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Nicky Diaz comforted by attorney Gloria Allred (KTLA-TV / September 29, 2010) |
LOS ANGELES (KTLA) -- Gubernatorial candidates Meg Whitman and Jerry Brown squared off on the issue of an illegal immigrant housekeeper Whitman employed during a debate in Frenso Saturday.
Whitman said Democrats were using her former housekeeper as a political pawn.
Brown responded that Whitman's handling of the matter shows she's unqualified to be governor.
The attorney for Meg Whitman's former housekeeper released a copy of a 2003 letter notifying the Republican gubernatorial candidate that the employee might be an illegal immigrant.
Attorney Gloria Allred says Nicky Diaz Santillan kept the letter from the Social Security Administration after Whitman's husband partially filled it out and told the housekeeper to deal with it.
At news conference Thursday in Los Angeles, Allred produced a copy of the letter and said that the housekeeper recognized the handwriting as belonging to Whitman's husband.
Whitman said earlier Thursday that she and her husband never got the letter, which noted a discrepancy in Santillan's Social Security number.
Whitman says they fired Santillan last year after she told them she was in the U.S. illegally.
"The Nicky I saw at the press conference three days ago was not the Nicky that I knew for nine years," Whitman said at the debate Saturday.
"And you know what my first clue was? She kept referring to me as Ms. Whitman. For the nine years she worked for me she called me Meg and I called her Nicky.
"You should be ashamed for sacrificing Nicky Diaz on the altar of your political ambitions," Whitman told Brown.
Brown said Whitman still refuses to take responsibility for her actions, and that suggests she's unfit to be governor.
"DonÂ’t run for governor if you canÂ’t stand up on your own two feet and say, 'Hey I made a mistake, IÂ’m sorry, letÂ’s go on from here,'" Brown said.
"You have blamed her, blamed me, blamed the left, blamed the unions but you donÂ’t take accountability. You can't be a leader unless youÂ’re willing to stand on your own two feet and say, yup, I made a mistake and IÂ’m going on from here."
After the exchange, technical issues stalled the debate and both candidates left the stage at Cal State Fresno.
Whitman has fiercely maintained she didn't about her housekeeper's immigration status are "all lies." She has even said she'd be willing to take a lie detector test.
She says the timing of the accusations was methodical, with the election just weeks away.
"This is just classic smear politics," Whitman said, scolding her gubernatorial opponent Jerry Brown and his supporters.
The controversy began on Wednesday when housekeeper, Nicky Diaz Santillan, came forward with attorney Gloria Allred, accusing Whitman of knowingly employing her despite her undocumented status.
Whitman said Democrats were using her former housekeeper as a political pawn.
Brown responded that Whitman's handling of the matter shows she's unqualified to be governor.
The attorney for Meg Whitman's former housekeeper released a copy of a 2003 letter notifying the Republican gubernatorial candidate that the employee might be an illegal immigrant.
Attorney Gloria Allred says Nicky Diaz Santillan kept the letter from the Social Security Administration after Whitman's husband partially filled it out and told the housekeeper to deal with it.
At news conference Thursday in Los Angeles, Allred produced a copy of the letter and said that the housekeeper recognized the handwriting as belonging to Whitman's husband.
Whitman said earlier Thursday that she and her husband never got the letter, which noted a discrepancy in Santillan's Social Security number.
Whitman says they fired Santillan last year after she told them she was in the U.S. illegally.
"The Nicky I saw at the press conference three days ago was not the Nicky that I knew for nine years," Whitman said at the debate Saturday.
"And you know what my first clue was? She kept referring to me as Ms. Whitman. For the nine years she worked for me she called me Meg and I called her Nicky.
"You should be ashamed for sacrificing Nicky Diaz on the altar of your political ambitions," Whitman told Brown.
Brown said Whitman still refuses to take responsibility for her actions, and that suggests she's unfit to be governor.
"DonÂ’t run for governor if you canÂ’t stand up on your own two feet and say, 'Hey I made a mistake, IÂ’m sorry, letÂ’s go on from here,'" Brown said.
"You have blamed her, blamed me, blamed the left, blamed the unions but you donÂ’t take accountability. You can't be a leader unless youÂ’re willing to stand on your own two feet and say, yup, I made a mistake and IÂ’m going on from here."
After the exchange, technical issues stalled the debate and both candidates left the stage at Cal State Fresno.
Whitman has fiercely maintained she didn't about her housekeeper's immigration status are "all lies." She has even said she'd be willing to take a lie detector test.
She says the timing of the accusations was methodical, with the election just weeks away.
"This is just classic smear politics," Whitman said, scolding her gubernatorial opponent Jerry Brown and his supporters.
The controversy began on Wednesday when housekeeper, Nicky Diaz Santillan, came forward with attorney Gloria Allred, accusing Whitman of knowingly employing her despite her undocumented status.
