The Next Night Hannity Challenges Cellucci to Tell the Truth

April 2001

Alan Keyes appeared on Hannity and Colmes the night after John Brockelman to refute the untruths that had been made by the Cellucci people.

The liberal host of the show, Alan Colmes, had said the night before that the Governor was not in the building when Keyes arrived and he would have gladly met with him if the Ambassador had requested a meeting.

When Keyes appeared on Friday, he was first asked to comment about that and a clip was played from the previous night by the Cellucci spokesman, the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Republican Party, John Brockelman, who said:

"When Amb. Keyes was running a little low on funds for his campaign, maybe he didn't have a scheduler to call up Gov. Cellucci and actually schedule a meeting. Of course [Cellucci] would have sat down with Amb. Keyes."

Keyes was asked by Sean Hannity, "Have you ever met with the Governor, ever?"

"No, I haven't. And actually, I'm not quite sure why this becomes a focal issue, listening to the silly snide remarks of the individual who was just speaking. I guess I understand why for want of any decent arguments, you start attacking people on the basis of things that have no basis in fact...

"The Governor did not respond to very deep and legitimate concerns of parents in that state about the use of the state's money to promote all kinds of sexual activity among young children who were being approached in ways that amount to recruitment for the radical homosexual movement. It's not right and I don't believe there's anyone in this country who thinks we ought to be promoting sexual activity among children. Why then would Massachusetts state funds be used for that, and when the parents got upset the Governor would ignore them..."

Be Careful About Accepting Cellucci's Statement

Colmes had said the night before that Cellucci had met with Keyes "about six times during that year in question."

On Friday, Colmes challenged Keyes with the following: "I was told by [Cellucci's] press secretary that he would have met with you in a second had he been there and known that you were at the State House to see him about this issue."

Keyes responded, "I have to tell you that I would want to caution you about accepting as accurate some of the things that you have apparently been told because yesterday on the show you said I had met with him six times or something. I have never met with him at all."

Colmes was then reduced to changing the story to say that Cellucci and Keyes had been in the same locations at various times during the Presidential campaign in New Hampshire. But that certainly did not amount to a meeting by anyone's definition. In addition, all of that Presidential campaigning in New Hampshire occurred before the first reports of Fistgate surfaced last May.

Cellucci Was In Office

Atty. Chester Darling tells Massachusetts News he knows that the Governor was in his office when Keyes and the parents arrived there. Darling says he asked the staffer when Keyes was at the entrance. She told him that Cellucci was in a meeting in his office concerning the Fenway Park bonds. "I think that if we investigate his schedule that day, we'd find that to be the truth," the attorney said.

Hannity Wants Governor to Explain

The Governor was challenged many times by host Sean Hannity.

"I've had a number of people calling me and trying to pressure me not to speak out against Gov. Cellucci," Hannity said.

"What role did he plan and when did he start speaking out? I want to see the track record. I invite Gov. Cellucci to come on the program."

Cellucci Brags To Homosexual Newspaper

A national homosexual newspaper in Washington, the Blade, reported the following during that week.

"'This is really an opportunity on the part of [the Parents' Rights Coalition] to advance their own agenda,' said John Birtwell, a spokesperson for Cellucci. 'And this is the vehicle they are using to generate publicity.'

"Birtwell also said that the Parents' Rights Coalition has opposed the Cellucci administration's position, related to providing state funds for education and support programs for Gay youths, for several years.

"'This has less to do with this particular seminar - a fairly isolated incident involving several employees and the Department of Education - and more to do with broader issues which this group opposes,' he said.

"After Camenker publicized the taped session last year, Cellucci said that if the content on them proved to be accurate the counselors who took part in the session should be fired or suspended from state service 'because it was not within the purview of what these seminars had been established for,' Birtwell said.

"At the time, representatives of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network also said the discussion at the workshop went too far.

"'Certainly, the reaction from at least part of the community to the lecture material had the effect of seriously damaging what was a very important program,' Birtwell said, 'and one the governor had worked very hard to establish.'"

Main article:
Executive Director John Brockelman Distorts on 'Hannity and Colmes'

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