When David Vitter and John Bel Edwards faced the Baton Rouge Press Club Monday, there wasn’t much discussion of what they would each do as governor. Instead, talk was mostly about the campaign itself. Vitter was asked about Edwards’ latest ad.
“I failed my family 15 years ago. Everyone knows that,” Vitter said. “The good news is, I asked for and received forgiveness.”
“The issue isn’t just family, and it isn’t just forgiveness,” Edwards responded. “His performance of his public duties were compromised, as well.”
There were heated verbal exchanges, with Edwards calling Vitter a “schoolyard bully”, and Vitter accusing Edwards of “pure political pandering.”
A question about trackers and private investigators opened the door for one of the most heated exchanges between the two candidates.
“Part of what you’re referring to is this silly coffee shop incident,” Vitter began, adding, “That person in the coffee shop was doing nothing illegal and nothing different than trackers do to me and others all the time.”
“The guy he was paying ran out of the coffee shop, trying to delete information off of a recording device. He was spying on a sheriff!” Edwards responded indignantly. “And he calls it a ‘silly coffee shop incident’?”
“That person was researching what I believe is an illegal scheme between a business associate and major donor of John Bel Edwards and a private investigator to pay for false testimony from witnesses against me,” Vitters stated, adding that he had turned the information over to the FBI and U.S. Attorney.
“John Bel is acting holier than thou on so many things,” Vitter continued. “He doesn’t have a tracker. Well, the Democratic state party has a tracker, John Bel. Oh, they’re not working for you? Then who are they working for? They’re sure as heck not working for me.”
Vitter continued, “Just like these groups like the trial lawyer Super PAC. Oh, John Bel has nothing to do with that. Really?”
“When it suited you, you said they were working for Jay Dardenne,” Edwards responded. “Now they’re here working for me? You need to figure it out.”
There’s a rematch tonight at 7 p.m., on LPB, and here on WRKF.