Democrats, It Is A New Day

See, there's this little thing called 'vetting.' Republicans have been doing it for years in order to prevent getting nasty surprises from an inquisitive if not openly hostile press.

Massachusetts Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly chose a running mate for his gubernatorial run against Mitt Romney. Unfortunately, just the shallowest of digging by the Boston Globe uncovered some unpleasant details about the lady, one Marie St. Fleur:

St. Fleur has had three delinquent tax debts in the last four years, including an April 2005 federal tax lien of $12,711 against her and her husband. She also disclosed that she also owes $40,000 in delinquent federally backed student loans.

When approached by the Globe Tuesday, St. Fleur said that she had paid down the federal tax debt to about $8,000 by making $500 monthly payments since last spring. But later, Corey Welford, a Reilly campaign spokesman, corrected her, saying that she had in fact made only one $500 payment last May and that the balance is still more than $12,000.

The Registry of Motor Vehicles disclosed that it put St. Fleur's driver's license into ''nonrenewal" status late last year because she failed to pay excise taxes to the city of Boston in 2005. As a result, St. Fleur would be unable to renew her driver's license this year until she paid back the tax she owed.

St. Fleur was forced to pay a $750 fine in 2003 by the Office of Campaign and Political Finance for attempting to sell her private car to her campaign committee for $13,000, while continuing to drive it for personal use.

St. Fleur has withdrawn, just one day after having been chosen.

posted by Laura. at 10:30 AM

| Access Comments