Candidate For Congress Edward Lynch's Statement On The Resignation Of Congressman Robert Wexler

West Palm Beach, FL, October 14, 2009-  For all practical purposes, Robert Wexler quit representing his constituents and stopped carrying out the real responsibilities of a Congressman long before his resignation.  Robert Wexler never carried himself like an authentic leader within the District he was given the privilege to represent.  He was not a resident of the state of Florida, and his cameo appearances in the District were few and far between.  His candor, accessibility, and openness to his constituents was also virtually non-existent, as he very rarely participated in a media event or press conference that was publicized in advance, not heavily scripted, or without handpicked supporters.

"We predicted last year that Robert Wexler would not complete his term of office, and events have proven us right.  While Robert Wexler claims that he is leaving Congress for a non-profit whose goal is to pursue peace in the Middle East, the only thing Robert Wexler has consistently pursued throughout his career is his own self-interest.  Wexler's departure from Congress to a non-profit organization on the surface appears to be a noble act for the greater cause of peace; but in reality, it's nothing more than political payback to a longtime political ally and a smokescreen to distract from a career of fraud and corruption," said Edward Lynch, candidate for Congress in Florida's 19^th Congressional District.    

Wexler may claim that by leaving Congress he is doing so for peace and the greater good, but the organization that Wexler is leaving for, the Center for Middle East Peace and Economic Cooperation, is headed by S. Daniel Abraham.  Mr. Abraham is a longtime Democrat political benefactor that has donated millions of dollars in soft money contributions to Rahm Emmanuel, ZacPac-  Wexler's Political Action Committee, the Democrat Senatorial Campaign Committee, and countless other Democratic entities and candidates.  Mr. Abraham's Center for Middle East Peace has financed at least 15 overseas trips for Wexler that ostensibly have contributed little to the cause of peace in the region.  So in spite of Wexler's stated reasons for his abrupt departure, his acceptance of this position is nothing more than political payback? but there are other issues lurking behind the scenes that may be the real reason why Wexler is abdicating his seat in Congress so suddenly.

"It's time for fruits of the FBI's investigation into Robert Wexler's dealings to be made public to see if charges pertaining to money laundering, securities fraud, or election law fraud can be brought against him.  For far too long, Wexler has skirted the law and the federal authorities.  Over the course of his career in Congress, he has made a mockery of federal election laws, filed false FEC filings, and has also participated in very shady financial dealings, including a fraudulent mortgage transaction in West Palm Beach.  The work my staff and I have done to bring his dealings to light is thoroughly documented at www.wexlersweb.com.  When we saw the clear corruption and fraud that Wexler was engaged in, I contacted the FBI to bring attention to Wexler's dealings.  Our persistence in exposing Wexler's very dubious and perhaps criminal behavior may quite possibly have ended the career of one of the most corrupt and unaccountable politicians in Congress today," said Lynch.

"Democrats need to be seriously questioned as to why they allowed such a manifestly corrupt individual to thrive in Congress.  It's plainly obvious that Democrats' pledge to run the ?most ethical Congress ever' was never a serious one they intended to keep, otherwise Robert Wexler, along with his fellow ethically-challenged Congressman? Charlie Rangel, Barney Frank, Nancy Pelosi, and Chris Dodd? would never have been permitted to remain in Congress for so long.   The public needs to hold those in power accountable for providing political cover to a corrupt elected official who should have been removed from office a long time ago."

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Congressman Robert Wexler Not A Profile In Courage, His Prior Statements On Government Involvement In Healthcare Are Hypocritical

West Palm Beach, FL, August 24, 2009 - Congressional candidate Edward Lynch, running for Congress in Florida's 19th District, believes the so-called "town hall" meeting last week with Congressmen Robert Wexler and Alcee Hastings was a staged partisan event, and Wexler's comments about government involvement in our personal healthcare decisions completely conflict with earlier statements made in his own book.

"What took place in Delray Beach last Thursday was a highly choreographed and scripted event in every aspect.  From the pre-screening of the audience? the only people who obtained tickets had to do so through FLARA, an organization which is pushing a single payer system; to the questions, which were pre-screened by FLARA, and almost certainly leaked beforehand to the Congressman Wexler's staffers? these facts lead us to the undeniable conclusion that this was not an open town hall event, it was a staged partisan political rally," Lynch explains. 

"The real town hall meeting took place outside the South County Civic Center, where any question about this healthcare proposal was posed to me by actual constituents from District 19, and no one was turned away because they didn't have a ticket or the right credentials.  The majority of us who were at the South County Civic Center are those who disagree with the coercive takeover of the health insurance industry and insist upon our right to make our own healthcare decisions? yet almost all of the dissenters were outside of where the "official" event was orchestrated inside.  Congressmen Wexler and Hastings will not address their constituents because they are not able to defend the indefensible, HR 3200.  This bill is just plain bad for their constituents, their constituents don't want it, but Congressman Wexler simply does not care," said Lynch.

