The New York Times wrote a hit piece on Senator Pat Roberts and Kansas today that contains several untruths.
To say that Pat Roberts “is desperate to re-establish ties to Kansas” and that he doesn’t have a residence are false.
Also false is the statement that Senator Roberts “acknowledged he does not have a home of his own in Kansas.” Senator Roberts told the reporter just the opposite, both verbally and in writing.
Senator Roberts long has owned a home in Dodge City. It currently has a tenant; he also pays rent at a residence where he stays when he is in Dodge City. He pays Kansas state tax and property tax. His three children attended college in Kansas. He is a Kansan. He lives in Dodge City by every measure of residency.
Fortunately, this story is so far from reality that Kansans won’t believe it. They know how long and hard Pat has worked for the state. They know it is his home. They see him there regularly. When the story was written, he was in Salina. When he read the story today, he was in Wichita.
Reporter Jonathan Martin came to us with a clear agenda. In an interview with the Senator, Martin scoffed at the fact Pat is proud to call Dodge City home. Martin even told us he didn’t understand why Pat bothered to live in western Kansas when it was so far away. He suggested Pat should live in Kansas City.
Martin did not let facts stand in the way of his agenda.
The reporter found two people who said they did not know Senator Roberts. Martin did not bother to find thousands of others who know the Senator well.
The story is so slanted and so far from the truth that Kansans will not take it seriously. They know better.