NEWS FROM THE FLORIDA DEMOCRATIC PARTYFor Immediate Release: Aug. 29, 2010
DAVID RIVERA CAUGHT LYING AGAIN ON ‘TRUCKGATE’Naples Daily News Discredits Rivera. What is David Rivera hiding?
Scandal-plagued congressional candidate David Rivera continues lying about his attempt to hide from voters a serious domestic violence charge. On August 17, a CBS 4 investigative report revealed that David Rivera used his car to drive a mail truck off the road that was delivering thousands of fliers linking him to a domestic violence case.
“David Rivera’s efforts to cover-up domestic abuse allegations are beyond troubling, especially to women,” said Florida Democratic Party spokesperson Eric Jotkoff. “Rivera has lied to South Florida’s families about everything — from denying he knows the victim in the case, to contradicting the facts within the ‘Truckgate’ police report. The last thing we can afford is another scandal-plagued career politician in Washington who will say and do anything to get elected — especially when it involves shameless lying and reckless behavior.”
On Sunday, the Naples Daily News thoroughly discredited Rivera’s account of the incident.
LIE: Rivera told the Naples Daily News that the incident took place on an exit ramp in a pre-arranged meeting to remove his own fliers from the mail van.
FACT: The incident took place in the middle of the Palmetto Expressway
However, according to a Florida Highway Patrol report, the accident occurred in the middle of Miami’s Palmetto Expressway (S.R. 826), a mile north of the N.W. 25th Street exit. [Naples Daily News, 8/29/10]
LIE: Rivera claimed he was with a campaign staffer who removed fliers from the van.
FACT: Rivera was alone and no fliers were ever removed from the van.
The FHP report listed Rivera and the truck driver as the only two people involved; no additional passengers were listed as being in the vehicles. [Naples Daily News, 8/29/10]
Richard Sierra, president of Dodd Communications which now owns Liberty, told both The Miami Herald and CBS 4 that Rivera’s version of events is not quite true. Sierra said “the company truck did not voluntarily pull off the highway and we did not remove any fliers. Whatever was on the truck was mailed.” [CBS 4, 8/17/2010]
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