The Flake is desperate: resorts to an attack ad peddling a long-ago debunked claim

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

The Flake is desperate after last night's first debate. This morning The Flake campaign began airing a new attack ad featuring Dr. Cristina Beato peddling a long-ago debunked claim that Dr. Carmona harassed her while he was Surgeon General.

Anyone with a memory will recall that this was briefly news at the time, that it was investigated, and that Dr. Beato was determined not to be credible. She apparently still has an axe to grind. Pathetic. If this is all The Flake has, he's got nothing.

Press release from the Dr. Ricahrd Carmoan for U.S. Senate campaign: 

Carmona for Arizona statement on false attack

Carmona for Arizona campaign manager Alexis Tamerón released the following statement in response to the false attack from Congressman Jeff Flake's campaign:

"These allegations are completely false. Dr. Beato is a partisan who was caught trying to politicize science at HHS and couldn't be confirmed to a post because she lied on her resume."

"It's no secret that Dr. Carmona pushed back on her attempts to spin science for political gain, but this accusation is a work of fiction. Congressman Flake's decision to run this false ad is deplorable and shows how desperate he is. Congressman Flake should take this ad down."

BACKGROUND

Beato Named As “Most Likely To Have Interfered” In Surgeon General’s Office By NY Times. Although Carmona “refused” in his testimony before House Oversight to “name those who he said had instructed him to put political considerations over scientific ones,” the New York Times reported that “more than a half-dozen former top health officials said in interviews that the official most likely to have interfered was Dr. Cristina V. Beato, a former deputy assistant secretary and acting assistant secretary for health who was Dr. Carmona’s boss from 2003 to 2005.” [NY Times, 7/12/07]

HHS Officials: “Beato Was Widely Seen Within The Department As Trying To Advance Conservative Agendas.” In the aftermath of Carmona’s testimony to House Oversight, the New York Times interviewed “more than a half-dozen former top health officials.”  The Times reported that, “Dr. Beato was widely seen within the department as trying to advance conservative agendas,” according to the statements of officials they interviewed. [NY Times, 7/12/07]

Beato’s Nomination As Assistant Secretary For Health Was Derailed By Revelations She Fabricated Portions Of Her Résumé. The Washington Post reported that Beato’s nomination “may not be considered for confirmation” due to “questions about whether she fabricated or inflated portions of her résumé.”  The Post reported that Beato claimed she “served as medical attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Turkey, received a master's degree in public health from the University of Wisconsin, ‘established’ an occupational health clinic at the University of New Mexico and published a scientific paper on inert gases.”  However, “at several institutions listed on Beato's résumé, officials said they could find no evidence of her service, while former colleagues at the University of New Mexico and an affiliated hospital in Albuquerque disputed assertions she made, saying at a minimum she had puffed up her role in several projects.” [Washington Post, 6/10/04]

NY Times: Beato’s Nomination “Derailed” Due To Padded Resume. “Dr. Beato was nominated as assistant secretary for health, but her nomination was derailed in 2004 after accusations surfaced that she had padded her résumé. In an interview, Dr. Beato said those accusations arose from several misunderstandings and what she described as mostly clerical errors.” [NY Times, 7/12/07]

Rep. Waxman: “Serious questions were raised about her credibility.” Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), who oversaw the congressional investigation into HHS, said his committee was aware of Beato’s allegations but could not confirm them.  “We interviewed other individuals who knew both of them and reviewed additional information and serious questions were raised about her credibility,” Waxman said in a statement. [Politico, 5/21/12]

Carmona’s Female Colleagues Challenged Beato’s Claim That Carmona Had Problems With Women. POLITICO reported “several of Carmona’s former female colleagues vouched for his character and challenged the accuracy of Beato’s claims.” Jennifer Cabe and Leanne Boyer, two former speechwriters for Carmona and Beato, “said he never had any problems in dealing with the women on his staff. And Iman Hakim, Carmona’s current supervisor at the University of Arizona, where he’s a professor, said she believed that Beato’s accusations are ‘exactly opposite’ of ‘what we see here’ at the school.” [Politico, 5/21/12]

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