U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville, said Monday that he did not personally send a campaign field director to a fundraiser for his opponent last week where that staffer was arrested for allegedly harassing the Democratic candidate and her supporters.
“There is no way that I would ever send anyone to go sit at a bar for multiple hours and become intoxicated with my opponent’s supporters,” Davis said when asked if his campaign sent Levi Lovell, 25, to the event for candidate Betsy Dirksen Londrigan at J.P. Kelly’s Pub in downtown Springfield.
Asked if his campaign might have sent Lovell to attend the event, Davis said, “I did not send anybody there. I don’t believe anybody on my campaign has ever said that they sent Levi to that event, and I certainly don’t condone the behavior. … I think it’s wrong, and frankly, there probably would have been disciplinary actions without the video that was in question.”
Sitting congresscritters don’t usually have direct control of their campaign trackers, so I’d be shocked if Davis personally sent that guy to Londrigan’s event. And I’d be even more shocked if the candidate ordered a tracker to get drunk and harass his opponent’s supporters. That sort of stuff just doesn’t happen.
But, notice this line, which was uttered after Bernie tried multiple times to get Davis to say if his campaign sent the guy: “I don’t believe anybody on my campaign has ever said that they sent Levi to that event.”
Right, they never said they sent him because Davis’ campaign refuses to answer questions about who dispatched the tracker.
* And now, this…
NEW: From the Springfield Police Report: Former @RodneyDavis field director Levi Lovell told police he was acting on behalf of the campaign in an act of "dirty politics" where he tries to catch her on camera saying something embarrassing. pic.twitter.com/vZxS3eIpiW
Oops, I have to go delete a Tweet reply to Maxwell where I gave Davis the benefit of a doubt. This Davis dance clearly demonstrates to my satisfaction that the campaign did indeed send Lovell to the event. Obviously, they didn’t expect Lovell to get ….faced and get arrested.
If Londrigan isn’t using this to raise money her entire staff should be fired. This had the potential to go viral with a minimum amount of effort. It should have been on Daily Kos by now with a urgent request for donations to “help Betsy stand up to the thugs.”
Hello? Is anyone home at the DCCC? Davis gift wrapped this one for you. What are you waiting for?
Bernie notes him as “a field director” - that’s a fancy title for a guy that seems to have been a tracker. Do we have clarification about whether Lovell was in a position to send himself?
Either way - woof. Getting drunk at an opponent’s event and getting hauled out by the cops…. well done, lad.
Totally sent him, probably not Rodney grabbing Levi and saying go get it but his campaign for sure sent him.
It’s really a yes or no answer. The fact he’s bouncing all over the place on it is the tell.
===But, notice this line, which was uttered after Bernie tried multiple times to get Davis to say if his campaign sent the guy: “I don’t believe anybody on my campaign has ever said that they sent Levi to that event.”
Right, they never said they sent him because Davis’ campaign refuses to answer questions about who dispatched the tracker.===
This is why this won’t end or be the end of this.
The reconciling of these two thoughts that can’t be is where the end of this saga resides.
I’d like to give Davis the benefit of the doubt but surely he can give a better answer, preferably an outright “No”. I’d be amazed if anyone from the campaign was dumb enough to actually direct him to go to this event. Tracking is done, but is usually limited to public events - not private fundraisers. I have to assume when Lovell says he was “acting on behalf of the campaign”, he was doing it under his own (inebriated) initiative.
Since Davis is keeping this alive with his weasel words, the next question should be if his staff knew Lovell was driving around Springfield drunk as a skunk on a fair day doing campaign work.
The Davis crew should have put this story to rest days ago. All equivocations just keep it alive.
- Da Big Bad Wolf - Tuesday, Aug 21, 18 @ 10:28 am:
“Control: You did all you could, Percy. Well a man should know when to leave the party.”
@VanillaMan, come on. Why would Levi lie? Him being sent to videotape his boss’ rival in no way excuses his behavior, so this doesn’t help him at all. A much better excuse, if you are that desperate to defend Davis, is that Levi was apparently still very drunk while he was giving this interview, and so his statement should be viewed a little skeptically.
I’m almost certain the campaign sent Levi there to do something, even if that was to wait for an opportunity to take embarrassing pictures/video. Until and unless Davis says “No one from the campaign told him to be there, and no one knew he was going to be there” I’m going to keep believing this.
Say whatever you want about Minions and DPI,
but had one of them done something this stupid they’d have been gone so fast … after Cullen or Morrisey had kicked their rear ends into Lake Michigan.
