Why can’t John Brownlee stop lying about Ken Cuccinelli?

As defined by Webster:

Main Entry:
³lie

Function:
verb

Inflected Form(s):
lied; ly·ing

Etymology:
Middle English, from Old English lēogan; akin to Old High German liogan to lie, Old Church Slavic lŭgati

Date:
before 12th century

intransitive verb
1 : to make an untrue statement with intent to deceive
2 : to create a false or misleading impression

transitive verb
: to bring about by telling lies <lied his way out of trouble>

The Virginia Senate recently voted to remove the triggerman rule that is currently in place in regards to capital murder cases.

As the law is currently, with the exception of cases of murder for hire, murder for an “continuing criminal enterprise”, or terrorism; to charge someone with capital murder and then pursue the death penalty, the person charged must be the triggerman in the murder. Principles in the second degree — which are people that assist in the commission of the crime — can, however, be charged with first degree murder.

Cuccinelli was the lone Republican to vote against the removal of the triggerman rule. He cited his reasoning in an e-mail two weeks ago to people on his mailing list:

For some time now, John Brownlee has deliberately distorted my position on the death penalty. As a candidate for Attorney General, I do not take distortions and misrepresentations lightly, and neither should you. Virginians have grown weary of distortions and half truths in politics, and unfortunately, this is not the first time this has happened in this race. The last time he did something like this, I called him on the phone and discussed it with him personally.

But when these sorts of distortions continue, my response is not to distort things myself, but to point out my competitor’s distortions. That let’s you, the voters of Virginia, factor this information into your decision about who to support for AG. Let’s face it, when you vote for someone for office, you get more than a package of positions, you get that person too.

So you have the information yourself, I have always been a supporter of Virginia’s death penalty law. In the Senate, I have consistently fought against Democrats’ efforts to impose a death penalty moratorium – and I have opposed efforts to allow endless appeals in death penalty cases.

As a State Senator, I have voted to extend the death penalty to people who murder trial witnesses, judges and law enforcement officers. And as your Attorney General, I am committed to upholding the death penalty verdicts of our juries and will work to defend and strengthen our capital punishment law from intrusions and attempts by the left to derail it.

I also have supported and will continue to support the death penalty under the current exceptions to the “triggerman rule” for (1) terrorism (including the beltway sniper case), (2) murder for hire, and (3) criminal enterprises/gangs. However, there have been legislative attempts to completely eliminate the triggerman rule, which I believe would be too broad an expansion. That’s the only expansion of the death penalty that I have ever opposed, while supporting other expansions and always defending our current death penalty statute.

So the next time you hear John Brownlee or one of his surrogates giving a distorted rendition of my position supporting capital punishment, print this out and hand it to Mr. Brownlee.

Brownlee also falsely states “[o]n his campaign Web site, Brownlee said the triggerman rule complicated the state’s efforts to seek the death penalty against Washington area sniper John Allen Muhammad. Whether Muhammad or a juvenile accomplice fired the shots that killed 10 people in 2002 was an issue during his trial” (The Washington Post). Um, excuse me, but John Allen Muhammad was charged with capital murders done in the commission of terrorist activity. As I pointed out above, and as Cuccinelli did in his e-mail, there is no triggerman rule when it comes to capital murder charges involving terrorism. Does Brownlee know anything at all about the John Allen Muhammad trial or the hell that citizens in this area had to put up with when John Allen Muhammad was running around killing or shooting everyone from children to the elderly?

Brownlee also claims that since Cuccinelli doesn’t support the abolition of the triggerman rule, ipso facto, he doesn’t support law enforcement. Here’s just a small sample of things Cuccinelli has done for the law enforcement community:

Privately:

Cuccinelli was “a longtime friend” of Fairfax County Police Officer Michael S. Garbarino according to The Washington Post, one of two Fairfax County police officers who were killed in the line of duty during the Sully police station shootout in 2006. The Richmond Times-Dispatch covered Garbarino’s funeral and reported the following:

State Sen. Ken Cuccinelli, R-Fairfax, fought back tears several times during his remarks. At one point, he turned to Garbarino’s daughters and told them their father was a leader, a teacher and a hero.

