A group of conservatives on Wednesday called on American Crossroads to fire its spokesman, Jonathan Collegio, for calling conservative commentator Brent Bozell a “hater.”
Collegio went on WMAL in Washington, D.C. Wednesday morning and said Bozell is a “hater” for opposing American Crossroads’ new offshoot, the Conservative Victory Project, a super PAC aiming to back disciplined Republican candidates to win back a majority in the Senate.
“Bozell is a hater, and he also, like, has a long, sordid history, like, hating Karl Rove, too. So he has, like, a weird personal axe to grind,” Collegio said.
In a letter, a number of conservative activists — including Mark Levin and Tony Perkins — called on American Crossroads president and CEO Steven Law to fire Collegio.
“We, the free men and women of this great nation, affirm everyone’s natural right to speak their mind, but we cannot and will not abide the unjust, personal broadside your aide Jonathan Collegio leveled against a man whose family has dedicated itself to advancing the cause of liberty for over half a century,” they wrote in a letter.
The letter added that Bozell is a “legacy” in the conservative movement. “He has devoted his life to the cause of American conservatism as did his father, Brent Bozell II, who wrote ‘Conscience of a Conservative’ for Barry Goldwater. Maybe you’ve heard of Brent’s uncle, Bill Buckley, whose words you misquote and twist as the basis for your organization enough to falsely suggest you know something about him. You may have heard of his other uncle, Jim Buckley, a former U.S. Senator, or Brent’s mother, Patricia Buckley Bozell—both important figures and writers in our conservative movement.”
The letter also said that Collegio’s “attack was not grounded in reason or principle; its justification was nothing more than disagreement with your newly formed organization.”
Reached for comment, Collegio told TPM in an email that he has “commented enough” on the matter.
Read the full letter below:
Mr. Steven Law
President & Chief Executive Officer
American Crossroads
P.O. Box 34413
Washington, DC 20043
Dear Mr. Law,
We, the free men and women of this great nation, affirm everyone’s natural right to speak their mind, but we cannot and will not abide the unjust, personal broadside your aide Jonathan Collegio leveled against a man whose family has dedicated itself to advancing the cause of liberty for over half a century.
This morning Mr. Collegio attacked L. Brent Bozell, III and labeled him as a “hater” twice in an interview. His attack was not grounded in reason or principle; its justification was nothing more than disagreement with your newly formed organization.
Mr. Bozell is what we call in our movement a “legacy.” He has devoted his life to the cause of American conservatism as did his father, Brent Bozell II, who wrote “Conscience of a Conservative” for Barry Goldwater.
Maybe you’ve heard of Brent’s uncle, Bill Buckley, whose words you misquote and twist as the basis for your organization enough to falsely suggest you know something about him.
You may have heard of his other uncle, Jim Buckley, a former U.S. Senator, or Brent’s mother, Patricia Buckley Bozell—both important figures and writers in our conservative movement.
Ronald Reagan often saluted the contributions of the Bozell and Buckley families to the cause of American conservatism.
Mr. Collegio calling Mr. Bozell a “hater” publicly on WMAL radio this morning reflects the language of the establishment Republicans. It is the divisive language of the Left.
Rather than engaging in an intellectual debate, you, Mr. Collegio, Mr. Rove, and others in the consultant class attack good conservatives and Tea Party leaders and members.
On behalf of the conservative movement, we are demanding you terminate Mr. Collegio. An apology is not acceptable.
American Crossroads and the so-called Conservative Victory Project have already been severely marginalized. The sheer audacity of political consultants maligning a beloved and critically important player in American history is simply a bridge too far.
You obviously mean to have a war with conservatives and the Tea Party.
Let it start here.
Sincerely,
Craig Shirley Diana Banister
Reagan Biographer Director
Citizens for the Republic
Mark Levin Jenny Beth Martin
Author Co-Founder and National Coordinator
Tea Party Patriots
Morton Blackwell Mathew D. Staver
Chairman Founder and Chairman
The Weyrich Lunch Liberty Counsel
Tony Perkins Austin Ruse
President President
Family Research Council Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute
Richard Viguerie Manuel Miranda
Chairman Third Branch Conference
ConservativeHQ.com
Phyllis Schlafly
President
Eagle Forum
Robert Fischer Mark Fitzgibbons
President President of Corporate Affairs
Fischer Furniture, Inc. American Target Advertising
David N. Bossie Troy Newman
President Pro-Life Nation
Citizens United
Richard F. Norman Tricia Erickson
Founder and President President
The Richard Norman Company Crisis Management, Inc.
Ginni Thomas Angelo M. Codevilla
Liberty Consulting Professor emeritus
Claremont Institute
William Wilson Rick Scarborough
Americans for Limited Government Vision America
Peter J. Thomas Colin Hanna
Chairman Let Freedom Ring
The Conservative Caucus Inc.
Andrea Lafferty Frank Gaffney
President President
Traditional Values Coalition Center for Security Policy