Cox Admits That Letter by Buckley Was Altered

Attorney C. Christopher Cox acknowledged Tuesday that his campaign altered an endorsement letter from conservative commentator William F. Buckley, which was sent last week to voters in the 40th Congressional District.

Cox said that one of his campaign workers added a one-sentence postscript to the Buckley letter. The sentence referred to a reprinted article that was included in the mailer sent to 110,000 households in the district.

The article, reprinted from the conservative weekly newspaper Human Events, linked Cox’s opponent Nathan Rosenberg to Rosenberg’s brother Werner Erhard and Erhard’s human development programs such as the now-defunct est. The article called est “a cult.”

Rosenberg, one of Cox’s main opponents in the Republican primary race in the 40th District, has been attacked by Cox because of his involvement with his brother’s programs. Tuesday night he blasted Cox, saying that “doctoring Buckley’s letter is fraudulent and reflects the kinds of distortion and deceitful” campaigning that Cox has waged in recent weeks.

‘Overly Enthusiastic’

Cox’s Sacramento-based political consultant, Carlos Rodriguez, said an “overly enthusiastic” employee of his added the questionable sentence to the Buckley letter.

The sentence reads: “P.S. The clipping from Human Events arrived just last week. I thought you might find this interesting and informative.”

The letter leaves the impression that Buckley attached the reprinted article to his endorsement letter of Cox and that he wanted voters to read it.

In defending Rodriguez, who was responsible for sending the mailer, Cox said the postscript did not change the “meaning and importance” of the letter or of Buckley’s endorsement. Cox said his campaign did not misrepresent Buckley’s position.

Buckley, editor of the widely read National Review, could not be reached at his New York office or home for comment.

A recent political circular sent by Cox to voters raised the issue of Rosenberg’s involvement with his brother’s business, Werner Erhard & Associates. In that mailer, several sources are quoted as describing Erhard’s programs, including est and The Forum, as “destructive and cult-like.”

Erhard’s company filed a $5-million lawsuit last week in Orange County Superior Court against Cox and his campaign consultant over that mailer.

Rosenberg said Tuesday that Cox “continues to bring my family into the race,” adding that he is the candidate, not his brother.

In the wake of the Buckley letter, Rosenberg called on Cox to withdraw from the race immediately.

Outside a candidates’ forum in Tustin on Tuesday night, Cox said he had no intention of dropping out of the race and called the request “absurd and ridiculous.”

The reprinted article from the nationally circulated publication gives an overview of the race for the seat of retiring Rep. Robert E. Badham (R-Newport Beach). It is accompanied by a photograph showing Cox shaking hands with President Reagan in the Oval Office.

The article refers to est as a “anti-religious cult with Eastern, mystical overtones,” and claims that Rosenberg has raised “significant swatches of money” from est followers.

Rosenberg has said that he has led seminars in The Forum on topics such as productivity, commitment and leadership. But of the $430,000 he has raised in the primary campaign to date, he said only a small amount has come from his brother’s company or from people who have taken the seminars.

In his letter, Buckley called Cox “superbly qualified” to represent the district because of his experience as a senior associate counsel to President Reagan. Buckley, one of a number of well-known conservatives backing Cox, sent the endorsement letter on April 26. Rosenberg said he became suspicious that it had been altered because the date of the reprinted article is May 21, nearly a month after Buckley’s letter was drafted.

Rosenberg said he called Buckley’s office and spoke to the author, telling him of the postscript to his letter. Buckley denied writing the added sentence, Rosenberg said.