Republican Nebraska U.S. candidate Shane Osborn is in hot water after trying to pass off a memo written by a friend of his in the Navy as an authentic document that defends his decision to land a disabled Navy reconnaissance plane in China.
According to the Omaha World-Herald:
Dogged by questions about his 2001 decision to land a crippled Navy EP-3 reconnaissance plane in China, U.S. Senate candidate Shane Osborn has distributed an official-looking Navy memo supporting his account.
The memo, written Aug. 8, 2013, on Navy letterhead, is titled “Disposition of actions by EP-3E flight crew on April 1, 2001.” It explains that Osborn’s plane was authorized to land on China’s Hainan island “due to the extreme circumstances and condition of this aircraft.”
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But The World-Herald has learned that the unsigned memo was not authorized by the Navy, or vetted through normal channels, and was written as a favor to Osborn by a Navy buddy working at the Pentagon.
“We cannot confirm the authenticity of this document,” said Lt. Cmdr. Katie Cerezo, a Navy spokeswoman. “We couldn’t discuss a memo that we can’t authenticate.”
Osborn didn’t just do something very politically stupid. He also may have gotten his friend in a lot of trouble. Whoever wrote the memo for him could be facing criminal charges.
As usual, the political cover up may end up being much worse than the crime. The Nebraska Senate Republican primary is a tight four way race that features national tea party groups going up against each other. There isn’t any difference between the four candidates on the issues, but as a matter of character Shane Osborn has revealed that he isn’t fit to be the nominee.
If someone is dumb/arrogant enough to think that they can fake an official Navy memo, and get away with it, they should not be allowed anywhere near the United States Senate.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
