McKenna Awash in Obama Money
Andy McKenna is spending considerable amount of money portraying himself as more of a Republican than his opponents. He has given special attention to Kirk Dillard and his ad for Barack Obama.
But voters in Illinois should not be fooled: Andy McKenna has a huge connection to Barack Obama and the Democratic Party as well.
Consider:
• McKenna has 97 donors who gave $444,950 to Obama in recent election cycles.
• Those same donors gave McKenna $432,400 from July 1, 2009 to Jan. 22, 2010.
• Those same donors gave $269,908 to other Democrats like Harry Reid, Rahm Emanuel, Charles Shumer, Hillary Clinton, Alexi Giannoulias and the Democratic National Committee.
Combine candidate? Nah.
Andy McKenna Ducks and Dodges on “Don and Roma”
After ducking two major GOP debates this week, Andy McKenna ducks questions about his ethics scandal while appearing on WLS 890 AM’s “Don Wade and Roma Show.” This is the latest interview in which he refuses to answer questions about his role in a newly-released state Republican Party ethics report.
Did McKenna Answer Questions of Ethics Panel?
CHICAGO — Jim Ryan’s campaign for Governor has learned that Andy McKenna declined to answer questions posed to him by a party ethics panel that ultimately concluded that he violated the party’s code of ethics by ordering a $28,000 self-serving poll.
That revelation is prompting Ryan and DuPage County State’s Attorney Joe Birkett to ask today that the Illinois State Party release the nearly 100 pages of documents underlying the state party ethics inquiry, concluded about a month ago. They believe the documents will confirm McKenna’s lack of cooperation with the investigation.
“If Andy McKenna cannot answer simple questions about his own actions, voters should be very wary of supporting him,” said Ryan.
“Andy wasn’t straight with me about this poll, he hasn’t been straight with voters, and now, apparently, we learn he wasn’t forthcoming to a state party ethics panel,” Birkett said. “Voters need to know who Andy McKenna is before they go to the polls next week.”
Earlier this week, the Springfield-based State Journal Register printed the ethics panel’s four-page findings that said, among other things, that former state party chairman McKenna “compounded one ethical misstep with another” in ordering the poll without consulting or informing the State Central Committee.
Since the Journal Register story, McKenna has ducked two major Chicago debates and refuses to answer questions about the scandal.
Andy McKenna to duck WLS radio debate today
Andy McKenna continues his run-and-hide strategy to escape questions about his self-dealing and lack of honesty regarding his final weeks as Illinois State Party chairman.
Yesterday, McKenna ducked questions about the scandal on WSOY radio in Decatur. (Click here to listen to an excerpt of that interview.)
His surrogate, Tom Cross, was equally evasive yesterday when he almost crawled under the podium to avoid tough questions. (Watch that interview here.)
And, of course, McKenna was absent for the major gubernatorial debate sponsored by WTTW.
Here is some coverage of that debate:
Today, he is ducking another major debate sponsored by WLS 890 radio, a two-hour live event from 4-6 p.m. at the Chase Auditorium, 10 S. Dearborn, Chicago. He also is ducking a one-on-one debate with Jim Ryan on Fox News on Friday.
Don’t let Andy McKenna hide behind his dishonest TV campaign, fueled by his family’s money. If he wants to lead the Republican Party on ethics, make him answer relevant questions about his own ethics. Make him answer why he lied to Joe Birkett.
Amid Ethics Scandal, McKenna Ducks Debate
This first clip is from WGN-TV News:
And this excerpt is from ABC 7 Chicago News:
Andy “Me”Kenna ducking debates
Andy “Me”Kenna is ducking all three debates this week as he tries to escape questions from the scandal he left behind as Illinois GOP chairman.
The scandal exploded further late yesterday when State Journal Register columnist Bernie Schoenburg got his hands on the full report done by the party’s ethics committee regarding “Poll-gate.” The results reveal stunning new details that go far behind the joint statement issued by the party and “Me”Kenna on Jan. 8:
—”Me”Kenna ordered a $28,300 poll that highlighted various Republican political figures without ever informing the Republican State Central Committee, the entity that governs the State Party.
—The poll included “Me”Kenna and, indeed, was specially focused on “Me”Kenna. A special one-page graphic was prepared for “Me”Kenna and none of the other candidates. Those other hopefuls included an an incumbent congressman and two-time statewide nominee.
—The report states: “The fact that information contained in the poll was specifically tailored only to Andrew McKenna reveals both an apparent and an actual conflict of interest between his own potential political aspirations and his obligations as a State Central Committee Member obligated to serve the Illinois Republican Party and the general public without any suggestion of service promoting their private interests.”
