A new mailer from Tennessee GOP congressional candidate Ron Kirkland brings up a familiar issue in his continued efforts to paint his primary opponent Stephen Fincher as the Washington establishment — the Troubled Asset Relief Program bill.
There’s just one problem, though: a bank at which Kirkland sits on the board of directors received TARP money as part of the bank bailout and has yet to fully pay back the federal government.
With the tagline “Just more of the same from Washington,” the flyer in the 8th District race says Fincher “was recruited to run for Congress by Washington politicians, and the same politicians who sold out our country voting for TARP and the bailouts have held fundraisers for Fincher.”
There’s just one problem, though: a bank at which Kirkland sits on the board of directors received TARP money as part of the bank bailout and has yet to fully pay back the federal government.
With the tagline “Just more of the same from Washington,” the flyer in the 8th District race says Fincher “was recruited to run for Congress by Washington politicians, and the same politicians who sold out our country voting for TARP and the bailouts have held fundraisers for Fincher.”
Spokesman Brent Leatherwood dismissed Kirkland’s ties to Regions Bank, which paid him $2,000 last year for serving on their board, according to Kirkland’s most recent financial disclosure form. Regions Bank received $3.5 billion in government aid from the bailout, and has paid $175 million per year back. A spokesman for the bank told The Tennessean earlier this year they would repay the money as soon as it was favorable for its shareholders.
“The truth is Dr. Kirkland serves on the West Tennessee Board of Directors of Regions Bank, essentially an advisory panel, which has no decisionmaking authority over TARP funds. Dr. Kirkland does not own stock in Regions Bank or any other bank for that matter,” Leatherwood said.
Leatherwood added that Kirkland “is opposed to TARP and would have voted against it. He will vote against any such future legislation that threatens to bankrupt our country,” and said “the Fincher campaign and the NRCC should get their facts straight before sending out more distortions.”
Fincher spokesman Matt McCullough said the mailer smacked of hypocrisy, and showed that Kirkland will try anything to hit Fincher’s support from national Republicans.
“Unfortunately, Ron Kirkland has resorted to lashing out erratically at fellow Republicans in an effort to divide the party and divert attention from his record of hypocrisy,” said McCullough. “His role with Regions Bank is just another example of Dr. Kirkland deflecting responsibility for a record of hypocrisy that Middle and West Tennesseans have soundly rejected.”
Earlier this week, Fincher was promoted to the top level of the NRCC’s “Young Guns” program, which identifies and selects top recruits for party assistance. In recent weeks, Fincher has been criticized by Kirkland for voting in Democratic primary elections.
Kirkland and Fincher are facing off in the Aug. 5 primary along with Shelby County Commissioner George Flinn Jr. State Sen. Roy Herron is the leading Democratic candidate to succeed retiring Democratic Rep. John Tanner.
http://www.politico.com//news/stories/0710/39333.html
“The truth is Dr. Kirkland serves on the West Tennessee Board of Directors of Regions Bank, essentially an advisory panel, which has no decisionmaking authority over TARP funds. Dr. Kirkland does not own stock in Regions Bank or any other bank for that matter,” Leatherwood said.
Leatherwood added that Kirkland “is opposed to TARP and would have voted against it. He will vote against any such future legislation that threatens to bankrupt our country,” and said “the Fincher campaign and the NRCC should get their facts straight before sending out more distortions.”
Fincher spokesman Matt McCullough said the mailer smacked of hypocrisy, and showed that Kirkland will try anything to hit Fincher’s support from national Republicans.
“Unfortunately, Ron Kirkland has resorted to lashing out erratically at fellow Republicans in an effort to divide the party and divert attention from his record of hypocrisy,” said McCullough. “His role with Regions Bank is just another example of Dr. Kirkland deflecting responsibility for a record of hypocrisy that Middle and West Tennesseans have soundly rejected.”
Earlier this week, Fincher was promoted to the top level of the NRCC’s “Young Guns” program, which identifies and selects top recruits for party assistance. In recent weeks, Fincher has been criticized by Kirkland for voting in Democratic primary elections.
Kirkland and Fincher are facing off in the Aug. 5 primary along with Shelby County Commissioner George Flinn Jr. State Sen. Roy Herron is the leading Democratic candidate to succeed retiring Democratic Rep. John Tanner.
http://www.politico.com//news/stories/0710/39333.html