Accounting Scandal Mars Walden's Gubernatorial Announcement
Democratic Party of Oregon
232 NE 9th Ave.
Portland,
OR 97232
(503) 224-8200
For Immediate
Release
Wednesday, March 5,
2008
Contact: Marc Siegel
Accounting Scandal Mars Walden's Gubernatorial
Announcement
How can Oregonians trust Greg Walden to stand up for them
when he can't even stand up to his accountant?
Portland - The same week
Republican U.S. Congressman Greg Walden unofficially kicked off his 2010
gubernatorial campaign in Seaside, he also
stepped into a Washington, D.C. accounting scandal.
According to The Bulletin in Bend, Walden chaired the National Republican
Congressional Committee audit panel during the same time the panel failed to
conduct audits.
(The Bulletin, 2-26-08)
Just a few days after that story broke, Republicans at the conservative
Dorchester conference were touting Walden's
prospects as governor to the audience and reporters.
"After, many in the audience speculated he was laying
groundwork to run for governor in 2010."
(The Oregonian, 3-2-08)
So, a few questions for the gubernatorial candidate, the
man who wants to lead Oregon:
1. How could it take the chair of the auditing panel two
years to notice criminal audit fraud? Is your gubernatorial campaign platform
going to be "I'll worry about Oregon's
problems halfway through my first term?"
"But two years into his tenure as chairman of the audit
committee, Walden said he began to have doubts about the audits he received."
(The Bulletin, 2-26-08)
2. Do you regret shirking your responsibilities and leaving
the problem up to your successor to handle? Why was your successor up to the
challenge of taking action and you were not?
"The National Republican Congressional Committee didn't take
action until more than a year into the tenure of Walden's successor, Rep.
Michael Conaway, R-Texas. Conaway, who is a certified public accountant,
pressed Cole to take action after reviewing the committee's finances, said
Conaway spokeswoman Anna Koch."
(The Bulletin, 2-26-08)
3. How could a sitting congressman and chair of an auditing
panel be unable to meet the auditors he is responsible for overseeing? These
people worked for you for years, yet you could not set up a meeting? And how
could that kind of bizarre behavior not force you to take clear, decisive
action such as firing the accounting firm or ordering an investigation, rather
than leaving it for your successor to clean up?
"On Monday, Walden said he tried several times to meet with
the outside auditors and was stiff-armed by committee staff. ‘We just got spun,
frankly,' he said."
(Steve Duin Column, The Oregonian, 3-4-08)
"Talk about poor timing. The same week Greg Walden starts
his campaign for governor, his fiscal negligence and feckless leadership is
splashed all over Oregon
newspapers," DPO Chair Meredith Wood Smith said. "It's tough to boast about
fiscal integrity, leadership and accountability, when your own political party
can't trust you with their finances. How can Oregonians trust Greg Walden to
stand up for them when he can't even stand up to his accountant?"
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232 NE 9th Ave.
Portland,
OR 97232