Huckleberries Online

Trillhaase: Tables Turn On Minnick

Posted by DFO

Dec. 7, 2009 11:53 a.m. • 16 comments

Back in 2008, Republican Bill Sali was the incumbent and his challenger, Democrat Walt Minnick, was targeting Sali’s spokesman Wayne Hoffman. Hoffman was drawing a federal salary as Sali’s congressional office press spokesman. He was also working on Sali’s campaign - and it was tough to tell when he was working for the taxpayers or whether he was campaigning at taxpayer expense, Minnick contended. Now the situation is reversed. Minnick is the incumbent. And John Foster, Minnick’s senior adviser and communications director, is drawing heat for doing the same thing - working as a spokesman for both the congressional office and Minnick’s re-election campaign/Marty Trillhaase, Lewiston Tribune. More here.

Question: Do you blame congressional wannabe Vaughn Ward’s staff for calling Minnick on using the same practice that he criticized Bill Sali for?

16 comments on this post so far. Add yours!

Phaedrus on December 07 at 12:45 p.m.
“Foster will settle things next month. He’ll step down from Minnick’s public staff to work full time on the Democrat’s re-election committee - although he may work a few hours completing projects in the
congressional office.”

What’s the problem?
Sisyphus on December 07 at 12:52 p.m.
Yeah methinks they’re comparing apples and oranges. Hoffman was taking calls for both capacities and merely stepping outside the congressional office in a feeble effort to comply with the ethical rules. He never resigned either post up until election day and they even set up the campaign office right next door to the congressional office in order to blur the lines. And both offices weren’t even in the district.
Cabbage Boy on December 07 at 1:06 p.m.
Ha, funny that the left bank has no problem here. Phaed, now that he is called on it, he decides to step down.

Hypocrisy? Nah, it’s all politics.
redman on December 07 at 1:28 p.m.
Sis I thought you had a little more in you, what a weak attempt to justify things. Come on guys right is right, wrong is wrong.
Phaedrus on December 07 at 1:34 p.m.
CB, check the dates, I’m pretty sure the plan to step down was in place well before the story ran. In fact, I know it was.
redman on December 07 at 2:34 p.m.
What, Minnick is going to step down, now thats the right thing to do
Sisyphus on December 07 at 2:45 p.m.
Hey redman and CB. As one who was on top of Hoffman-gate and helped expose it, I kinda know where the lines are. The House ethics committee seems much less concerned than I was. And if you think I’ve been any more lax on Minnick or John Foster, I’ve got both their phone numbers in case you want their opinion on me. It won’t be suitable for printing.

Very little campaigning has begun except fundraising. It appears Foster is going to do the right thing when the time comes. If this were September, or even July, I’d be doing posts on it.
Cabbage Boy on December 07 at 2:52 p.m.
Sis, is this the same Senate “Ethics” committee that cleared our friendly former senator Craig?

I am sure they don’t like you over at Minnick’s office. Always whining about how he isn’t liberal enough.
Cabbage Boy on December 07 at 2:54 p.m.
And Phaed, so he got wind there was trouble in the air. Time to step down, stay ahead of the game. It helps to have friends in the right places.

You guys are so predictable.
Sisyphus on December 07 at 3:00 p.m.
“is this the same Senate “Ethics” committee that cleared our friendly former senator Craig?”—No. This would be the House Ethics committee. I can see the final draft of the constitution continues to elude you as with most the teabaggers/Palin supporters.

And as I recall they senate committee came down on Senator Craig. (npi)
Cabbage Boy on December 07 at 3:18 p.m.
Senate, house, you got the gist. But just like most caught in hypocrisy, you focus on a technicality while not seeing how silly you look.

Would their opinion of you have something to do with “incessant whiny blogger”?
Sisyphus on December 07 at 3:29 p.m.
Oh, you’ve spoken to them. ;-) Frankly that gives me too much credit.
Phaedrus on December 07 at 3:32 p.m.
so he got wind there was trouble in the airCB

Love the ever present conspiracy mindset. LOL!

Occam’s Razor.
Cabbage Boy on December 07 at 4:05 p.m.
@Phaed,

LOL ;) ROFLMAO

:)

Really. ;)
hhuseland on December 07 at 9:18 p.m.
What! A double standard in politics? Get real, people. This is not news. It goes on all of the time with whom evers ox is gored at the time complains then does the same thing when it is their turn. The political world is not church. Get over it.
fortboise on December 07 at 10:31 p.m.
It’s not hypocrisy boys, it’s false equivalency. And my it flies out of the cupboard in a hurry these days.

So tired.

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D.F. Oliveria is a columnist and blogger for The Spokesman-Review. Huckleberries Online was judged the best 2008 Idaho newspaper blog by the Idaho Press Club. And the best 2007 news blog in the Pacific Northwest by the Society for Professional Journalist. Print Huckleberries is a past winner of the Herb Caen Memorial Column contest by the National Association of Newspaper Columnists. The Readership Institute of Northwestern University cited this blog as a good example of online community journalism.