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California gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman's campaign is responding to accusations that she subjected to "emotional and financial abuse" her former housekeeper, who was working illegally in the country.
Nicky Diaz, who was Whitman's housekeeper from 2000-2009, claimed in a press conference alongside attorney Gloria Allred that Whitman was aware that she was undocumented and that the Republican candidate fired her only after deciding to run for governor. Diaz also said Whitman failed to pay her on time and did not offer her medical leave during her pregnancy.
Allred said that Whitman ignored a 2003 letter from the Social Security Administration notifying her of discrepancies in the Social Security number that Diaz provided.
Whitman, who has poured millions of her own money into the close race against Democrat former Gov. Jerry Brown, flatly said in a statement that “the charges are without merit.”
Whitman's campaign held a conference call with reporters - though not allowing follow-up questions – before the press conference to address the allegations.
On June 20, 2009, the campaign said, Diaz came to Whitman and confessed that she was not a legal resident of the U.S. and filed false documents. She was then fired by Whitman.
“As required by law, once we learned she was an illegal worker, I immediately terminated Nicky's employment,” Whitman said in a written statement.”It was one of the hardest things I've ever done. I considered Nicky a friend and a part of our extended family.”
The campaign also argued that Allred had given Jerry Brown campaigns contributions in 1982 ($1,000) and in 2006 ($150), and said the timing of this complaint -- 34 days until the election -- was curious.
“I believe Nicky is being manipulated by Gloria Allred for political and financial purposes during the last few weeks of a hotly contested election," the statement read.
*** UPDATE *** A CNN/Time/Opinion Research Corporation poll released Wednesday showed Whitman trailing Brown 52 percent to 43 percent.
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Can't you people see what is happening? They drag some housekeeper in to try to derail someones run for office? Gloria Allred is a freak and a prostitute. Tell you what....you can have Jerry Brown, Nancy Pelosi and Babara Boxer. Give them the City of San Francisco. Put a huge fence up so they can keep the people they are concealing via the Sanctuary City they have created and let them run that Sodom and Gomorrah.
WAKE UP CALIFORNIA!!! Forget About The Maid! This Woman WANTS SOMETHING! Something MUCH BIGGER Then Just Being The Governor! She is only out for the Wealthy, just like all Republicans! She is out for herself, The Rich, Big Business and Big Business Tax Breaks! This woman wants something so bad that we are not even seeing, that she is willing to spend all this money to try and get it! As a Registered Independent California Voter I'm not real happy with the choice of Jerry Brown, but I have a gut feeling we will be very sorry and in serious trouble if this woman gets into office!
I'm inclined not to believe a word of the maid's story if for no other reason than her being represented by Gloria Allread. Nicky, get an attorney who isn't a media whore and maybe I'll believe there might be some merit to this case.
Who would you hire in this same situation???? Mohammad Tonto Goldstein????
Really people??? A day after the debate and this comes out. This can't possibly be politically motivated, huh??? Gloria Alred is a farce and media hound who has no proof...at least Whitman has come out with records. Furthermore, if any of you had actually chosen to watch the press conference, the housekeeper even backs up Whitman's story. Brown is completely wrong for CA, and i didn't want to vote for Whitman as well..now she has my vote.
Wayne - That is besides the point. Employers and potential employers are confronted with bogus documents every day and it is everyone's responsibility to obey the law to confirm and verify the documentation before a hire. There are ample free resources that are provided including the SS department itself.
Anyone running for office on a platform that includes enforcing employment laws and being an expert on employment and job creation undermines that persons credibility.
Whitman you are a blasted well liar, just like LePage tells "Obama go to hell." There is no blasted trust in these politicians cause there are full of lies, fraud and greed.
This "Illegal Alien Nicky" was hired through a an employment agency using false documents and a phoney drivers license. Whitman did the right thing in terminating her employment. I can only hope that more Americans do the same thing. Illegal Aliens have Zero rights. Period!!!! Bring back "Operation Wetback"
Gloria Allred should be ashamed of herself
Just curious, I can't find anywhere in the above story that says the housekeeper was hired through an agency. Where do I get that information?
Wrong, an agency referral dose not negate in anyway an employers obligation to verify and confirm eligability.
If the maid was working for more than a year as a "temporary" employee than Whitman is in violation of federal employment law.
