Huckabee Lied about Video on Fox News this Morning---2003 Spending (Tax) Increase Was NOT Mandated by Supreme Court Decision---Was For General Revenue

EXCLUSIVE: Letter from Arkansas House Minority Leader Disproves Huckabee's Lie of Fox News

UPDATE: Huckabee's Campaign has just sent out a press release.

In his press release Huckabee points out that I'm anonymous. It's true that I am anonymous, but I'll tell you why. I'm scared to death of how Huckabee has treated friends of mine who crossed him or simply didn't do what he wanted. Huckabee doesn't forgive and forget. He gets mad and gets even.

He also claims that my video was taken out of context. It isn't. Read my entire blog. Feel free. He said he wanted to go on the record. Well, I put him on the record. He begged for a tax increase, any tax increase, and he got it. Today he lied about it on national television and tried to brush it aside by simply saying, "oh, yeah, I guess it wasn't about a Supreme Court mandate."

He lied for a reason. He knew what he was saying was wrong. He had plenty of time to think about this. My video has been out there for 2 days. He lied because he knew that what I've been saying is true.

Mike Huckabee IS a pro-life liberal.

I'd like to see how many of his supporters have the guts to do the right thing and leave his campaign. They have been fed a lie and wanted to believe it all. Mike Huckabee puts on a heck of a show. I know. I've been on the ground, in the trenches of Republican politics in Arkansas from the beginning. He's had me mesmerized on more than one occasion. But I've seen him get angry. I've seen him call tax and spending increases conservative.

But the reality is that Mike Huckabee is a liar. I have proven that. Club for Growth has proven that, when they demonstrated that he has been lying about not signing the gasoline tax into law in 1999. He said 80% of us in Arkansas voted for it. We didn't. He had already signed it into law. Here's the link to that.

His evangelicals supporters aren't going to support a known liar. I don't think the average American will put up with it either.

Here's the link to his press release. I noticed that he didn't post it on his blog. I guess he doesn't want to tell his supporters.

Here's the link to the video from FoxNews.com.

Here's the link to my original video of Huckabee begging for a tax increase.

Here's a link to a story from the Arkansas Democrat Gazette from 2003, which chronicles what his speech begging for a tax increase was actually about. It is reprinted by the Arkansas Times blog.

Below you will find a letter from House Minority Leader Johnny Key, Republican-Mountain Home, Arkansas, clearly demonstrating that Huckabee wasn't speaking in my video about a supreme court mandate.

FACT: The video of Huckabee begging for a tax increase is from May 5, 2003.

FACT: The special session to deal with the Arkansas Supreme Court mandate was held in December of 2003.

Mike Huckabee was asked about my video this morning on Fox News. When asked, he lied, claiming that the context of my video was a Supreme Court mandate. As you can see, if you read below, which I wrote yesterday, This is not the case. His campaign has been sending this lie out to operatives and supporters, though, because the truth is devastating.

Unfortunately, for Mike Huckabee, lying about it will be more devastating.

CORRECTION: The following is a letter from Republican Minority Leader Johnny Key that a reader forwarded to me in regard to claims that the context of the video of Huckabee demanding a tax increase was a Supreme Court mandate regarding the Lakeview Decision.

As you will see when you read this letter, I made a mistake. Huckabee defenders have been pushing this falsehood all over the internet since I released the video of Huckabee begging for any tax increase. My memory was faulty and I should have checked my facts before responding to their false claims.

It was not about a mandate. The tax increase was for general revenue. Despite efforts made by Republican legislators, Huckabee gleefully joined with the majority (Democrats) in raising taxes.

I apologize for my error.

The great irony, of which Rep. Key's letter reminds me, is that while Huckabee was giving this speech, he was also snubbing President Bush who was in Little Rock at that very moment giving a speech calling for tax cuts to spur the economy.

Thank you, Rep. Key, for so graciously correcting me. I have added emphasis to a few of his points, portions in brackets are my comments, and portions in parentheses belong to Rep. Key. Otherwise, this is the letter as I received it.

I'd like to point out that Rep. Key does not make any statements criticizing Governor Huckabee. He simply offers a very even-handed review of the circumstances surrounding Huckabee's now-infamous speech begging for a tax increase.

Here is his letter.
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Lamar [the reader who forwarded this to me],

Thank you for sending me this link. I remember it well, as I was in the chamber when the speech was made.

First let me state that it is not my intent to either disparage or defend Gov. Huckabee regarding this speech. I have said publicly and privately that I am not getting involved in the presidential primary at this time.

I am concerned that correct information is not being distributed in the blogosphere, so I wanted to give you some historical perspective in order to correct some of the comments that have been posted to arkjournal. You may forward this to the arkjournal folks if you wish, but I do request that it be kept in context. I am also forwarding it to Karen Ray and Dennis Milligan with the state GOP and Dr. Bill Smith with the ARRA.

This speech had nothing to do with the Lakeview case or education spending. The $100 million target was for general revenue. This speech occurred a few weeks after a group of Republicans and conservative Democrats (current Speaker Petrus among them) refused to extend the regular session over disputes on taxes, thus shutting down the session without a budget plan. A 2/3 vote was required to extend the session, which would have given House leadership time to round up the votes necessary to pass a tax increase. We maintained about 36-37 votes against extending, despite tremendous pressure and arm-twisting on the Democrats in our group.

When the special session started, House and Senate leadership had everything lined up to fly through, and they didn't have the burden of procedural votes to overcome. We ended up with a hodge-podge of tax increases that included the ridiculous income tax surcharge (HB1039). You can check the bill at the following link.

http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/2003s1/scripts/ablr/hvote/rcsnumvote.asp?rcsnum=4

Working with [then-] Minority Leader Marvin Parks, House Republicans offered an alternative plan that involved cutting spending and using so called one-time funds (General Improvement Fund) to balance the budget. We predicted (accurately) that the economy was turning around and that as a result state tax revenue would begin increasing, thus eliminating the need for tax increases. We were told by House and Senate leaders that we were being 'irresponsible' to use one-time money to fund ongoing budget needs, and our plan was not even given a fair hearing.

That is also when the raids on the Property Tax Relief Trust Fund started to supplement the general revenue budget. This was money that by law was being set aside from excess sales tax revenue to provide future tax relief. We could never keep the Ds from dipping into that money until the 2007 session. With Republicans chairing key committees like House Revenue and Tax Committee and Joint Budget Committee, we were finally able to use it for its intended purpose.

The education taxes and spending came later in a special session that began in 2003 and extended into 2004.

Ironically, the same day this speech was given, President Bush was a few blocks away giving a policy speech on the need for tax cuts and how they would boost the economy. He was right.

State Representative Johnny Key,
House Minority Leader