Hastert Campaign Calls Constituents about Foleygate

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Is Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) worried about damage in his home district from the page scandal?

Here’s one indication that he is. Yesterday, his campaign paid for automated calls in his district in support of the Speaker. The calls were a counter-offensive against a left-leaning group that’s been hitting Republicans nationwide on the Foley scandal. You can listen to a recording of the Hastert call here.

Earlier this week, American Family Voices blanketed some 50 districts with calls urging citizens “to call their congressman and ‘demand he stop the coverup’ of the Mark Foley scandal,” according to The Palm Beach Post. One of those districts was Hastert’s.

Hastert’s call, recorded on an answering machine by a TPM reader, characterizes American Family Voices as “a liberal extremist group” deploying “untrue partisan attacks.” The call also points out that the group is headed by John Lux, a former Clinton administration aide — a fact that some conservatives have used to suggest that the Clintons are actually behind Foleygate. The full script of the call, as best as I could transcribe it, is below.

Hastert’s opponent in the 14th District is John Laesch, a former intelligence analyst with the U.S. Navy. CQ Politics rates the race as Safe Republican — but who knows? That may change.

Full text of the Hastert campaign’s call:

“Hi. I’m sorry to bother you at home this evening – but I felt that I needed to call to set the record straight about my friend and my congressman Denny Hastert. Last night, a Washington based Democratic front group called American Family Voices phoned residents in our communities to spread falsehoods about our congressman Denny Hastert. Unfortunately, these untrue partisan attacks are not uncommon in Washington, but they are not welcome in the 14th District. This group is actually a liberal extremist group whose leader is a former Clinton [unintelligible] operative – [garbled] Pelosi as Speaker, and Hilary Clinton as President, and they will resort to anything to accomplish it. We know that Denny Hastert is a public servant who has spent his life working for families – whether as a teacher, coach, or congressman. Join me in rejecting these untrue facts in [unintelligibile] campaigning. Thank you for your time and have a good evening. My call to you is paid for by the Hastert for Congress Committee.”

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