University of Virginia Library

Aides Reprove Scott
As 'Morally Corrupt'

By JOHN EPPS

In the lead article of
Wednesday's Richmond
Mercury a former aide to U.S.
Representative William Scott,
the Republican nominee for
the U.S. Senate from Virginia,
has called Mr. Scott "the most
morally corrupt individual I've
ever known."

Mr. Scott's former aide,
who was left nameless in the
article, said, "There's nothing
about him to admire. And I'm
not talking about politics.
Ideologically, I agree with him.
I'm talking about the sort of
man he is."

"He's the cheapest man in
the world. That story about
him making his secretary wash
rusty paper clips is absolutely
true. He would wash out and
dry toilet paper if he could."

The Mercury's source also
said that, "Mr. Scott is very
divisive with his staff. He'll
turn one against the other and
take advantage of people.

When contacted at his home
Mr. Scott denied knowledge of
the article and refused
comment.

The article also quoted
several of Mr. Scott's other
former staff members. One of
Mr. Scott's secretaries who has
left his employ said of Mr.
Scott, "He's crazy. He's
paranoid. He didn't trust
anyone who worked for him,

The Mercury also reported
that feelings among members
of Congress towards Mr. Scott
are also negative. The article
stated that "antipathy towards
Scott is so great that there are
legislators who deliberately
feed him misinformation to
make him look bad."

Mr. Scott, according to the
article, has little support
among blacks. Congressman
Walter Fauntroy of Washington
D.C. told the Mercury, "He
(Scott) has an anti-black
feeling that's deep and
sometimes perverts his
judgment." The
Washingtonian, a Capitol Hill
newspaper, quoted an
employee of the House Post
Office Committee, a
committee on which Mr. Scott
serves, as saying Mr. Scott
frequently comments that "the
only reason we need zip codes
is because the niggers can't
read."

The Mercury's article drew
severe criticism from Richard
D. Obenshain, Mr. Scott's
campaign manager. In an
interview aired Wednesday on
WXEX Television in
Richmond, Mr. Obenshain
called the article "slanderous"
and said he was surprised the
Mercury would use "this kind
of journalism."

Mercury publisher, Edmund
A. Rennolds stated that the
author, Harry Stein,
"researched the story for
several weeks, and I have
complete confidence in his
research. I'm fully satisfied
that it is an accurate story."