If there’s one thing Indiana Republicans and Democrats can agree on, it’s that disgraced Secretary of State Charlie White should step down from the office he’s embarrassed since the day he took the oath.
On Tuesday, the Indiana Recount Commission granted White a temporary legal reprieve, ruling that the state’s election laws are sufficiently vague to prevent his removal from office. White faces criminal trial in August on seven felony counts of voter fraud, theft and perjury.
White has attempted to turn his failure to properly register to vote and his illegitimate service on the Fishers Town Council into an intricate personal tale: It wasn’t his fault he broke the law. Life just got too complicated to focus on the details.
The attorney in me could devote this column to debunking White’s story, but I don’t practice law for a living. I practice public relations, a field where White’s win tally is pretty dismal.
Gov. Mitch Daniels, former Secretary of State Todd Rokita and Indiana Republican Party Chair Eric Holcomb have all asked White to step aside. Dozens of columnists and editorial writers across the state have penned the same plea.
I’ve heard White described by fellow Republicans as “a fighter” who doesn’t know when to quit. That much is clear. But the implications of his battle go far beyond the courtroom.
Full Article: Jennifer Wagner: Charlie White’s lonely outpost | The Indianapolis Star | indystar.com.