Blunt's Eckersley Scandal, Day Thirteen

For nearly two weeks, Matt Blunt and his team of malevolent defenders have engaged in a two-tiered strategy for trying to obstruct the truth in the Scott Eckersley case.  Republican operatives and Blunt staffers have attacked Eckersley's credibility while Blunt himself has stated unequivocally that Eckersley never gave him or his staff any advice about the Governor's policy on email retention.

But damning new evidence obtained by the Associated Press turns the tables, proving conclusively that Eckersley did bring record retention concerns to light and placing an startling gash in the credibility of Matt Blunt and those who've lied on his behalf.  From the wire:

An aide to Gov. Matt Blunt sent a memo challenging his boss’s stance
on deleting e-mails weeks before he was fired, a memo shows.

The
existence and content of the memo, a copy of which was obtained by The
Associated Press, contradict public statements by Blunt and his top
officials after the aide, staff attorney Scott Eckersley, was fired in
late September.

Blunt officials have repeatedly said that
Eckersley never challenged — orally or in writing — their policy of
deleting office e-mail. Those officials have said Eckersley brought up
the issue only on the day he was fired.

So there it is in black and white.  Scott Eckersley told the truth.  Matt Blunt, Henry Herschel, Rich Chrismer and Rich Aubuchon all lied.  These points are no longer arguable; they can not in good-faith be disputed.

­So at minimum, this is what we know.  One of Matt Blunt's attorneys instructed Blunt's inner circle that his office was violating the law regarding record retention --we now have the documents to prove that point.  Within ten days of doing so, Eckersley was gone from the Governor's office, a point that no one challenges.  Following that, Matt Blunt himself and several members of his senior staff, on video, in letters and in various news stories, lied about the existence of the memo on their lawbreaking that we know exists.  

This is devastating for Matt Blunt.  He is a proven liar, and the news media in this state would be utter fools ever to take at face value any utterance by Matt Blunt or any of his top advisors.  The governor has proven himself untrustworthy, and his every statement should be scrutinized unforgivingly from here forward. 

Further, Blunt engaged in his series of lies while simultaneously engineering a campaign to impugn the credibility of a former staffer.  Disgustingly corrupt and hypocritical.

It's no overstatement to say that Matt Blunt has disgraced his office.  We already knew, but the AP today removes any last doubt.