The Ballad of Gerry Sweet

Well, Dan Popkey may not be ready to write about Larry Craig, but his column today offers the sour tale of Gerry Sweet, the gun-pimping former state legislator who landed a cushy job as district director for his good buddy Congressman Bill Sali. When Sweet resigned in May after just a few months on the job, few  bought his lame claim of "personal reasons."

As Popkey tells it, Sali's vigilant spokesdude - former journalist Wayne Hoffman - clued his brain-faded boss into the idea that maybe it wasn't so smart to for Sweet to invite Sali to schmooze at a gun show. Popkey writes:

OK, maybe the stories I've heard about Sweet neglecting to show up at the office, travel the district and be the congressman's able ambassador are unfounded.

But Sweet's arranging for Sali to appear at the gun show at Expo Idaho, where Sweet was a major vendor, is troublesome. Sweet scheduled Sali to attend on April 14 for two hours.

On April 12, the National Rifle Association e-mailed thousands of Idaho members promoting the appearance of "pro-gun Congressman Bill Sali" at the show sponsored by Ee-Da-How Longrifles Inc.

Hoffman raised questions about an appearance of impropriety. "There was a legitimate concern it didn't pass the smell test," Hoffman told me.

There's more here. Popkey says this episode gives Sali another chance to build a district field operation that will serve his constituents. Yes, but knowing that it was Hoffman, not Sali himself, who called foul on the potential ethical lapse sheds some real light on Sali's judgment.

Sali made a mistake hiring Sweet, whose 2006 gun show gigs caused him to miss about a third of his votes on the legislature's powerful JFAC  panel. Perhaps 1st District voters will soon realize that they, too, made a mistake in hiring this extremist, tone-deaf legislator.

Comments

[MountainGoat]

These two are just amazing.

[Julie Fanselow]

Indeed. At least we never have to worry about running out of things to blog about with these guys in power.

[Sisyphus]

Don't forget the third guy. Julie, Wayne Hoffman doesn't smack me as a guy who would blew the whistle on the ethical lapse. Popkey writes of Hoffman: "He left in 2005 to advise Republican politicians." Too true. And we paid his salary to do it. Hoffman actually was employed by the Department of Agriculture while spokesman for the Sali and Luna. http://www.boiseweekly.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A218011 I'm frankly surprised that no investigation has been done on the legality of Mr. Hoffman's actions during this time.

Wayne may have steered Popkey to that issue but I'd be surprised if it emenated from him originally. He seems to enjoy playing fast and loose with the rules. And it makes me suspicious that we don't have the actual reason yet for Sweet's departure. If it is a bait and switch then the real reason must be a doozy.

[Julie in Boise]

Sis, thanks for bringing that up. I'd forgotten he held that state staff job simultaneously with at least one campaign job.

Popkey hinted at some pretty serious incompetence and dereliction of duty on Sweet's part.

I still expect Brandi Swindell to get this job any day now.

[bernard]

I heard Sweet was let go because he was selling firearms over the internet and using the Congressional office computer to do it. This, of course is a third or fourth hand rumor but that's what's the internet for, right?

[sharon fisher]

Hoffman was also chair of the Young Republicans while working for Ag. (Incidentally, now that he's gone, the new head of Ag, Celia Gould, the wife of the former speaker, has hired Pamm Juker, the former clerk of the House -- aka "the person who always read all that stuff so fast.")

Popkey's article reminded me that about the only bill Sali got through the legislature on his last term was one cosponsored with Sweet giving gun dealers a tax break.

[buy viagra]

I never pray on a golf course. Actually, the Lord answers my prayers everywhere except on the course. ~ Billy Graham

http://www.safemeds.com/viagra/online.html

http://www.safemeds.com/viagra/generic.html

[viagra online]

I like the cut of this program always supporting new or potential new talent, now I wonder, that parties will be all of this production, in humiliating many seriously in finding new talent? Thanks for the blog is very good ..