TALE OF THE TAPE: Alex Reed was not misquoted.

  • TALE OF THE TAPE: Alex Reed was not misquoted.

I wrote this morning about the El Dorado newspaper’s account of a speech by Alex Reed, an aide to Secretary of State Mark Martin, who told a Republican group in Union County that county clerks were allowing illegal immigrants to register to vote. Thus, he said, it was important to elect Republicans as clerks.

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I asked Reed about the remarks, particularly the serious charge he made about official misfeasance. He indirectly disputed making the remarks. He didn’t respond when I asked directly if he’d been misquoted. But an attendee at the Association of Arkansas Counties convention told me this morning that Martin and Reed were maintaining to offended county clerks (Martin was present at the meeting and told the assembly there what Reed had told him) that Reed had been misquoted, though they wouldn’t issue a statement repudiating the remarks. Reed has not responded to further questions from me.

Let’s clear this much up. Alex Reed was NOT misquoted.

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The reporter, Allison Gatlin, has posted a copy of a recording of Reed’s remarks on the El Dorado News-Times’ blog. (Note: The relevant part begins about the 22-minute mark.)

Note that he touts the great job Mark Martin is doing, “especially for Republicans.” Note how he views illegal voting and immigrants strictly through a Latino lens. Telling.

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Back to you, Mr. Reed. Were you misquoted? Did you misquote yourself? If not, where’s your proof clerks aren’t doing their jobs in voter registration? Care to apologize to Ms. Gatlin for telling your boss and others that she’d misquoted you, as they’ve reported?