavowed them, he didn’t see them, he didn’t write them.
TPM: But who did?
HOWARD: To answer your question, he didn’t know.
TPM: Does he have any information how they were hired? None?
At that point, Howard turned and quickly walked away.
Earlier Paul chose not to directly address a question about the newsletters at the ABC debate on Saturday night, saying that “concentrating on something that was written 20 years ago that I didn’t write, you know, is diverting the attention from most of the important issues.”
Benjy Sarlin
Benjy Sarlin is a reporter for Talking Points Memo and co-writes the campaign blog, TPM2012. He previously reported for The Daily Beast/Newsweek as their Washington Correspondent and covered local politics for the New York Sun.
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