Democrat busted for
privately investing thousands in product he decried publicly as addictive and
dangerous
PHOENIX –
Democrat Senate candidate Richard
Carmona has said that his fight against smoking and tobacco was a major
hallmark of his tenure as U.S. Surgeon General. However a
news report released on Friday shows that, as a candidate for the U.S. Senate,
Dr. Carmona held investments valued at up to $90,000 in major tobacco companies
like Altria Group and Philip Morris.
“Dr. Carmona’s campaign presents a carefully edited story about their
candidate. Clearly the fact that Dr. Carmona privately invested thousands of
dollars in a product that he publicly crusaded against as dangerous and
addictive is something they left on the cutting room
floor,” said Andrew Wilder, communications director for Flake for
Senate. “There’s no valid excuse for such outright
hypocrisy from a public official. Dr. Carmona now has an obligation to explain
to voters why he invested in tobacco companies, when he did, and how much profit
he made.”
Dr. Carmona’s fervent public crusade against tobacco is well
documented, making the revelation about his private investments all the more
curious.
In
fact, less than ten years ago, while serving as Surgeon General, Richard Carmona
called for an outright ban on tobacco, saying: “I see no need for any
tobacco products in society” (Kristen B. Mitchell, “Ban All Tobacco,
Official Suggests,” Richmond Times-Dispatch, 6/4/03).
Dr. Carmona actively warned the public about the addictiveness of
tobacco, saying on NPR in 2003 that: “There are no tobacco products that are
good for you, and in my recent congressional testimony is how I stated
that, you know, people should not
smoke, people should not chew. We still have 4,000 children a day that
start smoking, and we have to stop them from starting, because once they begin,
it is very difficult for them to
withdraw from tobacco” (“Dr. Richard Carmona
Discusses His Role As Surgeon General,” Bob Edwards Show, National Public Radio,
11/27/03).
Upon his departure as the U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Carmona told the
AP
that he would judge himself successful if he had persuaded one student to make
good health choices or one mother to stop smoking (Kevin Freking, “Surgeon General Carmona
Leaves Post,” The Associated Press,
8/1/06).
Stay up to date on Richard Carmona’s campaign to be a rubber stamp
for Democrats’ liberal agenda in Washington by visiting www.RubberstampRich.com.
For more information on Jeff Flake and why he’s running for
the U.S. Senate, please visit his website at www.JeffFlake.com.
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Paid
for by Jeff Flake for U.S. Senate, Inc.
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