The Bull Elephant was the first to investigate and expose the truth about Gear’s blatantly false assault on Fred Gruber’s character. As set forth in Gruber’s complaint, filed with the Spotsylvania Circuit Court on Wednesday, Gear sent out an email to thousands of Republican activists (and previous Republican convention delegates) and posted on his website assertions that Gruber was partaking of the services of a pornographic “dating” website, with the clear insinuation that Gruber was engaging in what Gear calls “tawdry” activities. Gear revealed his motives for these provably false assertions by using them as the basis for questions about Gruber’s fitness for the office of 7th District Chairman. The full complaint is embedded below.
As we detailed previously, the content of Gear’s email and website posting is the product of Photoshop-style alteration of an otherwise innocent and wholesome profile on a clean, above-board dating website. The only other explanation is that some of the images shown are more reflective of Tom Gear’s internet viewing habits than anything relating to Fred Gruber.
Interestingly, even after issuance of a cease-and-desist letter by Gruber’s attorney, Gear decided to taunt Gruber in a comment to our original post on this subject:
i hope everyone has had their say but if you haven’t please hurry up. EVERYTHING i said in TO THE WOODSHED is 100% accurate. 48 hours is up mr gruber and mr. george, game on, where is the lawsuit? the letter was dated july 2, has it been 48 hours? i have not removed the website or done anything requested of me in mr. george’s letter. remember folks in a lawsuit both sides get to use discovery, can’t wait.
Tom Gear now has his wish.
Gear mentions discovery in his comment. It will indeed be very interesting to see what discovery turns up in this lawsuit. It was a horribly kept secret that a few of the usual suspects had done opposition research on Fred Gruber and were hoping it would turn up something juicy that would give them cause to forcibly remove Gruber as Chairman of the 7th District Republican Committee at the first available opportunity. Apparently their desperation for revenge has now ensnared them legally and will cost them financially to some degree.
Conventional political wisdom for the accused in these kinds of episodes is to simply ignore or downplay false accusations for fear that responding to them to any degree will only give the lies more oxygen. Thugs and bullies count on their victims taking this defensive approach, which allows them to strike with impunity. That’s why it is so refreshing to finally see someone fight back.
Regardless of how you feel about Fred Gruber—and opinions vary widely—no one deserves to be attacked in such a vile and underhanded way. Such coarse tactics are poisonous, as they undermine the trust and mutual respect we have for fellow Republicans, and they cheapen the discourse for all of us. We are glad to see that a blow is being struck against the perpetrators of this kind of injustice.
EXCLUSIVE: See full 12-page complaint below.
