Spokane Mayor, Jim West, used to be so righteous, so pious, so straight and narrow. Now he’s exposed as a big ol’ hypocrite, or perhaps something worse.
For 20 years he’s been one of the most powerful legislators in Washington State. He rode to power on a platform of anti-gay, anti-abortion, pro-values clap-trap. In other words, butting into people’s private business and encouraging discrimination based on folks’ personal lives.
Today, after it has been exposed that West is not only gay, but corrupt and possibly involved in a child molestation case, he held a press conference amid calls for his resignation. And guess what? Apparently he believes with all his heart that a person’s private life is no one else’s business!
Here’s what he had to say for himself. (Quotes transcribed by me from the broadcast on NorthWest Cable News. Any errors are mine.)
“I did things in my private life I should have known if they became public would cause embarrassment. As a public official I knew that perhaps I wasn’t entitled to a private life.
“Everyone makes mistakes. I do too. This has been an embarrassing, humiliating and painful experience, but it does not distract me from doing my job, from leading, and it doesn’t need to distract the city. It doesn’t need to distract you.”
Oh, believe me, Mr. West, I’m paying close attention and am not at all distracted. That’s why I’m just skipping all the stuff you said about roads, bonds, city business and management. No need to swamp our readers with all the boring distractions.
If we wanted to hear that crap, we’d go to a city council meeting instead of watching a press conference of a right-wing Republican explaining why he’s not resigning after soliciting gay sex from someone he thought was 18 and promising favors in return. Apparently some reporters won’t be distracted, either.
From the Q & A:
Q: Mayor, with so many civic leaders saying they’ve lost confidence in you and calling for your resignation, can you continue to be an effective Mayor of the city and how can you be effective?
West: Yes, I can continue to be an effective mayor. I’ve had… [blah, blah, blah about the civic leader, confidence, etc.].
Q: At first you said the newspaper was just doing its job, then you said you felt persecuted by the newspaper. How do you feel now and do you plan to file suit against the newspaper or any of the people who have made accusations against you?
West: We’re in discussions about filing suit, uh, but I won’t go any further than that. Um, I believe very strongly, uh, I think paraphrasing Thomas Jefferson, in the freedom of the press. You cannot have democracy without freedom of the press. I respect that. I think the press should be more responsible but that’s up to them, not me. Uh, as Jefferson said, uh, I may not like what they say but I’ll defend to the end their right to say it. And I repeat we have been in discussions with my lawyers about possible, uh, lawsuits of several individuals involved in this.
Q: Uh, Rebecca Mack, KGA Radio. You categorically denied the allegations of sexually molesting young boys in the late seventies and early eighties, either alone or in connection with Spokane sheriff’s deputy David Hahn. Would you agree to take a polygraph to prove it?
West: I do categorically deny, uh, those allegations, I think that we now have some information that, um, begins to make our case that those things did not happen. Uh, in 1981, uh, Mr. Gallagher’s, uh, mother and the two Galliher boys approached the Sheriff’s office to report allegations of improprieties. At no time during those, um, reports, did my name come up.
Q: Would you be willing to take a polygraph…
West: (holding up hand) all right. You gonna let me answer your question? …thank you, thank you. At no time did my name come up during their allegations. An investigation ensued. Uh, that investigation was released last week. The, um, investigation shows that I was never mentioned. I was never…
Q: … questions, however, about your involvement. I saw them myself…
West: Ma’am. Lemme answer the question, ‘kay? In 19, uh, 84, um, the Gallihers went to the county and made a claim for $200,000 in damages. When they made that claim, no reference was made to Jim West. In 2003, Bill Morlin, the reporter for the Spokesman-Review, interviewed Mr. Galliher. No mention was made of Jim West.
“It was only after I was elected mayor in the fall of 2003 that my name was mentioned by Mr. Galliher. My name was mentioned by Mr. Morlin in that article in 2003 as having known Dave Hahn. I did know Dave Hahn. After that was mentioned in the newspaper and after I was elected mayor, then Mr. Galliher made a claim that I had abused him.
“Interestingly enough, Mr. Grant, the other accuser, was in jail with Mr. Galliher at exactly the same time in 2003… [points] I’m getting to… um, the …Brett Galliher in his deposition in the current lawsuit with county, has said that he had never heard of me until last year and that his mother had never heard of me until last year. As to your question as far as a polygraph, submitting to a polygraph, um, I am cooperating fully with all investigations, expect to cooperate and continue to cooperate fully with all investigations, and if that’s something that, um, my attorneys suggest that I do, I’ll do.
“But this is the first time I’ve heard about a polygraph and, frankly, I’d suggest that, uh, you, that you see if you can get Mr. Galliher to come on your program to be interviewed. I understand he’s not talking to any press but the Spokesman-Review.”
While West was making this last point about the polygraph and the interview, the camera cut to the woman who asked the original question. She was holding her lips tightly closed and shaking her head no, no, no.
I’ll leave you with this last question. One I thought extremely apt.
Q: You’re indicating that you are not going to resign. Has it ever crossed your mind that you should?
West found this question to be “interesting.” He listed some good things that have happened since he became mayor and apparently feels he is staying for the good of the city and its employees.
“What do I have to resign for?” West said.
Very good question, Mr. West. Let’s go to the transcript of your online chat with a consultant posing as an 18-year old on gay.com, and let you speak for yourself.
West: and we’ll rub our dicks together.
consultant: i am
consultant: tell me when you blow ok?
consultant: and i will too
West: stroke it
consultant: mmmmm
West: suck it
West: touch
West: it
West: my fingers are running across your stomach
consultant: god this is so hot
West: and playing with your dick
West: i’m sucking your ear lobe
West: and putting my tongue in your ear.
West: and rubbing your hard cock!
consultant: mmmmmmmmmm……..oh wow
West: i’m so hard
consultant: feel me stroking u?
West: oh yeah
West: yeah
consultant: your disk is so hot
West: you r so hot
West: your tongue is so good
consultant: i want u to shoot it all over
West: i will
West: hot
consultant: i can’t wait much lonegr
consultant: i will tell u
West: gooid
West: one handed typing
West: i want you now
West: so bad
West: so hot
consultant: mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
consultant: mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmm
consultant: oh wow
consultant: geeeze
West: mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmmm
consultant: holy crap
West: yeah
Why should you resign, Mr. West? It’s the hypocrisy, stupid.
(cross-posted from Unbossed)