There is no excuse. She should just pay the fine and make the best of it.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032553/ns/politics
Here is the Video. She needs some "cheese" to go along with that "wine"
And here
http://totalbuzz.ocregister.com/2010/09/29/whitman-housekeeper-allegations-politics-as-usual/41412/
Thank you, ALLRED, for giving us just one more justifiable and rational reason to get all of these illegal MEXICANS and other aliens out of our COUNTRY! Now, they have the audacity to actually intimidate the very AMERICANS who were gracious enough to even give them a job? That's complete B.S.!
I hope Meg tells Allred and that illegal piece of crap to shove it up their a&$es!
Gracious? Lets start with a sniff of reality, or at least some common sense.
The only reason she was hired is because she was willing to work for less money then the prevailing rate. That is taking jobs away from Americans.
If no one hires them. They don't come here.
Meg is a crook for knowingly employing an illegal and contributing to the very problem she says she wants to stop. (Hypocrisy) Meg broke the law because an illegal is cheaper then a legal. Basically she just wanted to save a few hundred of her billion or so dollars. Obviously she won't go to jail for her crime. Instead her penance will be the bad publicity of exposing her actions to the light of day.
Gloria A. is a sleeze of the nth degree. She has no credibility and is just a money and fame grabbing B---h. She is a disgrace to women and women's rights.
Wow!!!! Those Baggers, Birthers and Buffoons can sure turn a subject away from the criminals they want to elect and make it about the attorney for the maid.
Meg "Ben-Franklin look-alike" Whitman would be bad for California because she has no heart as demonstrated by her actions toward her housekeeper! She doesn't even look human!
As a Californian I am hoping that Jerry Brown wins.
I want you to slowly read to yourself what you just wrote and then tell me what it adds to the debate.
a lot of tree huggin liberals here today . Has everyone forgot about browns previos time in office
Hug a tree! It's good for your soul and will make you happier. And it's not a political action, so even conservatives can do it.
Dan, listening to you and the other left wing nuts on this thread is really funny. None of you especially those that don't even live in California know a damn thing about Jerry Brown except what you have been spoon fed by the left wing nuts. The last time Brown was in office he went from a 6 billion surplus to a deficit of about 1 billion. Then he blames it, as the democrats always do on proposition 13. Most of you don't even know what prop 13 is and what it did. It was the best law ever passed by the voters and it was needed to keep people from being taxed out of their homes. All California ever did before prop 13 was keep raising taxes. Brown fought against prop 13, and like most democrats he never saw a tax he didn't like. I don't see Brown and the left bragging about his picks for the California Supreme Court. Remember the three that the California voters recalled, commonly known as Rosie and the Supremes? California's government is indebted to the labor unions, especially the state employees and regardless who is governor it will never change until the union's are held accountable. Also why don't FR do a article on the fact that the most liberal newspaper in California (San Francisco Chronicle) refused to endorse the liberal Senator, Barbara Box, and said she has done nothing for the State of California, now that is more news worthy than this garbage about Whitman. But again the left stream media will do everything to vilify and bash republican while giving democrats a pass.
So, California passes the prop 13 and ends up with a deficit. When the prop was debated that was presented as the logical result and I don't see how it could be otherwise. Setting up tax systems by proposition is intrinsically a bad idea. The majority will always vote to lower their own taxes, but there is nothing in the proposition on the spending side to offset the revenue loss.
If you want lower taxes, vote in a government that will lower taxes and cut spending at the same time, but don't tie a state legislatures hands by proposition and expect a good result.
When prop 13 was passed it was because the democrats were increasing taxes for all their liberal projects and continued support of government unions with no regard for the tax payers. They had the votes to pass the tax increases so the voters had to step in and put a stop to it. The state government and local governments were told to reduce spending and get the financial house in order, remember California's constitution requires a balanced budget. But the democrats couldn't quit spending and after using all the surplus they started taking from counties and cities and also quit funding state mandates as required. They like the federal government could not learn how to balance a budget nor to live within their means. The fact that California has a requirement for a balanced budget (don't spend more than you take in) there was no need for the proposition to address spending.
Again, I fail to see what Allred's personal lack of credibility or sleaziness has anything to do with whether or not eMeg knowingly harbored an illegal alien. Frankly, I don't even care that eMeg might've mistreated the illegal. I also don't care what "papers" the illegal ailen may or may not have forged and shown to eMeg: either the illegal had a valid SSN or she didn't, and eMeg would have been perfectly aware about what she was legally required to do to validate that information.
