Ron Paul Says Ghostwriter Penned Racist Letters

Ron Paul has been receiving a lot of heat lately for a few newsletters that were published under his name over two decades ago. But Paul says that the letters, which warned of an impending “race war,” were written by a ghostwriter and do not reflect his views.

In a statement to Reuters, Paul spokesman Jesse Benton writes:

“Dr. Paul did not write that solicitation. It does not reflect his thoughts and is out of step with the message he has espoused for 40 years… There were multiple ghost writers involved and he does not know who penned the particular offensive sections. Ultimately, because the writing appeared under his name and he should have better policed it, Dr. Paul has assumed responsibility, apologized for his lack of oversight, and disavowed the offensive material.”

Paul, who is viewed as a longshot despite leading the polls in Iowa, recently walked out of a CNN interview after repeatedly answering questions about the letters.

Paul said:

“We talked about this twice yesterday. I’ve been saying the same thing for the last 20 years. I didn’t write them. I didn’t read them at the time. I disavow them.”

The letters were written in the late 80s and early 90s and warned of a “coming race war.” The letters also talked about a “federal-homosexual cover-up to play down the impact of AIDS.

The Huffington Post reports that Ron Paul is currently leading the GOP field in Iowa. Paul currently has a 23% approval rating over Mitt Romney, with 20%, and Newt Gingrich, with 13%.

Do you think the racist newsletters will hurt Ron Paul?