After lying twice and getting caught twice, Republican candidate for Florida House of Representatives, Melissa Howard, finally takes responsibility and drops out.
Lately it seems many politicians think the best way to cover a lie is to tell another one, We have seen this numerous times with President Trump telling lie upon lie. Howard, who after being accused of lying about her education degree, decided it would be a good idea to post a photo on Facebook seated next to her degree in marketing from Miami University in Ohio. Too bad it turns out that was a big lie too.
The University verified there was no such thing as a degree in marketing and the signature for the dean at the bottom was not the dean when Howard would have graduated. The saddest part in all of this was none of it was necessary. There was no reason for Howard to lie about her education, but then to double down on the lie is just embarrassing.
After finally admitting to the lie, Howard dropped out of the race with this non-apology:
I would like to apologize to my family and my supporters for this situation. It was not my intent to deceive or mislead anyone. I made a mistake in saying that I completed my degree. What I did was wrong and set a bad example for someone seeking public service. I am staying in the race and intend to win and lead by example from now on.
The GOP candidate who lied about having a college degree called the reports “fake news,” and quickly deleted the ph… https://t.co/yHr9xekkau— The Daily Beast (@The Daily Beast) 1534296547.0
The Republican candidate for the Florida House gave up her bid one day after admitting to lying about having a coll… https://t.co/LKRtMV7oj1— The Daily Beast (@The Daily Beast) 1534276806.0
Twitter was having none of it.
Why do candidates do this? Who would have cared if she just said she went to college but didn't graduate? Making up… https://t.co/mmmG3vTOAP— Jeff Greenfield (@Jeff Greenfield) 1534295840.0
When you're a big ol liar, maybe shouting "fake news" isn't the best laid plan.
A good lesson for pols found of wrongdoing: skip the “fake news” defense https://t.co/NnERas0N7q— Jonathan Martin (@Jonathan Martin) 1534268346.0
@jmartNYT “error in judgement” Is that what we’re calling big fat lies now?— Cathy nicastro (@Cathy nicastro) 1534268955.0
Let’s use Melissa Howard as an example: -She is questioned about having a fake degree -her campaign calls it “fake… https://t.co/59lqYY5LKi— John D’oh (@John D’oh) 1534269196.0
These shenanigans from politicians need to stop.
Florida GOP candidate Melissa Howard was caught in a lie about her college diploma, doubled-down & printed a fake d… https://t.co/TMeG5piYBD— Scooba Steve (@Scooba Steve) 1534200476.0
@stevEfroMtpa #Grifters man... https://t.co/4zJgMyg4sH— z-TampaSportsGirl 🏒⚡🏈🏴☠️⚾️💥⚽️ (@z-TampaSportsGirl 🏒⚡🏈🏴☠️⚾️💥⚽️) 1534201923.0
Some felt Howard's apology fell short.
How about Melissa Howard issue a public apology to Tommy Gregory? She posted her fake degree in order to call him… https://t.co/0njwusu5u0— Mandy Thornton (@Mandy Thornton) 1534330229.0
https://t.co/NrM2Ld48jW I love how #GOP #MelissaHoward said "It was not my intent to deceive or mislead anyone" aft… https://t.co/oHzle39oKS— Katherine Wertheim (@Katherine Wertheim) 1534317200.0
We really need to start holding all politicians to a higher level.
H/T: Huffington Post, ABC