The fact is that eMeg has, in her own campaign platform, a clear statement that she wants employers held responsible for hiring illlegals - in other words, for verifying the legal status of their employees. She employed this woman, and nobody is arguing that this woman was in fact illegal at the time of her employment by eMeg. Hence, rank, raging hypocrisy on the part of the candidate.
Secondly, everybody in this state knows that when you hire domestic help, there is a very good chance the help is illegal. So if you don't check (by calling a 1-800 number with your employee's SSN number), you pretty much are telling yourself "I suspect but I don't want to know".. If you do check, and receive a "no-match" letter from the SSA as a result, then you're a liar and a lawbreaker. I fail to see any other possible scenario for eMeg here. It was one or the other, and either way she's a lying hypocrite, unqualified to hold elective office.
It's clear the Allred is politically motivated, but whatever her motivations, it doesn't change the facts: at best eMeg is a hypocrite and at worst she is a criminal. And, frankly, regardless of my own political leanings, I would be a hypocrite if I didn't call her out for this one, given what I have posted here and elsewhere in the past about my own strong views about the illegal alien crisis and employers' culpability in creating that crisis.
Fine Whitman for hiring an illegal alien. Fine Allred for continuing to harbor an illegal alien, and deport Diaz and forbid her to ever return to the U.S. A SS# is a Government document which Diaz knowingly used falsely, which is a felony.
mon glas - I bet we don't agree on most things politically but on this matter we are in total agreement. BTW I'm a Dem.
Okay, NBSleazy, you failed to mention in your article that this housekeeper provided the employment agency with a Social Security card in her name, a drivers license and other documents supposedly proving she was a legal resident. You also failed to mention that Gloria Allred is a flaming liberal and she did the same thing to Arnold Schwarzenegger just before his election to governor by claiming he sexually assaulted some lady which was dropped after the election. Democrats just don't get it, they marginalize, they demonize and gossip about their opponent but we the people are looking for something more. I just think it's pitiful that this article paints such a one sided picture and almost with excitement quotes the latest poll showing Whitman losing.
again, Allred isn't the issue here. Logically speaking, there are only three scenarios that could even possibly exonerate eMeg here:
1. Diaz isn't really illegal. She's really a legal resident who fabricated a story that she's illegal in order to set up eMeg. Nobody is alleging this, as far as I can tell.
2. Diaz never worked for eMeg. Again, nobody is alleging this.
3. eMeg did in fact follow through on her legal obligation to verify her employee's SSN and SSN confirmed the validity of the SSN Diaz provided (indicating much darker, spookier things at work here, or suggesting identity theft). This remains to be shown, but I have to say that it's pretty remote.. and if it was even remotely true, then eMeg would have already said so.
If politics were logical, nothing else should work here to save Whitman, irrespective of Allred and Diaz's motivations. It simply doesn't matter what documents the illegal may or may not have forged or whether or not Allred is a Dem. Really, it doesn't. eMeg states in her platform (correctly, to my mind) that it is the employer's responsibility to verify the legal status of her employee. Thus, unless one of the above three conditions holds, she is culpable.
Buh bye Meg. No sale.
steavo - The false documentation is no excuse and will not absolve Meg from paying the fine for her failure to obey the law. It is the employers responsibility to verify and confirm documentation. The fake documentation line is the exact same one that all illegal employers use.
The difference between those scoff laws and Meg. They are not running for governor as a business expert.
My, My Meg - First we had the lawsuit concerning Meggy pushing an employee - (a female) which was settled for some money! We know that Meg has plenty of that! Her time at Goldman Sachs really helped her to acquire many millions - insider trading maybe????
Now, we have her abusing a housekeeper, who she knew was illegal!
Also, we know that she did not care to vote for many years because she was too important!
Now she wants to "buy" the governorship! No way Meggy!
Go home, clean your own house, and take care of your own children! You've had your "career."
In California, it's common practice for very wealthy not to register to vote so they won't get called for Jury duty.
I guess Meg only wants to serve the public if it benefits her personally.
And why is that illegal alien criminal still in the United States? She is here illegally and yet she has the gall to complain about her former employer? How disgusting. Almost as disgusting as the ambulance chaser Gloria Allred.
So hear we have a story of a very rich woman running for public office who broke the law, and a very poor one who broke the law and only wants a job, and you choose to accuse only the poor one. How typically republican.
