Political Hotsheet
By

Brian Montopoli /

CBS News/ October 7, 2010, 2:42 PM

Lou Dobbs: I Never Hired Illegal Immigrants

Lou Dobbs.

/ CBS

Former CNN talk show host Lou Dobbs, who is known for his hard line on illegal immigration, today denied that he has ever hired illegal immigrants.

"I have never, nor has The Dobbs Group at any time, hired an illegal immigrant," Dobbs said on his radio show this afternoon.

Dobbs was responding to a story in the Nation magazine alleging that he "has relied for years on undocumented labor for the upkeep of his multimillion-dollar estates and the horses he keeps for his 22-year-old daughter."

The story in the liberal magazine alleges that at least five undocumented immigrants worked in Dobbs' gardens and in stables where his family's horses were cared for.

Dobbs, who called the story a "fairly typical hit piece, a smear piece," interviewed the reporter behind the story, Isabel Macdonald, on the radio show. He repeatedly asked Macdonald if he or his company had ever hired illegal immigrants.

Macdonald eventually allowed that Dobbs and his company had not - but she said that his contractors had done so. She pressed Dobbs on why he had not checked the status of the workers.

Dobbs, who was calm throughout the interview, responded that he does not have the standing to check the status of anyone - and said Macdonald sounded like a "nativist" for asking him to do so. He insisted that he wanted to have a friendly conversation with Macdonald despite her "outrageous claims," and said she was trying to "deflect and avoid" his questions.

The two discussed the details of the article, and Macdonald indicated that she believed Dobbs was trying to distract from the main point of the piece, which is titled "Lou Dobbs, American Hypocrite" - that Dobbs employed (albeit indirectly) illegal immigrants even as he railed against them publicly.

"You have actually contradicted not one single claim that was made in that article," Macdonald said, adding: "Your listeners deserve to know the truth."

Dobbs said in an interview with the Associated Press before the show that the article is "a political assault" based on a lie. He accused Macdonald during the interview of putting out a story that has been "used by the left wing press as a hammer on me."

"I was gonna take the day off, but sometimes circumstances overwhelm those plans, and this is one of those days," he said as the show began.


Brian Montopoli is a political reporter for CBSNews.com. You can read more of his posts here. Follow Hotsheet on Facebook and Twitter.
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95 Comments Add a Comment
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DassenProf says:
It is getting very tiring and annoying that liberals who call themselves journalists (instead of the editorialists they have become)continue to try to fabricate stories based upon half truths and/or lies. McDonald knows full well that Dobbs was placed in a position by a vendor that he personally strived to avoid. In her interview McDonald also indicated Dobbs should have been more forceful in his vetting of his sub-contracted workforce -- which, as he told McDonald, to satisfy her would mean Dobbs would have to practice racial profiling. Does that mean McDonald is a racist? maybe if she thinks all hsipanic wroklers need to be vetted before you let them work.
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dodger4754 says:
No, that's not logical at all because he didn't hire ANY illegals. The COMPANY he contracted with (my fictional "lawn service") hired them. If I purchase McDonald's meal from a franchisee who has illegals working at that store, am I guilty of anything? I think not. The customer (me at McDonalds & the lawn service, Dobbs in the case under discussion)has no obligation; the actual employer of the illegals themselves does.
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swiffers says:
Dobbs is in a place where he has influence; Many, many people watch or listen this guy. Dobbs or aany other high profile person can influence and elicit behaviors from some pretty scary people. If he makes a statement that causes an unstable person to commit an act of violence to others,should he be held responsible? Or should he say, oh well, its not my problem the guy was unstable. Too bad he harmed or killed others. What does this have to do with illegal immigration? Bottom line we are responsible for our actions, left right center or otherwise. Being high profile-everyone knows exposes you to more scrutiny. Ask all the outed politicians of any party. It may not be right but its true.
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dagohshon says:
I am amazed at the illiteracy of many of the posters, especially those who criticize Lou Dobbs. He succinctly stated why he did not find out. he lacked standing. Lacking standing is a legal term for lacking the level of involvement to be able to take the required action. Or that his involvement with the lawn contractors was sufficient for him to ask the question. If Mr. Dobbs had sued the contractor for the information, that he lacked standing would be the reason the judge would dismiss the case. If you still don't understand, Google the phrase.
I would also suggest this is a "Catch 22." Had Mr. Dobbs inquired about the immigrant status, the left would have called him a racist (a charge used by many liberals against conservatives).
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rockcutr says:
When in the spotlight
When you make outragous statements
you subject yourself to nit picking of opponents.
In this case they are apparantly correct.
Sadly dobber performed poorly as would be expected for an aloof arrogant mouthpiece.
When one runs to defend ones self as the great and mighty dobber did in this article, it leads to Shakespear, "Methinks thou dost protest too much."
Hence admission of guilt.
Hang him...."Judge Roy Bean" the law west of the Pecos.
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dodger4754 says:
So, if I hire a lawn service to cut my grass and it turns out they have some illegal immigrants working for them, it's MY fault? Gimme a friggin' break!
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incog-nito replies:
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No it's not your fault. But according to Lou Dobbs it would be your fault. He wants owners of companies that hire illegals either directly or indirectly to be held accountable, even if they're unaware of it. So logically he should be held accountable.
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dodger4754 says:
So, if I hire a lawn service to cut my grass and it turns out they have some illegal immigrants working for them, it's MY fault? Gimme a friggin' break!
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feralgrognard says:
I am mystified. We hear, it seems, the media brag that 1 in 5 Californian's admit they knowingly hire illegal?s, oops, undocumented O-crats.

Similarly, O-cratic operatives purposefully out, for future jail time and deportation, a young mother who, to the advantage of the operative, not the young mother, admits she is here illegally and has committed fraud to get the job she was paid over $23/Hr to work for 9 years.

In Self-service, laying her out as willfully committing fraud and breaking US laws. For what purpose or advantage, one would ask, surely not hers!

Now it seems a East coast version of outing dozens of illegal?s, tricked to freely admit, once again, not to their advantage, that they ALL are illegal law breakers.

So which is worst to be an anti-illegal immigration advocate who perhaps is indirectly a hypocrite, or to be directly a pretender of pro illegal immigrant advocacy, willing to out illegal?s, to publicly admit either fraud and or law breaking, or both, putting them clearly in the bulls eye of paying the price alone for the sole benefit of these false advocates.
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Blake4 replies:
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Your incoherence seems to boil down to "my enemy's evil is worse than my evil." Why can't you just say they're both evil?

Also, none of the "East Coast" illegals got outed. The Nation didn't use their real names. Time will tell how Whitman's housekeeper fares. I bet her chances are a lot better now that she's at least got a spotlight and a high-profile voice rather than being just another anonymous schmoe waiting to get picked up by ICE.
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KeithDrippingSprings says:
Lou Dobbs will be revealed as a hypocrite just like the fundamentalist preachers. Fundamentalism creates liars and blowhards like Dobbs. The more noise they make the more sure you can be that they are lying to you. There is little difference between a talk show host and a true believer.
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jgg000101 says:
sorry, but I have a bigger problem with aunt zetuni. At least whitman and dobb's illegals had jobs.
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