A lot could hinge on how this report, which aired on KOMO TV yesterday, was sourced:


In the report, KOMO reporter Ray Lane says: "Dino Rossi's campaign says Murray, and other Democrats, are spending recklessly on the VA."

Really? Rossi is coming out swinging against federal spending to help treat soldiers who have been wounded in America's wars?

If true, that's a huge mistake on the part of Rossi and his campaign. Which is why today, Rossi spokesperson Erin Daly is strenuously pushing back against the KOMO report while, at the same time, Murray's campaign is calling as much attention to that "reckless spending" line as possible.

In a conference call with reporters just now, Murray herself, backed by a hastily-assembled chorus of veterans from around the state, decried Rossi's statement.

“I was so disturbed to hear the news reports of Mr. Rossi’s views that we are somehow spending recklessly on veterans," Murray said. "Frankly, it is just wrong to be asking people to have fought for our nation to give back.”

And, just to make sure she'd been clear:

I will not tolerate anyone saying that we are spending recklessly on veterans' care... This is not a time to even question our funding for our veterans... America knows, as I do… that our country believes today that caring for our veterans is a cost of war… It is deeply disturbing to me that Mr. Rossi has apparently a different view on this.

Rossi thinks were spending recklessly on these guys?
  • Rossi thinks we're spending "recklessly" on these guys?
Daly, the Rossi spokesperson, told me before the conference call that KOMO got the "spending recklessly" quote wrong.

“Never has that ever been uttered," Daly told me. "I don’t understand where they got any of that information because Dino is unequivocally pro-Veterans. Dino Rossi has never felt that spending was reckless on veterans. He supports veterans and he believes that we owe them what was promised to them, and that is great care.”

Which throws the ball into KOMO's court.

I'm told by Rossi's campaign that the station will be airing an interview with Rossi tonight in which he clarifies his stance on veterans.

Murray, in response to news of the impending Rossi interview, said on her conference call: "It sounds to me like Mr. Rossi has changed his position from yesterday. I understand why he would do that. But it does make me question his commitment and his understanding of the facts on this issue for him to turn this around."

And KOMO? So far, the station has not responded to requests for comment on how it sourced that "recklessly spending on the VA" line.

Stay tuned.