How do you know she broke the law? Don't be a fool. Go with the facts. No proof Whitman knew. Yet we know the illegal alien is a criminal.
Continued implicit approval of illegal immigration is a very thin cover for governmnet and industry sanctioned slavery.
Meg was just doing what the 'system' allows: get some cheap labor to enrich yourself and/or your company.
So what about the "law". Laws are for hardworking honest people, suckers.
This is certainly not the first time this has happened, and it won't be the last. It happens about 15 million times every day across this two-tiered country. The "haves" keep winning, because the "have-nots" have no rights, no voice, no standing, not that they necessarily should. They don't belong here. We need to clean up this mess starting at the border.
You CAN'T continue to employ someone and NOT KNOW they are illegal.
If you claim that you didn't know, you are a liar as well as a crook.
The Social Security Admin. will continue to notify if you are reporting wages for an invalid number. I am a factory Manager with 25 years experience. I know how the system works.
What makes this such extreme hypocrisy, is that people who employ illegals like Meg are the very root of the problem. Forget all the hype about border security. If no one hires them, they don't come here.
If states like Arizona don't want illegals, the should enforce THEIR own law that requires employers to use eVerify to determine legal status before hire. Right now only about 5% of Arizona businesses are in compliance with that Arizona law. But I guess going after the businesses might be bad for campaign contributions. It's much easier to blame the fed.
exactly, JW. There is simply no way that eMeg complied with her legal obligations under the law here - legal obligations she herself stressed (for the rest of us) in her own campaign platform.
I second that! I have been in Human Recourse's for 18 years and what you posted is 100% correct.
Opps
Did all these republicans graduate from the Slingback Sarah Palin school of political self defense? TAKE THE QUESTIONS. Answer the QUESTIONS. The sad part is, the lame voters will buy into this and vote for them. Then in 4 years they'll be belly aching and complaining. Again.
Well, why didn't she just do like all the other farmers and just have her come up with a new social security number? Goodness, the woman has billions to her name and she could easily have fixed the papers of her "extended" family member.
WHERES the "emotional and financial abuse" ?-- SHES ILLEGAL-- and Committed Perjury in falsely applying and accepting the JOB! --Call ICE and Throw her and ALL her Illegal friends out of the country NOW! -- ThankGod, the Dummy fessed up --Pity her friends don't! --AS for her so called rights --What rights shes Illegally here -- Please Go Home --Thank you for your illegal services and Good Bye!
PS --Bye the way --Please Note that Employment is "AT WILL" even for Legal Workers!
Uh...perjury? If she was in court.
I don't like people who try to buy their way into power, it scares me about what they will do after they get in. "Hey, I bought it, I can do what I want with it, right?" I keep all the political ads I get in the mail, and unless I have a definite opinion on someone or something already, the one with the biggest pile is voted against!
How about labor unions and special interest groups buying elections by spending millions of dollars to get someone that will support their causes elected? At least Meg is spending her own money, and is not indebted to anyone. I am more scared of unions spending big for democrats, remember they supported Grey Davis during the recall, than I am by one individual spending their own money. I didn't like Arnold, but at least he cut the state budget by using the furloughing of union workers, and beat them in the courts.
Lets see...
We fired a Democrat Davis....because a crooked company who ended up overchaarging California nearly 9.2 billion dollars... Now Enron is Gone and Davis
Now we have 34 billion dollars of debt....And we have a Republican running things...Hmmmm!
Interesting.... LOL LOL LOL!!!
Has everybody missed that the Social Security Administration informed her in 2003 that there were discrepencies? So, obviously she knew a long time ago. She's just another rethugliecon.
No I did not. Were did you see or hear this?
Here you GO David,
Allred said that Whitman ignored a 2003 letter from the Social Security Administration notifying her of discrepancies in the Social Security number that Diaz provided.
I guess you could not read this...Ha ha ha ha ha ha
You got me Ron. I missed this part of the article. Duh!
I hope when ms Whitman loses Karen in CA doesn't move to my state.
Who is the maid working for now, or since she was terminated? Gloria Aldred to me is like Al Sharpton-their involvement automatically discredits their clients.
relly - I do not disagree with you. In fact I will take it one step further by stating that forging or providing fake documents discredits her even more. Indeed there is clearly a money motivated agenda.
However Meg still broke the same laws that as governor she will be sworn to uphold. A history of dubious and imperious behavior is increasingly coming to light the more we hear about Meg.