Sen. Pat Roberts’ (R-KS) office won’t release details about how much time the lawmaker spends in the state, after a New York Times story revealed Roberts does not actually maintain a home there.
The Washington Examiner’s Byron York reported Tuesday that Roberts’ office was clamming up because they feared some groups would find any amount of time he spends in Kansas unacceptable.
“We’re not going to release numbers because we’re not sure that any number would be acceptable to some of these outside groups,” spokeswoman Sarah Little told York after he inquired about how much time Roberts spends in Kansas. “We’re worried about what the yardstick is. Who defines how much is enough days in the state?”
As York pointed out, Roberts could make the case that his work in the Senate requires a lot of time outside Kansas considering that his home state is a three hour flight away from Washington.
Little provided York with a statement from Roberts that she said would be his final comment on the residency issue:
The New York Times does not get to define what it means to be a Kansan. Kansas is my home, has always been my home and I never stop working for Kansans. I helped invent the “listening tour” in Kansas which I conduct every Congress and I have been to each of the 105 counties in Kansas time and time again. My campaign has received donations from every county and I have endorsements from all parts of the state. I was in Kansas last week and I will be there next week.
