State of Illinois secondary Archives: on Principles & Values

Alexi Giannoulias: Fallout from the April failure of his family's Broadway Bank

Mark Kirk, the Republican nominee, and Giannoulias have spent much of their campaign debating who is least trustworthy. Giannoulias has dealt with fallout from the April failure of his family's Broadway Bank, while Kirk was forced to apologize for exaggerating his biography.

Alexi Giannoulias: Accuses Kirk of economic treason for fundraising in China

Kirk's fundraiser was held not in China but via Internet video conferencing, and the event was scheduled long before Kirk's May 28 vote, his campaign said. The fundraiser with 12 citizens working in Beijing raised about $6,000.

Giannoulias refused to back away from his accusation tying Kirk's vote t the money. He said Kirk has put China's interest ahead of that of the US. "It can be called nothing other than an act of economic treason," said Giannoulias.

Kirk blasted the Democrat. "Alexi Giannoulias is running a desperate and dishonorable campaign," Kirk said in a statement. "I have worn our country's uniform for 21 years, and to accuse me of treason in any context is beyond the pale. Giannoulias is a desperate candidate who is now dishonoring the office he aspires to."

Alexi Giannoulias: Aware his Broadway Bank lent to criminals, but not extent

GIANNOULIAS: Look, the way a community bank does business--when you run for office, these stories get sensationalized. When a bank decides who to give a loan to, they look at the credit-worthiness of the borrower. They look at the credit score of the borrower. They look at the appraisal value of a property. Of course, there are some individuals with colorful pasts that we don't even want to do business with, but that doesn't represent the thousands of people--

Q: Were you aware that there were crime figures getting loans from your bank? You were a loan officer there.

GIANNOULIAS: If I knew then what I know now, these are not the kind of people that we do business with. But that's not--

Q: You're saying you didn't know? Did you know that they were crime figures that you were loaning to?

GIANNOULIAS: We didn't know the extent of that activity

Alexi Giannoulias: I told the truth about my mistakes; my opponent has not

Q: Were you aware that there were crime figures getting loans from your bank? You were a loan officer there.

GIANNOULIAS: If I knew then what I know now, these are not the kind of people that we do business with. But that's not--

Q: You're saying you didn't know? Did you know that they were crime figures that you were loaning to?

GIANNOULIAS: We didn't know the extent of that activity or improper. Never. The difference between myself and Congressman Kirk is I've always told the truth. And principles matter. Values matter. And as I mentioned earlier, you may not always agree with me, but you will always know where I stand. I will always tell you the truth. And that's what we need now more than ever. People are sick and tired of Washington, D.C. politics as usual. Congressman Kirk has to answer to voters on why he didn't tell the truth on his record.

Jesse Sullivan: My primary mission is to know, love, and serve God

Jesse Sullivan: World should look to us as a role model nation

Mark Kirk: Forced to apologize for exaggerating his biography

Mark Kirk: Takes responsibility for carelessness about military record

"Kirk's problems began with his frequent references to being named the Navy's intelligence officer of the year. Instead a slightly different award had gone to the intelligence unit that Kirk led, not to Kirk personally. That was followed by a long string of other errors and exaggerations. A letter from his office said he served in the first Gulf War, when he didn't. He has also referred to serving in the invasion of Iraq, although his duties kept him stateside."

KIRK: Well, I made mistakes with regard to my military misstatements. I was careless. And so I corrected the record.

Q: But, bottom line, did you say that you were once shot at when, in fact, you were not?

KIRK: Well, when you're flying over Iraq, usually the Iraqis opened up on us. But whether the squadron came under fire or not, it's very confusing.

Mark Kirk: Raised $6,000 from 12 U.S. citizen businessmen in China

Kirk's fundraiser was held not in China but via Internet video conferencing, and the event was scheduled long before Kirk's May 28 vote, his campaign said. The fundraiser with 12 citizens working in Beijing raised about $6,000.

Giannoulias refused to back away from his accusation tying Kirk's vote t the money. He said Kirk has put China's interest ahead of that of the US. "It can be called nothing other than an act of economic treason," said Giannoulias.

Kirk blasted the Democrat. "Alexi Giannoulias is running a desperate and dishonorable campaign," Kirk said in a statement. "I have worn our country's uniform for 21 years, and to accuse me of treason in any context is beyond the pale. Giannoulias is a desperate candidate who is now dishonoring the office he aspires to."

Mark Kirk: I've owned up to my mistakes; my opponent has not

KIRK: I misstated a part of my military record. It's a painful process. I learned a big lesson from that. I apologized to the people of Illinois. I then released all 21 years of my officer fitness report. Service in Afghanistan. Service in Allied Force. It's made me a better Congressman and advocate for veterans and men and women who wear the uniform. And for me, the national security of the United States has been a life work of mine.

Q: On your opponent's character issue, should voters wonder about someone whose bank makes loans to unsavory characters?

KIRK: Well, there is a big difference here. I made a mistake and I corrected it. I took ownership. But the difference between me and my opponent is he made a number of mistakes. I made mistakes. But I corrected them. And meanwhile, my opponent, says nothing is really his fault.

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