Eckersley: Martin "Is Everything That Is Wrong In Government Today"

Scott Eckersley didn't mince words about Ed Martin in an interview with conservative radio host Dave Levine Saturday afternoon.  Eckersley and Martin know each other, of course, from their time in the office of former Governor Matt Blunt. Eckersley was fired by the Blunt crew after advising the Governor's staff not to destroy public documents, and was then the target of "a taxpayer-funded character assassination unlike anything ever seen before in Missouri government."  Who orchestrated that smear campaign?  Ed Martin. 

So it's not surprising that Eckersley is no longer a fan of Martin's particular brand of ethics and extremism in politics.  Towards the end of Eckersley's interview with Levine -- a fan of Martin's CD3 primary opponent, John Wayne Tucker -- Eckersley turned his attention to Martin:

It is a travesty in my mind that the Republican Party here in Missouri is again propping up a guy like Ed Martin [who] so obviously has no interest in the public, so obviously has no interest in serving, in being a public servant...

You know, folks like Ed Martin, I don't think badly about too many people, but Ed's one of the those I'll, I'm -- I will say, he is every -- he's everything that is wrong in government today. And you know, a party that attacks a citizen, you know, at the time I was a twenty-nine year old guy who woke up one Monday morning and was locked out of the Governor's office, told not to come in.  And they  -- not not only did they challenge on the Sunshine Law but tried to distract people by launching a smear campaign against me unlike anything ever seen before...

At the end of the day, I do think there was some meat left on the bone. But at the same time, some bad actors got their due. And I think Ed Martin's a bad actor who got his due, and should and will get it again.  And I applaud who runs based on character and runs because they want to serve and have the right motivation to do so. Ed Martin has been successful in showing that he has none of those qualities. And so a party that backs a man like Ed Martin, there's something wrong.

Listen to the relevant excerpt from the full 24 minute interview (apologies for the poor quality recording):

To be clear, Levin is an outspoken supporter of Martin's opponent in the Third Congressional District primary, John Wayne Tucker.  Levin's suggestions that Martin hasn't taken clear positions on issues seems unfounded -- Martin has obviously staked out clear (though misguided and misleading) positions on a variety of issues.

Listen to the full interview here.

Image credit: Reboot Congress