No one counted on him drinking himself to embarrassment, and then continuing to fulfill the tracking, being in no condition to do much of anything, including tracking or making good decisions while tracking.
“Trackers are sent to events daily. It’s not everyday that a tracker gets him/herself in an intoxicated state and does tracking and makes poor decisions. Personal responsibly while doing anything for a campaign is as important as anything the campaign itself chooses to do. No campaign wants intoxicated people representing them, personal accountability of ones actions while intoxicated, even by campaign workers, is not the sole responsibility of any campaign.”
This “field director” has been at several of Betsy’s events; he was not a new face. And the Washington Post picked it up, so it’s definitely getting national play. Oh, and Daily Kos…
Thanks for the tip PC. I’d do it differently. In this case it appears the audio, video, editing and transcribing weren’t that necessary. Just the raw rudeness and idiocy.
And Sling,
Agreed. He should have been able to easily answer a simple question.
Not only did they send him, but did they ever see him imbibe at any staff events? Were they comfortable having him drive a vehicle on official campaign business? In a campaign vehicle, or was he reimbursed for his mileage? Does their campaign insurance cover these risks? What training to they provide their staff on mixing alcohol and campaign work?
This whole story is just so delicious. Rodney’s campaign staff clearly never bought in to his ‘civility’ platitudes. Bernie really corners him well. Wish more media would follow his lead.
No way Congressman Davis or his team is behind such actions. It is not logical for any candidate to send someone to do this. I have wonder about those who filmed it rather than protecting the Londrigans. It seems like stopping the aggressive behavior rather than filming would have been a better move. Unless there was not a real threat. Good job to the person who finally did bounce the staffer out. That was just bad on his part, all around. It is good that those attending the event and that the staff at JP Kelly’s are all unharmed.
==I have wonder about those who filmed it rather than protecting the Londrigans.==
There were a ton of people there. One guy can be the muscle while another holds the camera- which also protects the family, so that the guy can’t turn around later and claim he was the victim.
- anny - Tuesday, Aug 21, 18 @ 10:05 am:
Bad behavior should not be part of campaigns.
- Da Big Bad Wolf - Tuesday, Aug 21, 18 @ 10:10 am:
==An alcoholic beverage eminated from his person.==
Ya gotta love police reports.
- Norseman - Tuesday, Aug 21, 18 @ 10:10 am:
Oops, I have to go delete a Tweet reply to Maxwell where I gave Davis the benefit of a doubt. This Davis dance clearly demonstrates to my satisfaction that the campaign did indeed send Lovell to the event. Obviously, they didn’t expect Lovell to get ….faced and get arrested.
- 47th Ward - Tuesday, Aug 21, 18 @ 10:14 am:
If Londrigan isn’t using this to raise money her entire staff should be fired. This had the potential to go viral with a minimum amount of effort. It should have been on Daily Kos by now with a urgent request for donations to “help Betsy stand up to the thugs.”
Hello? Is anyone home at the DCCC? Davis gift wrapped this one for you. What are you waiting for?
- wordslinger - Tuesday, Aug 21, 18 @ 10:14 am:
Weasel words are not a good look on camera.
Every campaign sends trackers. Just cop to that yours made a terrible mistake of sending one who was drunk off his tukkus.
Get it all out at once. That’s how you end negative stories. Damage Control 101.
Now, through your own actions, you’ve bought at least another day in the news cycle, with a repeat of the tavern video on the TV news.
- zatoichi - Tuesday, Aug 21, 18 @ 10:15 am:
So Levi just happened to drive by J.P.Kelly’s and decided to stop for a couple of cold ones, totally by chance. Or he was on a mission. OK.
- VanillaMan - Tuesday, Aug 21, 18 @ 10:16 am:
I don’t believe men who get drunk, torment others, bully, insult or berate.
Why should anyone except desperate congressional challengers?
We know Davis. We now know Lovell. By their actions. Lovell’s actions disqualify him as a truthful person.
- VanillaMan - Tuesday, Aug 21, 18 @ 10:19 am:
I don’t believe thugs.
No one should.
Unless you think it would help your candidate.
- lakeside - Tuesday, Aug 21, 18 @ 10:22 am:
Bernie notes him as “a field director” - that’s a fancy title for a guy that seems to have been a tracker. Do we have clarification about whether Lovell was in a position to send himself?
Either way - woof. Getting drunk at an opponent’s event and getting hauled out by the cops…. well done, lad.