—The report concludes: “Thus, Andrew McKenna compounded one ethical misstep with another.”
Just Sunday, DuPage County State’s Attorney Joe Birkett, one of the hopefuls in the poll, said “Me”Kenna “flat-out lied” to him when Birkett asked him face-to-face on June 16 last year whether the party had any polling pertaining to him.
“Me”Kenna is laying low, hoping to avoid questions on the scandal. He has declined to participate in the WTTW gubernatorial debate tonight, a WLS Live gubernatorial debate on Wednesday and a one-on-one mini-debate with Jim Ryan on Fox News on Friday.
This guy wants to take over the reins of an ethically challenged state. He needs to answer about his own ethics before he faces voters on Tuesday.
BREAKING: New Report Cites Ethical Missteps by McKenna
The Springfield State-Journal Register tonight broke news of a previously-unreleased report that cites ethical missteps by gubernatorial candidate and former Republican party chair Andy McKenna, through his secret commissioning of a party-funded poll for personal, political gain:
“An internal state GOP ethics inquiry found that Andy McKenna — former state Republican chairman and now a candidate for governor — “compounded one ethical misstep with another” by commissioning a poll including his own name using party money, and then not telling committee members that his name was in the poll or that information from the poll could benefit himself.
“The Chairman’s office never informed the Illinois Republican State Central Committee of intent to commission this poll, nor did Andrew McKenna ever request approval to conduct this poll from the … Committee,” the report by the ethics committee of the state party said of the poll, which was done by The Tarrance Group at a cost of $28,300.”
Please click here to read this full, blockbuster report.
Does Illinois really need another governor who is cited for “ethical missteps”?
Please stay tuned for more on this breaking story …
Joe Birkett: Andy McKenna “Deceived Me”
A new scandal is emerging from Andy McKenna’s days as Illinois GOP chairman that is casting a cloud over his candidacy for Governor.
One of the most respected county prosecutors in the United States, Joe Birkett, says that McKenna “deceived me” when he was exploring a statewide candidacy of his own. He says McKenna flat out denied having poll numbers on Birkett and others when we now know he did.
Here, for the first time, is the complete poll. It was obtained by the Ryan campaign.
Here’s a chronology:
- MARCH 2009: A Zogby poll shows that Birkett was leading the early field for Governor (Birkett 39, Brady 8, Whitley 5).
- APRIL 2009: State party takes extensive $28,000 poll, using nearly half of all party funds. Just this month, McKenna admitted breaking party ethics rules by submitting his name in the poll for both Governor and Senator. Birkett was far ahead of McKenna in the poll.
- JUNE 16, 2009: Birkett meets with McKenna at his Dad’s business, Schwarz Supply Source, Morton Grove. At the meeting, Birkett asks whether McKenna has any poll #s relating to him. McKenna says no.
Here’s the question: Is Andy McKenna going to answer this allegation? When he was asked about the poll by Bill Brady in a debate earlier this month, he refused to answer, saying he didn’t respect Brady enough.
Does he respect the 14-year State’s Attorney of the state second largest county enough to answer the question? After all, Birkett is a man who has won two statewide primaries for the Republican Party.
Does he respect the people of Illinois enough to answer the question?
Does he think honesty is a virtue that is important in our next governor?
Watch the video below in which Birkett explains, in detail, how McKenna deceived him:
Joe Birkett Endorses Jim Ryan
ELMHURST — Popular DuPage County State’s Attorney Joe Birkett is endorsing Jim Ryan for Governor, saying he’s best suited to restore fiscal and ethical integrity to state government.
“We need a prosecutor’s mentality in the Governor’s office to clean up this mess,” Birkett said.
Today’s endorsement continues the momentum of the Ryan campaign. Just two days earlier, DuPage County Board Chairman Bob Schillerstrom withdrew his candidacy for Governor and endorsed Jim Ryan.
“DuPage County will be Jim Ryan Country on Feb. 2,” said the former Attorney General.
Birkett has been the top prosecutor in the state’s second largest county for 14 years. He is one of the most respected county prosecutors in the United States.
Both Birkett and Ryan have unblemished track records running in statewide Republican primaries. They are a combined 6-0. Birkett has won nominations for Attorney General and Lt. Governor and Jim Ryan is 4-0 in previous statewide bids.
Please watch the video below in which Birkett endorses Ryan — and issues a strong warning to Illinois voters about Jim’s challenger, Andy McKenna: