Landrieu protests Cassidy’s quiet leave from campaign trail

Rep. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) quietly left the campaign trail Wednesday, provoking accusations from Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) that he’s hiding from voters and the press to avoid answering questions about allegations he overbilled Louisiana State University.

{mosads}Cassidy was supposed to campaign with former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum (R) on Wednesday night, but an updated advisory sent to the media shortly before the event said Cassidy’s wife, Laura, would fill in instead.

“Dr. Bill Cassidy will not be able to attend, due to votes in Washington D.C.,” the updated notification read in part.

The Republican National Committee also removed Cassidy’s name from an event Thursday with Chairman Reince Priebus, according to The Advocate.

An official for the Cassidy campaign said he’d return to the campaign trail on Friday morning with Sen.-elect Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) in Lake Charles, La.

But the Landrieu campaign has pounced, accusing Cassidy of canceling “every public appearance since news broke about him double dipping and skimming $100,000 from Louisiana taxpayers.”
 
“Bill Cassidy has canceled his one event today and all events tomorrow,” the Landrieu campaign said in a statement. “It has now been eight days since the last public event he held, eight days since he answered an unscripted question from a reporter, eight days since he met with a single voter, and, unsurprisingly, eight days since news broke that he may have skimmed taxpayers for over $100,000 in salary and nearly $250,000 in total compensation for work he didn’t do.”

Cassidy is fighting allegations that he remained on payroll as a congressman while not contributing at the school and wrongly logged hours at LSU while he was in Washington, as well as whether he took advantage of his situation to maintain tenure when he didn’t meet the minimum requirements.

Cassidy was in Louisiana for a televised debate against Landrieu on Monday night, where Landrieu attacked him at every turn over the allegations.

Cassidy calls the allegations “absolutely false,” and said he would often work at LSU in the morning before flying to Washington for votes, worked with residents while in Washington, and added value as the school’s only liver specialist.

LSU says it is reviewing the payments, but some Louisiana Democrats are filing complaints with the Office of Congressional Ethics in the interim.

Landrieu, meanwhile, is missing votes in Washington, but has stops in Grambling, Minden, Shreveport and Lake Charles, La., scheduled for Thursday. She trails Cassidy ahead of Saturday’s runoff election.