Dear editor,
Why does Nathan Fletcher pretend he never worked for several years as convicted felon “Duke” Cunningham’s chief in-district assistant?
While Cunningham was driving a Rolls Royce, living in a multi-million dollar Rancho Santa Fe mansion, and making only about $175,000 [before taxes] as his only income from his congressional salary, Fletcher turned a blind eye to the bribes being used to finance Cunningham’s lifestyle.
Bribes received in exchange for highly-profitable “Earmark” appropriations funding non-competitive, single-source contracts for Cunningham’s friends.
In his capacity as Cunningham’s chief in-district assistant, Fletcher must have seen the infamous Rolls Royce on many occasions. Fletcher certainly knew Cunningham lived in Rancho Santa Fe, and probably drove up Cunningham’s long private driveway on a weekly basis.
No surprise that in his current Fletcher for mayor Web site biography, Fletcher makes no mention of his years working with the convicted felon Cunningham.
The new Mayor of San Diego should not have in his well-developed skill set the finely-tuned ability to knowingly ignore obvious corruption.
Fletcher has this skill. Not one needed by the City of San Diego.
DAVID LUNDIN
886 Felspar Street
San Diego, CA 92109
Full disclosure, I am a supporter of Fletcher’s. Support that is born of research and earnest conversation with Nathan, but support just the same. That said, it appears the author didn’t even feign an attempt to check these musings out before making the attack. If he had, he’d have known that Nathan was serving his country for portions of his time in that office. I know politicians accept that smear jobs come with the territory, but it would be great
It would be great if our voting public chose to reject empty, baseless smears in favor of actual inquiry or reasoned debate.
Fletcher worked in the District for Cunningham, full-time for some years before he served as a Marine.
He did indeed turn a knowingly blind eye to the signs of unearned wealth being flaunted by Cunningham.
Undisputed is the FACT that Fletcher omits even mentioning his employment by Cunningham in his bio.
Also undisputed is the FACT that Fletcher was the chief in-District assistant to Cunningham. Probably the ONE Cunningham employee with the most day-to-day contact with the Rolls Royce [which was kept in San Diego, not DC] and the Rancho Santa Fe mansion.
Asking why Fletcher never asked questions about these signs of unearned wealth is a perfectly legitimate inquiry. One Fletcher prefers to ignore.