SAN JOSE, Calif., March 10 (UPI) -- U.S. Senate candidate Tom Campbell is under fire for inconsistent statements about his defense of a Florida academic with ties to terrorism, analysts say.
The California Republican has been plagued by criticism over his defending Sami Al-Arian, who pleaded guilty to aiding terrorists, The San Jose Mercury News reported Wednesday.
The University of South Florida fired Al-Arian after an interview in the weeks following Sept. 11, 2001, in which he acknowledged statements promoting Islamic jihad and "death to Israel."
Campbell has denied knowledge of Al-Arian's past, and said his only dealings with Al-Arian occurred before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Al-Arian helped raise money for Campbell's failed 2000 Senate campaign.
But in January 2002 Campbell, then a Stanford law professor, wrote a letter to the university on Al-Arian's behalf, criticizing the dismissal, the Mercury News reported.
Campbell's "inconsistent statements are particularly damaging because it creates a credibility problem," said John Pitney, a political science professor at Claremont McKenna College.
Campbell has damaged his campaign with inaccurate statements and recollections, Pitney said.
"It never helps when you have to say the dog ate my homework," said Pitney.
