By John Celock
Kansas Republican U.S. Senate candidate Milton Wolf remains on the defense regarding x-rays of shooting victims he posted on Facebook, and used his latest venue to level accusations at U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) and the state’s Democratic Party.
Wolf, during an appearance Monday morning on the Joseph Ashby Show on KQAM radio in Wichita, charged that the Facebook pictures were distributed by Roberts’ campaign in an effort to damage Wolf’s campaign. The Topeka Capitol-Journal reported Sunday that Wolf, a radiologist, had posted x-rays of shooting victims on a Facebook page and then joked with others about the photos.
Wolf told Ashby that he believed Roberts felt threatened by his primary challenge and a PPP poll released last week that showed Roberts with 26 point lead over Wolf but that many Kansans were unaware of Wolf. The poll also indicated that Kansans think that Roberts should spend more time in the state, a result that follows a New York Times story that accused that Roberts does not spend enough time in the state.
“He does exactly what career politicians do, a character assassination,” Wolf said. “That is the way of Washington. They will tear down anyone who dares to try to come after them.”
Wolf also painted Roberts as “desperate” and said Roberts’ campaign “is collapsing before our eyes.”
Wolf said that he believes Roberts has hired private investigators as part of his opposition research operation in the campaign. Ashby, a conservative commentator, said that he had asked Capitol-Journal reporter Tim Carpenter how he obtained the information and that Carpenter did not say. Ashby said he believes it was opposition research.
Roberts campaign spokesman Leroy Towns told The Celock Report that the story is the result of Carpenter’s reporting skills.
“What he did, he did to himself,” Towns said of Wolf. “That story is outstanding reporting by the Capitol Journal did and it speaks for itself.”
Wolf further accused Roberts of colluding with the state Democratic Party as part of an effort to defeat Wolf.
“Do you know what is shocking? His campaign is now repeating and distributing Kansas Democratic Party talking points about me,” Wolf said. “Pat Roberts’ campaign is now in league with the Kansas Democrats to try to tear down a conservative. This is how much the Kansas Republican establishment fears conservatives.”
Towns dismissed Wolf’s accusation of the campaign working with Democrats as “totally bizarre.” He also noted that the state’s Republican Party is conservative, along with Roberts.
Kansas Democratic Party spokesman Dakota Loomis told The Celock Report that the party does not involve itself in Republican campaigns.
“The Kansas Democratic Party has no involvement with any Republican primaries.”
During the rest of the interview, Wolf continued to express regret over the x-rays that he had posted on Facebook and painted the reasoning as an exercise in medical education.
“Releasing anonymous x-rays is something that is done everyday in social media, in textbooks and in online educational websites,” Wolf said. “Mine were on a private page and most of the people were private colleagues.”
On several occasions in the interview with Ashby, Wolf stressed that he had regret when he posted the joking comments on Facebook. Repeating themes he used in a statement on Sunday, Wolf said that there is a burden on those in the medical profession that could cause inappropriate jokes.
Wolf, a cousin of President Barack Obama, also noted that he was honored to work with others who “run towards the screaming.”
“I would not make excuses for saying inappropriate things. Some would say it is a coping mechanism,” Wolf said. “It is a difficult thing to deal with these kind of human tragedies on a daily basis. I have seen it tear apart families. I have seen it turn good people to vice.”