I guess it makes sense, the announced opposition is underwhelming.
Right now there appears to not be a serious candidate who can take on Weller, but letting these issues just swim around in the press in a very, very bad Republican year isn’t wise.
From the Trib article:
Instead, Weller issued an e-mail statement through a spokesman: “Mrs. Weller is often asked to play a role in improving rural health care and fighting poverty in her native country. Friends encouraged her to set up this type of organization for this purpose. The congressman thought it was a good idea too.”
The former dictator, who governed Guatemala from March 1982 to August 1983, is facing legal action in Guatemala for human rights crimes committed during his time in office, considered the bloodiest period of the 1960-1996 armed conflict that left more than 200,000 — mainly rural indigenous people — dead, including 50,000 victims of forced disappearance.
She didn’t just try to return him to power, her father was on the ballot with her again as a candidate for the National Assembly and won. She will serve her next term with her father because as a member of the Guatemalan Congress, he has immunity from civil and criminal accountability for his crimes. And Jerry Weller was down in Guatemala helping.
Isn’t the fact that a Member of the US Congress was working to gain a legislative seat for a genocidal dictator enough to be a scandal? Yeah, I know…
“Isn’t the fact that a Member of the US Congress was working to gain a legislative seat for a genocidal dictator enough to be a scandal? Yeah, I know…”
Oh come on, get some perspective. It’s not as if he smoked cigarettes or came out as a Unitarian or something.
Anyway, I(s)OKIYAR.*
*It’s (still) OK If You’re A Republican.
Looks like Weller & Dennis the Menace Hastert got subpoenas today.