Meet ‘Lyin’ Clyde’ Shavers, the Democrat ‘George Santos’ By Victoria Taft
Americans are shocked, shocked that there are liars in politics. The most gobsmacked of all are politicians – especially Democrats – who can’t believe that the likes of that evil Republican, George Santos, a gay-ish, Jew-ish, Catholic, non-college graduate was elected to a Long Island, N.Y., congressional seat after lying about his resume. Strangely, Democrats have been nothing but ebullient about the successful campaign of a newly elected Washington State legislator known locally as Lyin’ Clyde Shavers.
‘Lyin’ Clyde’s story is one for the books. Clyde wants to be your president someday and he’s willing to go the Joe Biden route to do it. If Joe Biden can be president after co-opting the life story of a UK politician; lying about law school and how many degrees he has; lying about being right about any foreign policy opinion he’s ever had (see Afghanistan); lying about being Jewish, Puerto Rican, Italian, a truck driver, sexually assaulting a staffer, jobs numbers, infrastructure, his role as The Big Guy, Chinese and Ukraine payoffs, and his dad, Corn Pop, all while swearing he’s telling the truth “on his word as a Biden,” then so can Lyin’ Clyde.
Clyde has a magnificent start.
The newly elected state legislator who just took his seat this week was outed as a liar by his own father, who, during the campaign, wrote an extraordinary letter to The Lynwood Times, a local newspaper.
His Dad says Lyin’ Clyde lied about his family background, claimed to be a submariner with the U.S. Navy when he never served on a sub; parachuted into the district, and moved into a bed and breakfast to qualify as a “resident”; claimed to be a working attorney when he hasn’t passed the Washington State bar; made up inspirational quotes his father never said; and claimed to be homeless at a point in his life.
In his letter, Brett Shavers laid bare what he called his son’s lies about his U.S. Navy service while running for office in a district that contains the Whidbey Island Naval Air Station.
Clyde was never a submarine officer, not even for a day. Prior to Clyde’s announcement to run for office, he had asked me how to explain his failure of the submarine officer pipeline training. I stressed to Clyde that he must be truthful and simply state that he went through the many weeks of training. Yet, as seen in campaign materials, Clyde chose instead to claim that he was a submarine officer.
Clyde has only disdain for the military. I have seen Clyde’s use of veteran status used heavily as a seal of endorsement of honor and integrity, even as he or his campaign continually use the phrase “son of a Marine” for his credibility. There are no words that I have that could come close to overemphasize Clyde’s negative view of the military, his disdain of enlisted service members, and his revulsion to wear the uniform. This is from conversations that I have had with my son, when trying to convey the honor and privilege of being able to wear such a uniform fell flat on his ears. … I obviously credit his service, but not the abuse of it.
Clyde’s ties to Whidbey Island, or even to any county in Washington outside of King County are zero.
There’s more.
I have read online that Clyde claims to have endured long term homelessness. I do not know where that time would have been, nor has he spoken to us about it. He entered the military from home, went straight to Yale School afterward, living in apartments in Connecticut and California during that time. He then moved into his current Bed and Breakfast. There is no room for any homelessness in his timeline, let alone long-term homelessness.
He said he came from a farming family, but Brett Shavers doesn’t know where that came from.
I have heard that Clyde stated that he comes from a farming family. This is untrue unless a garden in the backyard is considered farming in the context of his statement…
Regarding his bar exam failure or failures, I know that he failed the bar exam per his own words on a Facebook post and know nothing more than that.
…Clyde’s use of his family’s history and values as a foundation for his credibility and values has gone farther than I can accept. He has abused it, embellished it, and at times, misled people about it. His personal political views are partisan and without compromise…
This is the most difficult letter I have ever had the misfortune to write, because it is about my son, my wife’s son, and my daughter’s brother. We have nothing if we have no integrity. We have nothing if we have no honor. We only have the truth to guide us. As Clyde’s parents, it is our duty to impress the importance of these values upon him, even at our personal risk of being attacked, defamed, or discredited. Our love for our children does not wane, but our values will not be compromised either.
The retired Marine’s son responded with a statement of his own, saying the “letter is inaccurate and, personally, very painful to me as his son. To be clear, this letter is all about politics.” And then he tried to draw blood on Dad by saying, “while I haven’t spoken to my father for some time, I know that he was at the Capitol on January 6th.”
He meant that as a smear, but Brett Shavers told KIRO Newsradio he was at the Capitol on January 6 to watch Donald Trump’s speech and had texted his intention to go to his son while he was out of the country on duty.
Yet later, Lyin’ Clyde changed his website to reflect what could have been the biggest issue for him: stolen valor.
Technically, the junior Shavers lied about his job in the Navy, and that may have some ramifications – and should – but the Stolen Valor Act was tossed out in 2005 by the U.S. Supreme Court because lying is protected speech. Ya hear that Long Island politicians? The Act was reprised in a new form in 2013, but according to the National Archives, it’s only a “crime for someone to claim they received certain medals to obtain money, property, or some other tangible benefit. The law only bars false claims about certain military awards, including the Purple Heart, Bronze Star, and a few others; and ONLY when someone makes a false claim about them to gain money or some tangible benefit from a crime. Someone falsely claiming military service to brag or impress others is not a crime.”
So Lyin’ Clyde slides on his most serious whopper.
He apologized and then removed the apology from his website.
But Democrats have been delighted that Lyin’ Clyde deposed an evil Republican in Washington’s LD 10. They’ve been effusive in their praise. Probably because Lyin’ Clyde’s day job is being a bot from the Democratic Party – complete with a Perkins Coie summer internship.
The Democrats bought the seat for Lyin’ Clyde. He raised nearly $500,000 for a legislative district seat. His top three contributors, according to The Lynnwood Times, were the “House Democratic Campaign Committee, $105,029.75, WA State Democratic Central Committee, $75,478.83, and WA Senate Demo Camp, $50,000.”
Washington State Democratic Party Chair Tina Podlodowski was delighted with his slim win, saying, “I want to congratulate Representative-elect Clyde Shavers on his win and know he will do an excellent job serving the 10th district in Olympia.”
Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon (D-West Seattle) told The Times that, sure, Lyin’ Clyde embroidered his resume, but it must have been an oversight. Indeed, he rationalized, “I would say that he was insufficiently clear in how he has described several aspects of his experience. Our expectation is that candidates be completely clear and accurate.”
Sure.
Clyde gets the last word. As he tells voters on his website, “people deserve representatives with good character and integrity – honest public servants …” And Democrats cheer.
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