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Family of alleged Romney victim angry over exploitation of story
Hotair ^ | 05/11/2012 | Ed Morrissey

Posted on 05/11/2012 7:01:12 AM PDT by SeekAndFind

The family of the eight-years-deceased alleged victim of a cruel prank by a teenaged Mitt Romney reacted angrily to the Washington Post story yesterday — but not for the reasons one might imagine. Calling the Washington Post story “factually inaccurate,” the sisters of the late John Lauber lashed out at the Post for using him to “further a political agenda” (via Ed Driscoll at Instapundit):

The older sister of Mitt Romney’s former high school classmate said she has no knowledge of any bullying incident involving her brother and the GOP presidential candidate.

Christine Lauber of South Bend, Ind., had not seen the Washington Post’s story that described an incident when Mitt Romney bullied her brother, but said she was aware of the story. The incident centered around Romney allegedly holding the scissors to help cut the hair of John Lauber, who was presumed to be gay and who had long hair.

Neither of his sisters had heard of the incident from their brother, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. That’s not their main complaint, though:

Betsy Lauber, one of John Lauber’s three sisters, spoke with ABC News Tuesday night regarding the accuracy of the story.

“The family of John Lauber is releasing a statement saying the portrayal of John is factually incorrect and we are aggrieved that he would be used to further a political agenda. There will be no more comments from the family,” she said.

Christine Lauber echoed her sister:

She added she and her sisters will likely put out a statement later via a family attorney.

“If he were still alive today, he would be furious [about the story],” she said with tears in her eyes.

ABC notes that both sisters were quoted in the WaPo article. It seems that they were unaware of the real subject matter, or at least the way the Post intended to use their recollections of their brother. It might be interesting to see what else an attorney might have to say about the matter.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: bullying; romney
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To: SeekAndFind

This is EXACTLY the same sort of BS that was thrown at Herman Cain! Fit’s the media MO perfectly!


21 posted on 05/11/2012 7:36:27 AM PDT by Bigun ("The most fearsome words in the English language are I'm from the government and I'm here to help!")
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To: Mamzelle

I take it you’re a Romney fan.

Thanks for the warm welcome.


22 posted on 05/11/2012 7:37:21 AM PDT by Tau Food (I am not a Romney Republican.)
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To: Bigun

“First they came for Herman Cain, and I did nothing because I didn’t support Cain.”


23 posted on 05/11/2012 7:39:34 AM PDT by dfwgator (Don't wake up in a roadside ditch. Get rid of Romney.)
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To: Tau Food

I’ll live with that. I want that demonic, thieving, SOB in the WH out, and if all I get to replace him with is Mr. Bland RINO...call me “fan.”


24 posted on 05/11/2012 7:41:52 AM PDT by Mamzelle
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To: libstripper
If he’d suddenly returned home with a hair cut that was very different from what he started out with, they’d have asked and learned about the alleged incident.
**********************************************

Exactly, it wouldn't just be a hair cut, it would be a butcher job that would have to be fixed.

25 posted on 05/11/2012 7:44:46 AM PDT by kara37
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To: dfwgator

Exactly!

They can’t find ANY of Obozo’s records but they can make up all sorts of stuff about ANY Republican!


26 posted on 05/11/2012 7:45:57 AM PDT by Bigun ("The most fearsome words in the English language are I'm from the government and I'm here to help!")
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To: bigbob

His cocaine use...


27 posted on 05/11/2012 7:47:52 AM PDT by Shimmer1 (Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. - MLK Jr.)
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To: CitizenM

Or, the sheared lad went to a real barber right away to have it salvaged into something reasonable — but again the sisters would have seen.

Why would Romney apologize for a snip job he didn’t remember giving? Unless it was truly trivial, like one lock of the hair.


28 posted on 05/11/2012 7:49:59 AM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (Mitt! You're going to have to try harder than that to be "severely conservative" my friend.)
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To: SeekAndFind
The incident centered around Romney allegedly holding the scissors to help cut the hair of John Lauber, who was presumed to be gay and who had long hair.

What the heck kind of claim is this? First of all, it doesn't say Romney cut his hair, he just "held the scissors". Whatever does that mean? The it says "presumed to be gay"? By who? The teens who did this? The promoters of the story? In 65, having long hair certainly didn't mean homosexual.

This all sounds like a lot of BS to me.

29 posted on 05/11/2012 7:50:00 AM PDT by MEGoody (Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.)
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To: YourAdHere
The Washington Post is read run by criminals and supported by welfare cheats.

There it has been corrected.

30 posted on 05/11/2012 7:50:25 AM PDT by RightWingConspirator (Obamanation--the most corrupt regime since Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe)
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To: Tau Food
Romney can’t remember whether or not he assaulted someone with scissors?

To be fair, politicians (especially those who are running against a media darling) are asked "out in left field" questions all the time. The safest thing to say is "I don't recall" until you can regroup mentally and figure out what the question is actually about.

If Romney firmly denied this, then it turns out something did happen that was a little bit, sorta like the story (but not really), and he hadn't remembered it, then he'll look like a fool, a liar, or both.

