Rep Robert Wexler (D-FL) Had No Residence In District

NAILED

Talk Hosts Call Attention To Wexler's Deceit







When they focus directly and aggressively on a single issue, talk hosts are often able to produce the greatest results.

Case in point: Rep Robert Wexler (D-FL), who has been forced to change his deceitful ways after pressure from Bill O'Reilly, Rush Limbaugh and others.

Until O'Reilly brought to light the fact that Wexler didn't live in his congressional district, or even in Florida at all, the public was completely unaware of the issue. But with the spotlight on Wexler's dishonesty, the longtime Democrat has found himself compelled to rent an apartment in the area he represents.

That has even the traditionally-hostile south Florida press acknowledging O'Reilly's role. From the Palm Beach Post:

Wexler's chief of staff, Eric Johnson, said Wexler mistakenly signed paperwork declaring the Maryland house his primary residence when he bought it in 1997 and corrected the error in 2003 when it was brought to his attention.

Johnson said the signature on the loan document was not the same as a legal declaration of residency but was an affirmation that Wexler would be living in the house "for a good majority of the time" rather than renting it out.

Even if Wexler called the Maryland home his primary residence, Johnson contended, he still would be a Florida resident. Johnson cited an 1879 Florida Supreme Court ruling that said a Gainesville man did not lose his Florida residency when "attending to the duties of a public office" in Washington.

Wexler, a six-term incumbent who has never faced a serious reelection challenge in his heavily Democratic district, has been under fire since Fox News personality Bill O'Reilly accused him last week of being a bogus Floridian. The O'Reilly Factor showed footage of a Fox News producer confronting Wexler with residency questions in the driveway of Wexler's house in the Maryland suburbs of Washington.

O'Reilly was led to the story by Republican Ed Lynch, who is running for Wexler's Palm Beach-Broward congressional seat.

Lynch claimed vindication Tuesday, saying Wexler's decision to rent an apartment in the district is "tantamount to admitting guilt."

A similar reaction came from Wexler's other challenger, no-party candidate Ben Graber, who also has hammered Wexler on the residency issue. "I guess he's admitting that he doesn't live here," Graber said.

For his part, Limbaugh had this to say:

RUSH: Bob Wexler is going to lease an apartment in his Florida district. Do you remember this came up? Congressman Wexler does not have a Florida residence. He lists his Florida residence as his mother's place but he's got three kids, and they do not allow kids where his mother lives. He's never there! He comes down here for appearances. He says he pays property taxes in Maryland. There is no state income tax in Florida. So after the hubbub, he's going to lease an apartment in his Florida district. "Stung by claims he doesn't really live in Florida, Wexler said today that he'll lease an apartment in his congressional district rather than declaring residency at the home of his in-laws." He got caught! He doesn't live here! And nobody's upset about it.

This story is from the Palm Beach Post. "My wife Laurie and I have decided to lease a residence of our own in Palm Beach County." Way to go, Bob! Way to clear up the mess. But I remember Ann Coulter. They tried to put her in jail voting in what they said was in a wrong precinct, they tried to turn that into some kind of a major crime. Here Wexler pretty much admits he doesn't live here. He's going to lease a place in Palm Beach County, probably down in Boca someplace. Way to go, Bob, way to go, way to square it.

In a time where the national GOP has become wildly ineffective in aggressively pursuing corruption on the other side of the aisle, it is now up to talk hosts to fill the void. This week's example proves they're thankfully up to the task.


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