Controversy Regarding Use of Barack Obama's Middle Name
At a rally for John McCain and Sarah Palin, Scott, appearing in uniform, referred to Barack Obama by his middle name, telling the crowd of nearly 9,000 McCain-Palin supporters, "On Nov. 4, let's leave Barack Hussein Obama wondering what happened." Scott’s remarks came as part of a string of warm-up speeches while Palin attended a private fundraiser in nearby Naples, FL, over an hour before she had arrived at the event site. Many citizens and media outlets have decried the remark as divisive and unacceptable for an elected public official. The McCain-Palin campaign issued a public statement distancing itself from Scott's comments.
On October 6, 2008, Scott said, "I absolutely, unequivocally don’t regret saying it. In order to be a speaker at this event, I had to give my full name — Michael Joseph Scott — to the Secret Service, even though I’m the sheriff of Lee County. So why would I apologize?" The News-Press also reported that when asked why he then did not use Palin's middle name, Scott admitted he did not know it. "I just wanted to use his full name," Scott said. "And frankly, if this is such a hot-button issue, he as a Harvard lawyer could have changed it if he didn’t like it."
On June 15, 2009, the Office of Special Counsel informed Scott they had closed his case without further action. Scott calls the letter his "second vindication." “The first was on Inauguration Day when our President placed his hand on a Bible and was sworn in by his full name...Barack Hussein Obama ... end of story.”
Read more about this topic: Mike Scott (sheriff)
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