31 posted on 05/11/2012 7:53:42 AM PDT by MEGoody (Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.)
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To: skeeter
I wonder if they'll continue to do this all the way thru the election.

"Yes, we do"


"Yes, I'm Catholic"


32 posted on 05/11/2012 7:55:34 AM PDT by COBOL2Java (FUMR)
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To: MEGoody

I hear you and I think your view makes some sense.

But, what would you expect him to say if he was asked whether or not he raped a girl named Joan or molested a 6 year old boy? “I just don’t recall that”?

“Sir, there’s a report that you held up a liquor store when you were 17. Would you like to comment?”. “Well, I just can’t recall that, but if I did, I’m very sorry.”

There are times when you need to say, “No, that never happened.” That’s what you must say, if it never happened.

But, I do appreciate your point.


33 posted on 05/11/2012 8:09:59 AM PDT by Tau Food (I am not a Romney Republican.)
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To: MEGoody

Held the scissors... as in “Hey Mitt, bring us some scissors for this long hair weirdo!” “Roger that, here they are...” and then a struggle ensued that didn’t involve Mitt and the guy got away.


34 posted on 05/11/2012 8:10:34 AM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (Mitt! You're going to have to try harder than that to be "severely conservative" my friend.)
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To: HiTech RedNeck
Exactly. It might not have been some drastic "laid him down and cut off his hair" big incident.

And, even is something did happen...in those days homosexuality was not something kids were openly discussing. The kid's long hair...and how that was so different from the short hair boys wore then, might have been the issue...not his sexual orientation (if that was even known). Long hair was just starting to be in style for a lot of boys/men in those days and not just gays. Actually, back in the '60's gays were still very careful not to show or do anything to attract attention to their sexual orientation.

Heck, I remember in grade school when I had long pig tails and the boy behind me used to try to tie them together and always teased me that he was going to cut them off. Perhaps the kid in Romney's school had his hair pulled back in a ponytail and they teased him and just threatened to cut it, or even snipped some of it. The kid might have lost some hair, but no assault type incident occurred. That would be more like a stupid prank, but not done because the kid was gay.

Still, Romney should have a clear memory of exactly what did happen. A person just does not forget something like that if they did it, or what was done. So I don't think that we are hearing the full truth from either side about this story.

35 posted on 05/11/2012 8:16:52 AM PDT by CitizenM (Obama studied our Constution because he hates it, not because he loves our country or laws.)
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To: CitizenM

The hypothesis that Mitt did bring or carry scissors, but then a struggle followed that didn’t involve Mitt and the guy got away unshorn or maybe with one unnoticeable snip taken off, seems to fit what everybody close to it, including Mitt, is reporting so far.

I know about the long hair. When the Beatles splashed on the scene all of a sudden all boys who wanted to be cool wanted a Beatle haircut. I did. Well into the seventies :-).


36 posted on 05/11/2012 8:23:48 AM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (Mitt! You're going to have to try harder than that to be "severely conservative" my friend.)
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To: MEGoody

Don’t you love the stereotypical homo race baiting of the tolerant left?

if you got high cheekbones, you got to be an Indian.

if you got long hair, you must be gay.

why haven’t we heard a backlash from the republican log cabin guys or the rats’ pink underground?


37 posted on 05/11/2012 8:24:39 AM PDT by A'elian' nation (Political correctness does not legislate tolerance; it only organizes hatred. Jacques Barzun)
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To: A'elian' nation

It is not clear from what source the allegedly sheared boy was later reported to have been “gay.”

But this does bid fair to come jumping right back upon the rabid media and bite it back. Calling somebody gay who wasn’t is still considered a gross insult.


38 posted on 05/11/2012 8:27:38 AM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (Mitt! You're going to have to try harder than that to be "severely conservative" my friend.)
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To: Tau Food

Yet the hair cutting incident is not far removed from what would have been standard fare for pranking and hazing in high school 50 years ago. I guarantee you every politician that age and older from a wealthy background, would have to say they don’t recall when asked a question like that. This includes both Dems and Pubs.

You would be sitting there thinking, Okay we duct taped, penny-locked, made a kid run around the dorm naked, I don’t remember if we forcibly cut somebody’s hair.


39 posted on 05/11/2012 8:29:23 AM PDT by mongrel
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To: dfwgator
Neither of his sisters had heard of the incident from their brother, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.

Romney said he didn't recall the act. The sisters don't recall their brother mentioning it (even though a sudden haircut administered under duress would likely be somewhat obvious)...

And the alleged 'victim' is long dead.

Pretty tight story for the usual media suspects...and of course, the claim of 'maybe a homo' is laid on the deceased, who isn't present to deny any of it.

Lovely.

More pandering to the GLBTs, with a 'victim' allegedly abused by the nasty breeders...

So he gets a lot of money (Duh Won), and 2-3% (if that) of the vote...He must be sucking up to the gaymedia, or buying some hush (about his personal affairs).

40 posted on 05/11/2012 8:33:47 AM PDT by Smokin' Joe (How often God must weep at humans' folly. Stand fast. God knows what He is doing)
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