No one’s buying it, Abigail!

September 20, 2019

Abigail Spanberger is taking heat for her shady response to her aide’s vulgar tweets attacking Republicans.

A constituent slams her for dodging interviews, not commenting for a week, and suddenly claiming the aide—who wrote her speeches and was with her family on election night—was just a “volunteer.”

In case you missed it…

Spanberger’s response to tweets inadequate

Richmond Times-Dispatch

Daniel Polk

September 20,2019

https://www.richmond.com/opinion/letters-to-editor/letters-to-the-editor-sept-environmentalists-rally-to-share-climate/article_ec4737f2-2613-5180-8dae-2361c5b3f111.html

Editor, Times-Dispatch:

Once again reporter Patrick Wilson has done RTD readers a service. His recent story exposes the multiple profane and vulgar Twitter posts by Gordon “Max” Heyworth against Republicans Dels. John McGuire, R-Henrico, and Nick Freitas, R-Culpeper; Sen. Bryce Reeves, R-Spotsylvania; Cameron Cox, the son of House Speaker Kirk Cox, R-Colonial Heights; and even questioner Dana Smith at a Spanberger town hall meeting.

When U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-7th, was elected my representative to Congress, I applauded her promises to return civility to politics. I was disappointed to learn that she refused repeated requests for an interview and did not respond for a week to Times-Dispatch questions about Heyworth’s Twitter account. Her spokesperson’s statement that she no longer welcomes Heyworth’s volunteer assistance was an inadequate response. The implication that he was simply a volunteer in her campaign ignores the fact the she had been an associate of his at consulting company, Royall & Co. (now called EAB) for three years. His claim that he was the primary writer of her Democratic nomination and general election victory speeches suggests that Spanberger must have had some knowledge of his style and lack of civility in supporting her campaign and election.

In the book “See Jane Win: The Inspiring Story of the Women Changing American Politics,” author Caitlin Moscatello describes Heyworth as a friend of Spanberger, who was with her and her family on election night as she edged Dave Brat out of the 7th District seat. It is not likely that she will give a more critical assessment of his work than to no longer “welcome his volunteer assistance.”

But I would challenge The Times-Dispatch editorial staff to query the management of EAB (formerly Royall & Co.) to explain why the company continues to employ in a consulting capacity someone who insults members of our political body.