PRESS RELEASE: McCAIN CAMPAIGN STATEMENT ON FALSE HAYWORTH TV AD

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact: Brian Rogers
Thursday, August 5, 2010
(602) 604-2010

McCAIN CAMPAIGN STATEMENT ON FALSE HAYWORTH TV AD

PHOENIX, AZ -- U.S. Senator John McCain’s re-election campaign today issued the following statement by Communications Director Brian Rogers on Congressman Hayworth’s new TV ad:

“As Senator McCain has said about Congressman Hayworth, ‘Never get into a wrestling match with a pig. You both get dirty and the pig likes it.’

“With his latest TV ad, Congressman Hayworth shows all of Arizona how much he enjoys rolling around in the mud and muck of blatantly false character attacks. Even Congressman Hayworth’s fellow infomercial pitchmen would be disappointed with his utter disregard for the truth.

“Every single assertion in Congressman Hayworth’s new ad has already been labeled false by the respected non-partisan fact-checkers at FactCheck.org.

“As we said at the outset of this campaign: Senator McCain understands that in order to win Arizonans’ trust and votes, you first have to respect them and tell the truth. It’s clear that Congressman Hayworth disagrees, and has decided to end his campaign -- and his political career -- with a litany of lies.

“Let’s be clear: Congressman Hayworth is going to lose this election. It’s embarrassing that he’s going down with such little dignity.

“Sorry J.D., the people of Arizona aren’t stupid. They’re on to you. And come August 24th, their voice will be heard loud and clear.”

-- McCain 2010 Communications Director Brian Rogers

FACTCHECK.ORG HAS ALREADY DEBUNKED HAYWORTH’S FALSE ATTACKS:

FactCheck.org: “Hayworth Falsely Claims McCain's Bill Would Have Given Social Security And Medicare Benefits To Illegal Immigrants.”

“Hayworth falsely claims McCain's bill would have given Social Security and Medicare benefits to illegal immigrants. … It’s false to say ‘illegal aliens’ would get benefits. They wouldn’t be eligible for Social Security and Medicare until they became legal and worked and paid taxes, just like everybody else. … We’ve made this point before -- during the 2006 midterm congressional elections -- but the fact is that the legislation doesn’t propose paying benefits to illegal immigrants. Under the bill, someone living in the U.S. illegally would have to meet certain criteria to become eligible for legal permanent residence. Once that happens -- and not until then -- could they eventually qualify for benefits, provided they have worked and paid taxes for the required amount of time.” (Eugene Kiely, “Hayworth’s Misleading Attack On Immigration,” FactCheck.org, 7/28/10)

FactCheck.org: Hayworth’s Claim That Senator McCain Opposed The Border Fence Is “Simply False.”

“It’s simply false to say McCain ‘opposed the border fence’ based on a single vote. McCain did vote against an amendment to the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act of 2007 that would have allocated an additional $1.8 billion to construct double-layered fencing and vehicle barriers along the southwest border. However, that amendment failed overwhelmingly: Half of the Republicans (including Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky) and all but two Democrats voted against it. Why was the amendment defeated? There was a trade-off involved that many senators were not willing to make. Republican Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire, chairman at the time of the subcommittee that wrote the Homeland Security spending bill, told the Associated Press that the amendment would have resulted in across-the-board cuts in Homeland Security’s budget. Judd told the AP that would have meant cutting 750 new border-patrol agents and 1,200 new detention beds for illegal immigrants, for example. ‘[T]he real issue here is the offset that’s being used, and the offset creates a Hobson’s choice for almost everyone here,’ Judd told the AP.” (Lara Seligman, “Hayworth Distorts McCain’s Immigration Record -- Again,” FactCheck.org, 8/4/10)

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