Nebraska Veterans Speak Out Against Shane Osborn’s Circulation of a False Navy Memo
(Alexandria, Virginia) — The 60 Plus Association, the nation’s largest conservative seniors organization with over 7.2 million senior supporters, today released an advertisement featuring three Nebraska veterans who are objecting to Shane Osborn’s circulation of a falsified Navy memo during his campaign for U.S. Senate in Nebraska.
“In August of last year, candidate for U.S. Senate Shane Osborn circulated a memorandum to Nebraskans that appeared to be an official U.S. Navy endorsement of his conduct surrounding the 2001 Hainan Island incident, which Osborn has made a focal point of his Senate campaign. But we later learned, thanks to the reporting of the Omaha World Herald and other newspapers, that Mr. Osborn’s campaign had made an enormous misrepresentation – the “official Navy memorandum” was, in fact, a fake produced by an acquaintance of Osborn’s inside the Pentagon,” said in a statement issued by the three veterans — COL Kevin L. Neumann USA (Ret.) Omaha, Nebraska, Brig. Gen. Carl Lorenzen, USAF (Ret.) Blair, Nebraska, CAPTAIN Danny Mason, USN, (Ret.) Papillion, Nebraska – who are featured in the video.
“Let’s be clear about what we’re talking about here: candidate Osborn first asked a fellow service member to falsify a Navy document, and then candidate Osborn used that document to bolster his campaign for the U.S. Senate here in Nebraska. His behavior raises serious questions about his judgment and integrity, and also raises questions on how he would comport himself as a Senator, ” added COL. Neumann.
The three veterans are also releasing a list of ten questions for candidate Osborn and his campaign:
- Candidate Osborn, why did you ask a fellow service member to create an unauthorized memo for use by your Senate campaign?
- Who is the author of the memo?
- Did this fellow service member suffer any consequences as a result of writing it? Was he forced to retire or did his career suffer? Is he still retirement eligible?
- Candidate Osborn, do you think it’s okay to release classified or falsified information for political gain?
- Has your campaign released other fake documents? Voters have a right to know – what else in the campaign has been faked?
- If you were elected to the U.S. Senate, how would you provide ethical oversight to the military when you yourself circulated a fake Navy document and jeopardized the career of a fellow officer?
- If a midshipman at the Naval Academy were to fake a memo on Navy letterhead, they would be dismissed from the Academy. Is it honorable for you to circulate a fake memo in your race for the U.S. Senate?
- Why, in your view, does the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) have ‘no comment’ on the memo? Have you made any formal request for clarification from the CNO?
- Shane, after you were caught misleading Nebraska voters about the authenticity of the memo, you eventually volunteered that the manner in which the memo was handled was ‘regrettable.’ Which part specifically was regrettable and why?
- Why should Nebraska voters trust you?
The advertisements are scheduled to begin in Nebraska on Saturday, May 3, 2014.
Said 60 Plus Chairman Jim Martin, himself a Marine Corps veteran, “On behalf of our more than 89,000 senior supporters in the great state of Nebraska, we are very troubled by Shane Osborn’s actions with regard to this doctored Navy memo. Nebraska seniors and their families need to know, above all else, that they can put their trust and faith into the elected representatives we send to Washington. Shane Osborn’s attempt to deceive Nebraska voters is truly shameful, and raises serious questions about his integrity and his ability to be the honest, trustworthy Senator Nebraskans deserve.”
To watch the TV advertisement, click here.
For Press Inquires Contact: Gerry Scimeca 804-402-0032
-30-
