Ron Paul: I Didn't Write That 'Race War' Letter

A rep for Ron Paul would like the clear things up—or at least one thing: The candidate did not pen a 1993 direct mail letter that warns of a "coming race war in our big cities" and a "federal-homosexual cover-up on AIDS." The eight-page letter was a promotion for his newsletter (which has also come under fire) and appeared to be signed by Paul. But his rep tells Talking Points Memo that "Dr. Paul did not write that mail piece and disavows its content."

Reuters posted the letter this morning (click here to read a pdf), leading Paul's Iowa chair Drew Ivers to tell the news outlet that while Paul doesn't "embrace" some of the letter's assertions, he takes responsibility for it. Not so, says the campaign rep: "Ivers is a great guy and leader, but he was not speaking on behalf of the campaign and is not acquainted enough with the issue to have the facts." Reuters notes that the letter also referred to Martin Luther King Jr. as a "world-class philanderer," and called the holiday that honors him "Hate Whitey Day." As for those suffering from AIDS, the letter asserted that they "enjoy the attention and pity that comes with being sick." (More Ron Paul stories.)