October 3, 2014/Press Releases

TOM FOLEY OPENLY LIED TO THE MEDIA DURING AVAILABILITY LAST NIGHT

Hartford, CT — Less than three minutes into last night’s gubernatorial debate, Tom Foley questioned Governor Malloy’s honesty, saying at the 2:42 mark:

“You’re going to hear a lot of figures and numbers from Governor Malloy. I call it ‘Malloy Math’. Some are true, but most aren’t…When the Governor says, ‘let me be perfectly clear’, then you should listen very closely because what he’s about to say probably isn’t either clear or true.”

Taking the first shot and baselessly questioning Governor Malloy’s integrity, Mr. Foley should have tried to live up to his own standard. Except during his nearly eight-minute availability last night, he blatantly lied to the press about his positions, history, and record.

On almost every question, he lied to and deliberately misled reporters as he refused to answer even the most basic questions. The entire availability can be found here.

The veracity of the availability is dissected below.

TOM FOLEY’S ARREST RECORD

  • Tom Foley in 2010: He called the incident “minor” and“at a very low rate of speed”
  • Tom Foley last night on his ramming a car in three different places, five different times, at speeds up to 50 miles per hour: “It’s absolutely untrue.”
  • When asked about the police report, “It doesn’t mean it’s true. The police report was not made by a policeman. It was a complaint written by a citizen. That doesn’t mean it was true.”

FACTS

  • The police report is and was written by an officer in Southampton, NY. Mr. Foley’s comments are factually incorrect.
  • According to that police report written by an officer: “Defendant intentionally struck the victims while they were riding in a 1981 Mercury Sedan … Defendant was operating a 1973 Toyota Jeep … Defendant struck victims several times, once at [an intersection], once while west-bound on [Montauk] Highway while traveling approx. 50 MPH.and several more times at the parking lot of Suffolk Lighting on Main St.”
  • The driver of the other car who was deliberately hit by Mr. Foley said the ordeal was “no accident” and was “frightening”.

STATE ELECTIONS ENFORCEMENT COMMISSION FINE

  • Tom Foley last night: “It was a settlement. It was not a fine.”
  • When pressed about the almost $16,000 payment, he said “That’s not a fine.”

FACTS

  • SEEC calls it a “civil penalty”
  • Danbury Mayor Mark Boughtonsaid: “a fine is a fine is a fine.”
  • John McKinneysaid: “This violation of state elections laws as referenced in the stipulated agreement is a serious matter.”

TOM FOLEY’S RECORD AT BIBB

Tom Foley last night on his record at the Bibb Co.: “Well, in the Governor’s ads, he said I closed the Bibb Company, or that the Bibb Company failed while I owned it. That’s absolutely not true. He said I took $20 million, and that’s absolutely not true. Most of what he’s saying about my business record is simply not true. I created 3,000 jobs while I owned the Bibb Company over a period of, let’s see, it was 11 or 12 years.”

FACTS

  • The Hartford Courant found Mr. Foley’s claims — in a “Significantly Misleading” ad — that he created any jobs to be “incorrect”
  • Foley was found to have closed a mill— after previously denying it — and laid off nearly a thousand workers.
  • In April of 1995, Bibb missed a $9 million balloon payment to its bondholders and Foley cut the workforce from 6,000 to 5,500 – all while NTC was given $4 million in annual management fees.
  • In early 1996, Bibb was forced to go into Chapter 11 Bankruptcy to restructure its debt, forcing Foley to exchange 90% of his stock and forcing him out as Chairman and CEO.
  • According to the Associated Press, “Foley said NTC Group did make about $20 million.”

TOM FOLEY’S INCOME TAXES

Refusing to discuss his zero percent rate and how his profits were offset by losses of almost $3,000,000 in 2011, Tom Foley said last night: “You’ve asked me to release my tax returns. I’ve done that.”

FACTS

OUR SMART GUN LAW

  • During the debate, Tom Foley lied to the audience by telling them he would not repeal the gun law.He has said otherwise.
  • When questioned during his availability, he told reporters, “I said I haven’t said I would repeal the gun law.”
  • When questioned further, Tom Foley finally acknowledged that he would repeal the law if it came to him.

FACTS

  • Myriad reports show he said he would sign a repeal.
  • He sought and received the support of the Connecticut Citizens Defense League — which aims to roll back our law — because he promised to sign a repeal to Scott Wilson, the group’s head.
  • He has repeatedly called our gun law an“inconvenience” and said the Governor was“overreaching”.

PLANS FOR THE FUTURE

Tom Foley, who has been caught plagiarizing his urban agenda, said of Governor Malloy: “He has no plan. He’s not talking about his plan for Connecticut, and he’s not talking about his record.”

FACTS

Tom Foley can go to Dan Malloy’s Website to see:

NEGATIVE ATTACK ADS

Tom Foley said last night: “The Governor’s been out there with negative attack ads saying things that are not true for months.”

FACTS

Additional Background:

The Driver Of The Other Car Said He Believed The Collision Was “No Accident,” Said The Episode Was “Frightening.” According to the Hartford Courant, “Documents obtained by The Courant about a 1981 car crash involving Republican gubernatorial hopeful Tom Foley paint a dramatically different picture from the account that he gave during his failed 2010 governor’s campaign when he described the event as an accidental bump at low speed in traffic. […] The driver of the other car — Michael Howe, now of Greenwich — told The Courant in a recent interview that he believed the contact between the vehicles had been ‘no accident,’ and that the episode was ‘frightening.'” [Hartford Courant,10/15/13]

HFN On Bibb: “The Company Missed A Deadline In April To Pay A $9 Million Balloon Interest Payment It Owes Bondholders.”“The appointment of Hammer, formerly the division’s senior vice president of merchandising, came last week and is one of the first signs from Bibb that it is about to make some major changes in its operations. This is obvious when Hammer describes his role. He uses phrases often used by company executives trying to turn a company around, phrases that demonstrate there is a long road Hammer and Bibb, it’s a difficult, but exciting time. He has a job that’s not going to be easy as the company tries to restructure its debt. The company missed a deadline in April to pay a $9 million balloon interest payment it owes bondholders.” [HFN, 5/8/95]

Foley Said NTC Group Made About $20 Million Over 10 Years From Bibb In Management Fees. According to the Associated Press State & Local Wire, “In response to Malloy’s continued attacks focusing on the Bibb Co., Foley said his company, NTC Group, bought the Macon, Ga.-based textile company in 1985 when it was losing money and turned it around. He said the recession of 1990 and increasing competition from overseas hurt the company, which went through a restructuring in 1996 that ended with bondholders owning and controlling Bibb. Foley said he had no role in management or operations after 1996, and Bibb closed its largest fabric mill in Columbus, Ga., in 1998. He said Bibb’s new owner filed for bankruptcy protection in 2001. Foley said NTC Group did make about $20 million over 10 years from Bibb in routine management fees.” [Associated Press State & Local Wire, 10/11/10]

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