Tolbert: Rutledge’s Pornographic Attacks

The Republican runoff for Attorney General is heating up between David Sterling and Leslie Rutledge to unbelievably intense levels.  With a predicted low June runoff turnout, both candidates are not pulling any punches in their respective campaigns.

I will disclose here that I voted for Sterling in the May primary and plan to vote for him again in the June runoff.  This is not an endorsement as I have nothing against Rutledge personally or as a candidate.  I simply personally prefer the local attorney running over the candidate that recently moved back from D.C. – an Arkansas bias I suppose.

However, I admit as well to some sympathy for Rutledge for the TV ads and mailers from Judicial Crisis Network (JCN).  In part, the ads are fair in that they mirror the ads from American Future Fund in drawing a real distinction between Sterling and Rutledge on their position on a “Stand Your Ground” law.

Sterling supports the law and says he will make it part of his legislative package, while Rutledge has a more nuanced position that basically boils down to either a lack of support or not deeming the law necessary.  Where the JCN ad stretches things a bit is in the tying of this position from Rutledge to the unpopular President Obama and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.  While the ads do appear factual and not “outright lies” as Rutledge claims, it is a bit of a bridge too far to say she “stands with” Obama and Pelosi.

Any sympathy I had for Rutledge over the weekend was erased on Monday when she decided to go on the attack with a rather salacious blow. Her “pornographic” attacks began this morning on Alice Stewart’s Show where she and Sterling both appeared. She sought to distract from some attacks on her voting record (which I will get to in a minute) by portraying Sterling as a lawyer for the porn industry.  The charge stemmed from a 2009 lawsuit in which Sterling represented Cupid’s in a non-compete case against former employees that were wanting to open their own business.  In a 12-minute interview, Rutledge managed to use the words “pornography” and “Sterling” in the same sentence as many times as possible.

Her campaign followed up the appearance in a press release that even tried to tie the Cupid’s case to the ads from Judicial Crisis Network.  I’ve italicized a key phrase for emphasis.

“The people of Arkansas know Leslie Rutledge worked tirelessly as Counsel at the Republican National Committee to fire Nancy Pelosi. And, while Leslie was working 14-hour days fighting Obama and Pelosi’s liberal agenda, her opponent was filing a lawsuit in Pulaski County to help one of Arkansas’s largest pornography distributors, Cupids Lingerie. With almost a million dollars of secret money being spent to support her opponent, Arkansans deserve to know if the porn industry is working to elect one of their own lawyers to be our next Attorney General. These Beltway Bandits or Sterling should tell the people of Arkansas who is furnishing the money for these attacks and why they are trying to buy the Attorney General’s seat,” said Wes Manus, campaign spokesman for the Leslie Rutledge campaign in the release.

Carrie Severino of Judicial Crisis Network refuted the claim in a statement to The Tolbert Report today saying, “Like Mark Pryor before her, Leslie wants to play Washington spin games when we raise questions about her record.  This is just another sign that she will say anything to avoid discussing her lack of experience, her liberal positions on key issues, the fact that she is afraid of hiring conservatives, and her long history of voting for Democrats.  We can say with certainty that JCN has never received a dollar of ‘porn industry’ money – and just so the Rutledge folks can rest easier, we have also never received any money from space aliens, the Bilderberg Group, or the man on the grassy knoll.”

The line of attack of tying Sterling to one client in a non-compete case in 2009 is ridiculous.

For starters, it is absurd to link lawyers to the faults of their clients.  It was the same line of attacks that some group pounded Tim Cullen on in the Supreme Court race for representing a defendant on appeal that was charged with child pornography.  Sterling has not responded much on the attacks saying on the Alice Stewart show that he has to be careful with rules applying to attorney-client privilege.  It does strike me as relevant that the lawsuit was to prevent another similar shop from opening which is a good thing, right?

Sterling also offered his own line of attacks that Rutledge had a difficult time refuting.  In an email last night and again on the  Alice Stewart show, Sterling pointed out that Rutledge voted in 5 Democratic primaries and contributed to the Democratic Party of Arkansas.

“Arkansas Republicans deserve a true, conservative Republican as our Attorney General, yet Leslie Rutledge never voted in a regular Arkansas Republican primary election prior to this year.  According to Pulaski County Clerk records, Rutledge voted in five Democrat primaries. She didn’t even vote in the 2010 and 2012 primaries in Arkansas,” says the email from the Sterling campaign. “What’s worse? Records filed with the Arkansas Secretary of State show Rutledge made a financial contribution to the Democrat Party of Arkansas just seven years ago. David Sterling has a 100% Republican primary voting record, and he has never contributed to the Democrat Party.”

Records obtained by Talk Business from the Pulaski County Clerk  as well as Rutledge herself confirm the votes.  Rutledge told Talk Business that she voted in Virginia in 2010 and 2012 where she was working as an attorney for the RNC. As for the 2007 contribution to the DPA, Rutledge told Talk Business she was an employee at the time for the Arkansas Department of Human Services and bought a ticket to the inaugural ball for Mike Beebe.

The runoff has certainly been one to watch.  Perhaps the real winner of the mudslinging is Democratic AG nominee in waiting Rep. Nate Steel, who has to be enjoying the show.