Roy Blunt and the Immigrant

There has been a lot of attention paid to a report that Roy Blunt had an illegal immigrant working for him in 1990. It has focused on what he knew about her immigration status, and what he did for her after she left his employ. The Democrats think Blunt broke the law, by allowing her to work for him, and then pulled strings to try and help her. They feel it is a reflection of his character, that he was breaking the law, and is now lying about it.

Apparently, while Blunt was Secretary of State of Missouri, he wrote a letter on the Nicaraguan woman's behalf to the INS. He denies that he ever employed her before she was certified OK to work by immigration.

Blunt supporters feel that it is a tempest in a teapot, a long time ago and no big deal. Some observers have noted that this is the sort of grilling and inspection that discourages most people from seeking public office. Who doesn't have a moment in their past when their judgement was not the best?

I see this as someone trying to help out another person. I don't think that Roy Blunt meant to look like he was skirting the law, or trying to use pull in Washington. Really, it looks to me like Roy Blunt was just trying to help someone. I wonder if he would do better to put it that way--"I was trying to help her out. I probably should have checked on the laws and double checked her status with INS and so forth a little more carefully. But my intention was to help someone make their way legally to the path to citizenship."--rather than looking snippy and angry with the dean of Kansas City political reporters, Michael Mahoney.

Now, doesn't all this just make you want to dash right over and sign up to run for public office?