Perhaps just as outrageous is Congressman Wexler's rank hypocrisy.  As he has previously stated in his book, Fire-Breathing Liberal, "Living wills are widely used in South Florida, and most of my constituents feel very strongly that the government should stay out of urgent family matters" (p. 96).  Seniors are overwhelmingly opposed to major portions of this bill, in particular the areas of "ordered" end of life services and Medicare cuts. We think Congressman Wexler should heed his own advice, "We're called representatives because we're supposed to represent our constituents" (p. 112). If, as Congressman Wexler admits, most of his constituents feel very strongly that the government should stay out of urgent family matters, why is he pushing a bill that clearly opposes what his constituents want?

Lynch thinks the writing is on the wall for Congressman Wexler, who ominously wrote the following admonition in his book? "There's a phrase we use to describe representatives who vote against the interests of their constituents: former members" (p.112).  "I could not agree more with our representative from Maryland in this particular instance," said Lynch.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Candidate Edward Lynch Criticizes Congressman Robert Wexler's Arrogance And Constitutional Ignorance, Says His Vote On ACORN Is Hypocritical

West Palm Beach, FL, September 18, 2009 - True to form, Congressman Robert Wexler wants it both ways about ACORN's apparent criminal activity.  Perhaps even more pathetically, Congressman Wexler's absurd rationalization for his vote reeks of hypocrisy, and it also proves his own ignorance about the Constitution .  Yesterday, Congressman Wexler was one of only 75 Democrats who voted to continue public funding of ACORN, even after undercover footage showed ACORN employees offering advice on how to set up a brothel, instructing people on how to launder money, encouraging people to lie in order to obtain a mortgage, and most deplorable of all- covering up and encouraging the trafficking of underage children for prostitution.

"Congressman Wexler claims he voted against defunding ACORN because, quoting him, "It's a Bill of Attainder, which is unconstitutional and is not going to be held up in any court of law in the United States."  While we applaud Congressman Wexler's newfound appreciation of the Constitution, voting to strip ACORN of public funding does not constitute a Bill of Attainder.  There is no Constitutional right to taxpayer monies, and Congress can pull funding from any organization, program, or agency at its discretion.  172 Democrats voted to defund this vile organization because they clearly see that ACORN's activity is deplorable and almost certainly will be found in violation of several federal laws," explained Edward Lynch, candidate for Congress in Florida's 19^th Congressional District.

Meanwhile, back on March 19, 2009, Congressman Wexler had a chance to vote against an actual Bill of Attainder? when the House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a near total tax on bonuses paid to employees of the American International Group and other firms that accepted federal bailout funds. Congressman Wexler voted YES to tax AIG bonuses at 90% (HR 1586). 

"Not only is Congressman Wexler ignorant about the Constitution, he is willing to look the other way when one of his cherished radical organizations is clearly in violation of the law.  By not voting immediately stop funding ACORN, the same criminal conduct that was identified could continue on indefinitely. Apparently, encouraging the trafficking of children for purposes of prostitution is tolerable conduct for our unaccountable Congressman from Maryland otherwise, he would have voted to immediately defund ACORN, regardless of any bogusly-claimed Constitutional considerations," said Lynch. 

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Edward Lynch, Resident of West Palm Beach, Announces He Will Run Again for Congress in Florida's 19^th District in 2010

West Palm Beach, FL, November 11, 2008 - West Palm Beach entrepreneur and businessman Edward Lynch (R) today announced his continued campaign for United States House in Florida's 19th Congressional District in 2010.

Lynch is a common sense Floridian who will continue the fight to return fiscal restraint to Congress and bring authentic representation in Congress to the residents of District 19.  Other crucial issues that Edward sees Congress lacking leadership on are national security, illegal immigration, energy independence, and reducing taxes for all Floridians.  In light of the continued private industry bailouts, which we as a people can not afford, we need real leadership.

"I am contesting this Congressional seat for two reasons- first; over the past 12 years, it is hard to find a more complacent and self-entitled representative than Congressman Robert Wexler who only makes cameo appearances in the District he purports to represent. I want to give the residents of District 19 who are clearly unhappy with the District's absentee Congressman a real choice. In addition, I strongly believe that if President-Elect Obama offered him either a cabinet position or ambassadorship, our congressman will abandon us without a second thought, much in the same way he abandoned us 11 years ago when he moved to Maryland.

Second, even though we did not win this recent election, we most certainly did not lose in the arena of ideas.  Congressman Wexler is the poster child for big government, high taxation, runaway spending on entitlement programs, partisanship, and doubletalk.  I believe that after 2 years of an Obama administration with the Congress and Robert Wexler in full tow, the public will recoil from economic policies which will further stagflation and possibly throw our country into a prolonged recession.  During this past campaign, Congressman Wexler proved without a shadow of a doubt that he was afraid to defend his vision of big government and his record in any kind of meaningful way.  My candidacy will provide a vigorous challenge to his incumbency and the policies he advocates for that only serve to burden the citizenry in a myriad of ways.   

I intend to make the case to all voters throughout the District- particularly to new voters and to younger voters - about my ideas regarding the proper role of the Federal Government and what its relationship to the private sector should be. I will advocate for these proven ideas which roll back Government intervention and allow dynamic, free markets to prosper.  These policies are the best way for all Americans to prosper and realize their fullest potential.   This will be a campaign of new ideas and real hope for the future direction of our country."
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