Harold Ford Jr Caught in a Lie

East Tennessee State Representative Stacey Campfield was listening a local talk radio show that Harold Ford Jr was guesting on yesterday and caught Ford telling a lie.

Remember, back in June 2005, when the Supreme Court released its Kelo decision? They held that government could use its power of eminent domain if the only public good served was to increase the tax revenue to be derived from the land in question. It sparked a firestorm and a lot of governments since (including Tennessee but not Shelby County) have been moving to mitigate the ruling's effects.

Here's what Ford had to say about Kelo at the time:

I've always believed individual rights are a big thing..... but, I find value in the court's decision. As long as people are compensated fairly, I can appreciate the decision. Certain areas in our state are crying for development, if this decision helps - it's a positive.

That was Ford speaking on Teddy Bart's Roundtable, a well-respected but now defunct Nashville political radio program. Follow the link to hear the audio for yourself.

Now, according to Campfield, here's what Ford is saying:

Congressman Jr. was put on the spot by a sharp caller (I think his name was JB) who asked about his former statements of how he thought the Kelo decision had some good in it.

The caller asked if he had changed his opinion or if he wanted to back up from the statement.

Instead of saying "I have grown away from that" as he did on many other issues when his rhetoric did not fit the record. The congressman instead said "I never said that".

Oops!

According to Campfield, the audio in question should go up on the station's website archives soon.

You can read Hobbs' amused take here.