“He’s a father you can be proud of forever,” he said.

Cuccinelli would later represent both Garbarino’s and Detective Vicky O. Armel’s families in a civil suit against their murderer’s parents for negligence and wrongful death. He managed to secure $300,000 for each victim’s family.

While in the General Assembly, this is just a small sample of legislation that Ken Cuccinelli has been involved with:

2003 session: Co-Patron (Virginia’s term for co-sponsorship of legislation) on two resolutions remembering the late Troopers Charles Mark Cosslett (HJ 895) and Michael T. Blanton (HJ 899), both of whom were killed in the line of duty. Co-Patron of legislation that expanded the definition of “sexually violent predators” and allowed for easier civil commitment procedures (SB 1149). Co-Patron of legislation that created the Child Pornography Images Registry to allow for easier prosecution of child pornography cases; also increased the punishment for child pornography cases (SB 1153). Co-Patron of legislation requiring state buildings to have Code Adam procedures in place; created the Virginia Amber Alert Plan (SB 1204).

2005 session: Chief Patron of legislation that expanded the requirements of overtime compensation for law enforcement officers (SB 873). Co-Patron of legislation that would have “[p]rovide[d] for funding of continued health insurance and death benefit payments for eligible state employees under the Line of Duty Act”, which covers law enforcement officers (SB 878).

2006 session: Chief Patron of legislation that would have ensured that state law enforcement officers received the same expanded overtime compensation requirements that were passed in 2003 (SB 657). Chief Patron of legislation that expanded the definition of “sexually violent predators” and expanded the ability of the Office of the Attorney General to access child protective services records (SB 694). This piece of legislation was incorporated into a larger bill, SB 559, which significantly revamped the state’s Sex Offender Registry, which Cuccinelli was also a Co-Patron of. Co-Patron of legislation that increased penalties for people that commit sex crimes when they should be on the Virginia Sex Offender Registry, but haven’t registered (HB 561), which was incorporated into HB 984. Chief Patron of legislation that would have made “several changes in the process and procedures afforded to [law enforcement] officers under the procedural guarantee act, including right to counsel, notice of allegations, and a prohibition against a complaining officer being in charge of an investigation” (SB 697). Co-Patron of a resolution commending the Virginia Capitol Police and its head, Colonel George B. Mason, Jr. (SJ 296). Co-Patron of a resolution celebrating the life of Officer Seneca B. Darden of the Norfolk Police Department, who was killed in the line of duty (SJ 5035).

2007 session: Again the Chief Patron of legislation that would have made “several changes in the process and procedures afforded to [law enforcement] officers under the procedural guarantee act, including right to counsel, notice of allegations, and a prohibition against a complaining officer being in charge of an investigation” (SB 776).

2008 session: Co-Patron of legislation that would have given the expanded overtime compensation requirements that were passed in 2003 to employees of the Virginia State Police (SB 269). Chief Patron of SB 76 and Co-Patron of SB 355 that would have made “several changes in the process and procedures afforded to [law enforcement] officers under the procedural guarantee act, including right to counsel, notice of allegations, and a prohibition against a complaining officer being in charge of an investigation”.

Unfortunately, this is just the latest in a long series of lies from Brownlee and his camp. Last week, it was lies from Brownlee (and his crazy blog supporters) regarding Cuccinelli’s service in the Marine Corps.

The earliest instance that I can find (July 2008) were claims from Brownlee that he was just as conservative as Cuccinelli on the issue of abortion; that he and Cuccinelli both supported raped, incest, and a mother’s health exceptions to a ban on abortion. As D.J. McGuire pointed out, Cuccinelli does not support rape and incest exceptions; Cuccinelli follows the “Catholic Doctrine” when it comes to abortion: a total ban except for an exception for the mother’s health.

Does Brownlee have absolutely no idea what he’s talking about; or does he just go around lying?