Deschamps Calls For Tester Apology
Today Will Deschamps, chair of the Montana Republican Party, called on Senator Jon Tester to apologize for comments distributed by his campaign.
The Tester for Senate campaign distributed an e-mail accusing a woman who is known to be a victim of attempted sexual violence, of opposing protections against child pornography.
Penny Nance, CEO of Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee, is the driving force behind the popular and humorous "Spenditol" TV ad, criticizing the Obama/Tester record of taxing and spending. Stung by the ad, Tester's campaign responded with an e-mail claiming that Concerned Women for America opposes laws against child pornography.
That claim is ridiculous on its face, since CWA is one of the most well-known advocates for family values in America. The Tester campaign's smear is made worse by the personal story of Nance. In her reply to the Tester campaign's accusations, she said, "It is publicly known that I was personally the victim in an attempted sexual attack by a suspected pornography addict while I was pregnant with my daughter. I was rescued by a passing motorist, and have spent the last 15 years as a champion against child pornography and indecency."
Chairman Deschamps made the following statement:
"Sexually-related violence is a topic so horrifying to Americans that it's almost taboo to discuss it. Yet Jon Tester allowed his campaign to accuse Ms. Nance of supporting the very smut that may have led to her attack. I won't pretend that Senator Tester and I agree very often, but I know we agree on this: victims of sex-related violence should be treated with respect. Senator Tester once upon a time promised to make Washington look more like Montana. In this situation, a Montanan would apologize. I call on Senator Tester to do so."