- DuPage Bard - Tuesday, Aug 21, 18 @ 10:24 am:
Totally sent him, probably not Rodney grabbing Levi and saying go get it but his campaign for sure sent him.
It’s really a yes or no answer. The fact he’s bouncing all over the place on it is the tell.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Aug 21, 18 @ 10:25 am:
===But, notice this line, which was uttered after Bernie tried multiple times to get Davis to say if his campaign sent the guy: “I don’t believe anybody on my campaign has ever said that they sent Levi to that event.”
Right, they never said they sent him because Davis’ campaign refuses to answer questions about who dispatched the tracker.===
This is why this won’t end or be the end of this.
The reconciling of these two thoughts that can’t be is where the end of this saga resides.
Until then, it will continue.
- Macbeth - Tuesday, Aug 21, 18 @ 10:26 am:
—
Bad behavior should not be part of campaigns.
—
LOL
- Lester Holt’s Mustache - Tuesday, Aug 21, 18 @ 10:27 am:
I’d like to give Davis the benefit of the doubt but surely he can give a better answer, preferably an outright “No”. I’d be amazed if anyone from the campaign was dumb enough to actually direct him to go to this event. Tracking is done, but is usually limited to public events - not private fundraisers. I have to assume when Lovell says he was “acting on behalf of the campaign”, he was doing it under his own (inebriated) initiative.
- Anon221 - Tuesday, Aug 21, 18 @ 10:28 am:
Davis is acting like this is something out of Mission Impossible;)
https://tinyurl.com/y8e2y6sg
- wordslinger - Tuesday, Aug 21, 18 @ 10:28 am:
Since Davis is keeping this alive with his weasel words, the next question should be if his staff knew Lovell was driving around Springfield drunk as a skunk on a fair day doing campaign work.
The Davis crew should have put this story to rest days ago. All equivocations just keep it alive.
- Da Big Bad Wolf - Tuesday, Aug 21, 18 @ 10:28 am:
“Control: You did all you could, Percy. Well a man should know when to leave the party.”
Tinker Tailer Soldier Spy, John le Carre
- @misterjayem - Tuesday, Aug 21, 18 @ 10:29 am:
“There is no way that I would ever send anyone to go sit at a bar for multiple hours and become intoxicated with my opponent’s supporters.”
Guess I won’t be sending my résumé to the Davis campaign.
– MrJM
- wordslinger - Tuesday, Aug 21, 18 @ 10:37 am:
VMan, what exactly don’t you believe in Lovell’s statement to police?
- Perrid - Tuesday, Aug 21, 18 @ 10:40 am:
@VanillaMan, come on. Why would Levi lie? Him being sent to videotape his boss’ rival in no way excuses his behavior, so this doesn’t help him at all. A much better excuse, if you are that desperate to defend Davis, is that Levi was apparently still very drunk while he was giving this interview, and so his statement should be viewed a little skeptically.
I’m almost certain the campaign sent Levi there to do something, even if that was to wait for an opportunity to take embarrassing pictures/video. Until and unless Davis says “No one from the campaign told him to be there, and no one knew he was going to be there” I’m going to keep believing this.
- Low level - Tuesday, Aug 21, 18 @ 10:42 am:
Lets make a comparison:
Say whatever you want about Minions and DPI,
but had one of them done something this stupid they’d have been gone so fast … after Cullen or Morrisey had kicked their rear ends into Lake Michigan.
- Excessively Rabid - Tuesday, Aug 21, 18 @ 10:43 am:
Was he a field director or the field director? How many field directors does the Davis campaign have?
- A guy - Tuesday, Aug 21, 18 @ 10:43 am:
If you were going to send someone, wouldn’t you send someone unrecognizable to do this? Someone no one knows who could act like they belong there?
That kid’s a chump.
- @misterjayem - Tuesday, Aug 21, 18 @ 10:44 am:
“I don’t believe thugs.”
A reminder to always stop while your ahead.
– MrJM
- wordslinger - Tuesday, Aug 21, 18 @ 10:55 am:
–If you were going to send someone, wouldn’t you send someone unrecognizable to do this? –
Then, over these many days, it would be quite easy for the campaign to say that they didn’t send him.
But the Davis campaign refuses to say that, when asked.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Aug 21, 18 @ 10:58 am:
It could be this.
I dunno if it is. I have no idea if it could be.
“Someone” sent him over to the event.
They told him that at 10am, or Noon, or whatever.
