From Deseret News archives:

Brownback aide reprimanded for anti-Mormon e-mail

Published: Monday, June 18, 2007 12:47 a.m. MDT
 |  E-MAIL | PRINT | FONT + - 
WASHINGTON (AP) — An aide to GOP presidential candidate Sam Brownback has been reprimanded for sending e-mail to Iowa Republican leaders in an apparent attempt to draw unfavorable scrutiny to rival Mitt Romney's Mormonism.

Emma Nemecek, the southeastern Iowa field director for Brownback's presidential campaign and a former state representative candidate, violated campaign policy when she forwarded the June 6 e-mail from an interest group raising the questions, the Brownback campaign said Sunday.

The e-mail requested help in fact-checking a series of statements about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Among the statements: "Theologically, the only thing Christianity and the LDS church has in common is the name of Jesus Christ, and the LDS Jesus is not the same Jesus of the Christian faith" and "The LDS church has never been accepted by the Christian Council of Churches."

Brian Hart, a spokesman for the Kansas senator, said the campaign apologized to Romney, a former governor of Massachusetts, once they learned of the e-mail.

"It was not originated by Ms. Nemecek and the purpose was to fact-check. But it was in violation of campaign policy and it won't happen again," he said.

The controversy comes as Brownback and Romney are scrambling to attract socially conservative voters in advance of Iowa's Jan. 14, 2008, caucuses.

Story continues below
Both candidates say they are ardently anti-abortion, although Brownback — a former Methodist who has become an evangelical Roman Catholic — has criticized Romney for supporting abortion rights as recently as two and a half years ago.

A spokesman for Romney's Iowa campaign, Tim Albrecht, said the campaign accepted Brownback's apology but called the incident "unfortunate."

"It's unfortunate that these attacks of religious bigotry were taking place," Albrecht said. "Sen. Brownback has apologized and we are glad he has worked to minimize these repugnant attacks in his campaign. There is just no place for these types of attacks in America today."

Comments

You can be the first to comment on this story.

previousnext

Latest comments

My family has know Mark for nearly 20 years. When I found out that he was...

I didn't know him and probably would have hated what he has done. I started...

Protests against Phoenix LDS temple

And you know this why??? I guess your degree in sociology? Or maybe your vast...

"Why would anybody vote for someone who had friends and associates like...

Girls basketball rankings

Wow..Wasach number one in 3A...and no mention of Emery when the State...

Utah sells most 'New Moon' tickets

Try some reality girls, maybe your life would change. Living in a fantasy...

It sad that people don't look at this the way they should. These were just...

Thank you all for reading my posts. I grew up in AZ and then went to the U of...

America is tired of ANTI religious zealots, trying to force therr...

3A: Juan Diego's last-gasp play

I think that you're in for a big surprise. You've already got losing in your...

Advertisements