HUD Dud Alphonso Jackson Update

Wait, a Cabinet Secretary admitted to doing something illegal? Bring in the spinners!

Dustee Tucker, a spokeswoman for Jackson, told the Dallas Business Journal Tuesday that Jackson’s comments at his April 28 speech were purely “anecdotal.”

“He was merely trying to explain to the audience how people in D.C., will say critical things about the secretary, will unfairly characterize the president and then turn around and ask you for money,” Tucker said. “He did not actually meet with someone and turn down a contract. He’s not part of the contracting process.”

Ok, so let's get this straight, Dustee: Jackson's 'anecdote,' a highly detailed, first person encounter between Jackson and a suddenly fictional CEO, is now a long allegory meant to illustrate that people will say they don't like you then ask for money. Let's go to instant replay:

“He had made every effort to get a contract with HUD for 10 years,” Jackson said of the prospective contractor. “He made a heck of a proposal and was on the (General Services Administration) list, so we selected him. He came to see me and thank me for selecting him. Then he said something … he said, ‘I have a problem with your president.’

“I said, ‘What do you mean?’ He said, ‘I don’t like President Bush.’ I thought to myself, ‘Brother, you have a disconnect — the president is elected, I was selected. You wouldn’t be getting the contract unless I was sitting here. If you have a problem with the president, don’t tell the secretary.’

“He didn’t get the contract,” Jackson continued. “Why should I reward someone who doesn’t like the president, so they can use funds to try to campaign against the president?

Hmmm... Doesn't seem to jibe with the new explanation. What did the spokesman say about the story yesterday, before the criticism surfaced?

“On May 3, Tucker told the Business Journal that the contract Jackson was referring to in Dallas was ‘an advertising contract with a minority publication,’ though she could not provide the contract’s value.”

Now, if I were the spokesman for a Cabinet Secretary talking about an 'imaginary' contract, I would have handled that differently.

And on top of that, getting a government contract isn't some kind of dole. You're doing work for the largest organization in the history of the world (not a consumer to be ignored) and expecting fair treatment and fair payment. Not that unreasonable when you consider the fact that the money is citizen's tax dollars.


Alphonso Jackson Dustee Tucker HUD