No one counted on him drinking himself to embarrassment, and then continuing to fulfill the tracking, being in no condition to do much of anything, including tracking or making good decisions while tracking.
“Trackers are sent to events daily. It’s not everyday that a tracker gets him/herself in an intoxicated state and does tracking and makes poor decisions. Personal responsibly while doing anything for a campaign is as important as anything the campaign itself chooses to do. No campaign wants intoxicated people representing them, personal accountability of ones actions while intoxicated, even by campaign workers, is not the sole responsibility of any campaign.”
I guess you could try that(?)
- Precinct Captain - Tuesday, Aug 21, 18 @ 11:35 am:
What else did we expect to happen by electing a slow witted corrupt Georgia Ryan clout list political hack to congress?
- Nick Name - Tuesday, Aug 21, 18 @ 11:38 am:
=== It should have been on Daily Kos by now with a urgent request for donations to “help Betsy stand up to the thugs.”===
47th, Daily Kos has done its duty:
https://tinyurl.com/y8ldbkzg
Read the whole story.
- FIREDup! - Tuesday, Aug 21, 18 @ 11:40 am:
This “field director” has been at several of Betsy’s events; he was not a new face. And the Washington Post picked it up, so it’s definitely getting national play. Oh, and Daily Kos…
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/08/18/1789238/-Congressman-Rodney-Davis
- lollinois - Tuesday, Aug 21, 18 @ 11:55 am:
Rodney “Civility” Davis would rather you not closely examine the things he does or votes for, just listen to his words and take them at face value.
- Precinct Captain - Tuesday, Aug 21, 18 @ 12:27 pm:
- A guy - Tuesday, Aug 21, 18 @ 10:43 am:
You send the same people because it’s their job, they know how to get audio and video, doing the editing, transcribing, etc.
- A guy - Tuesday, Aug 21, 18 @ 12:34 pm:
Thanks for the tip PC. I’d do it differently. In this case it appears the audio, video, editing and transcribing weren’t that necessary. Just the raw rudeness and idiocy.
And Sling,
Agreed. He should have been able to easily answer a simple question.
- Contract Disputin' - Tuesday, Aug 21, 18 @ 12:38 pm:
Not only did they send him, but did they ever see him imbibe at any staff events? Were they comfortable having him drive a vehicle on official campaign business? In a campaign vehicle, or was he reimbursed for his mileage? Does their campaign insurance cover these risks? What training to they provide their staff on mixing alcohol and campaign work?
- low level - Tuesday, Aug 21, 18 @ 2:06 pm:
Davis dont send nobody nobody sent…
- JoanP - Tuesday, Aug 21, 18 @ 2:19 pm:
“He freely stated a similar incident has happened to him in Champaign IL in the past.”
I have to wonder if the Davis campaign knew about that. If not, why not? If they did, why hire a loose cannon?
- Can - Tuesday, Aug 21, 18 @ 2:33 pm:
==We know Davis.==
Anyone snookered by his aw shucks civility facade can now see Rodney for the snake oil salesmen that he is.
- Anon312 - Tuesday, Aug 21, 18 @ 2:51 pm:
This whole story is just so delicious. Rodney’s campaign staff clearly never bought in to his ‘civility’ platitudes. Bernie really corners him well. Wish more media would follow his lead.
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Aug 21, 18 @ 4:14 pm:
No way Congressman Davis or his team is behind such actions. It is not logical for any candidate to send someone to do this. I have wonder about those who filmed it rather than protecting the Londrigans. It seems like stopping the aggressive behavior rather than filming would have been a better move. Unless there was not a real threat. Good job to the person who finally did bounce the staffer out. That was just bad on his part, all around. It is good that those attending the event and that the staff at JP Kelly’s are all unharmed.
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, Aug 21, 18 @ 4:17 pm:
===No way Congressman Davis or his team is behind such actions===
No way they told him to get drunk and disorderly. However, I seriously doubt he went there on his own direction.
You’re conflating two things to make a point, which makes your argument look highly suspicious.
- Arthur Andersen - Tuesday, Aug 21, 18 @ 4:53 pm:
Anon 4:14, your concern for the attendees of the fundraiser is well, special. Bless your heart.
Rodney and Co. better stop fudging the truth here or Maxwell ain’t gonna let go.
- Arsenal - Tuesday, Aug 21, 18 @ 6:14 pm:
==I have wonder about those who filmed it rather than protecting the Londrigans.==
There were a ton of people there. One guy can be the muscle while another holds the camera- which also protects the family, so that the guy can’t turn around later and claim he was the victim.