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Below is the response to the question of the Travelgate trips by Mike Johanns. The question was asked by Bill Dunn of the Grand Island Independent during the debate in Grand Island. His response? That essentially the report is wrong, that others made the decision, and that he would have taken fewer trips. In otherwords, he's claiming he was only doing what he was told and he wasn't responsible. Scott Kleeb responds and really hammers home the reality of the situation: That it's a question of judgement.
What Johanns states contradicts what former RNC Chair Ken Mehlman reported in his testimony on the matter:
QUESTIONER: To what extent did the Offce of Political Affairs, during your tenure, get involved with the travel of the Cabìnet Secretaries?
MEHLMAN: We would certainly advise places they mìght consider going. And if they were doing purely partisan, a fund raiser, for instance, we would try to encourage them to think about doing them in certain places.
QUESTIONER: And is it fair to say that when a Cabinet Secretary makes a public appearance, the publìc appearance could be the result of the Cabinet Secretary and the agency on its own determinìng that?
