Guinta stonewall strategy: Agree to wrongdoing, apologize, deny responsibility

Last night, the state Republican Party’s Executive Committee met to discuss Congressman Frank Guinta’s fate following his acknowledgment that he funded his 2010 campaign with an illegal $355,00 loan from his parents. The committee declined to join the bandwagon calling for Guinta’s resignation “unless further information comes to light.”

“The Congressman has acknowledged he made mistakes, takes responsibility for them and is taking all actions required by the Federal Election Commission,” their statement read. “Congressman Guinta is accountable to his constituents in the First District and has assured us he will continue to be available to answer their questions.”

We got a preview of how Guinta might answer those constituent questions yesterday from CQ Roll Call’s Matt Fuller, who nabbed the embattled congressman as he made his way from his Cannon office to the House floor. Fuller asked Guinta why he has apologized if he insists he did nothing wrong:

“My statement will speak for itself,” Guinta said, offering a variation of that line 15 times.

Repeatedly pressed that the statement doesn’t speak for itself — once again, it’s unclear what Guinta is apologizing for — Guinta continued to point to his earlier comment.

The closest thing CQ Roll Call got to an answer was when we asked if it was a lie that the money loaned to his campaign was his.

“Well if you look at the statement, that’s not accurate,” he said, meaning he stands by his declaration that, contrary to the FEC’s finding, the money he loaned his campaign was his.

So, again, what exactly is Guinta apologizing for?

He referred us to his statement.