Accused of misrepresentation
Following Rove’s appearance on O’Reilly’s show, detailed fact-checking has allowed various conservatives to accuse Rove of misrepresenting his background, by implying that he worked in Reagan’s 1980 presidential campaign organization when the truth is that in 1980 Rove worked as executive director in a office organized under the Texas state Republican Party to support in Texas Republican candidates on the Texas ballot.
Today, publicist Craig Shirley, author of the 2009 book “Rendezvous with Destiny: Ronald Reagan and the Campaign that Changed America,” a history of Reagan’s 1980 presidential campaign, sent out a letter to thousands of conservative leaders and activists around the country charging Rove’s claims to have worked for Ronald Reagan were false.
“Last night on ‘The O’Reilly Factor,’ Karl Rove stated that he was the director of the Texas campaign for Ronald Reagan in 1980. Since then, I’ve received several inquiries on this matter,” Shirley wrote.
“In the course of my research for Rendezvous with Destiny about the 1980 campaign, at no time did I come across Mr. Rove’s name in association with the Reagan campaign. Indeed, according to sources, he was with the George H. W. Bush campaign until he was fired for leaking to the media.”
Shirley’s letter made the following additional claims:
- In 1976, as chairman of the College Republicans, Rove supported Gerald Ford over Gov. Reagan, as did all members of the Republican National Committee at that time.
- Ernie Angelo ran the 1980 Texas campaign for Ronald Reagan; Rick Shelby was field director; and in 1980, Gary Hoitsma ran the media for Reagan in Texas.
- Rove’s own bio on his website says he was on Gov. Clements staff in 1980; Clements was not on board with Reagan until after Republican National Convention held that year in Detroit. Read More:
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