Cook and Smith Bash Each Other
as Primary Nears

Republican rivals Merrill Cook and Derek Smith went at it yesterday.

(Under Narration) SMITH: "This is outrageous. These are solid Republicans..." COOK: "...as they would. Can I finish my answer? Please, I'd love to listen to yours." SMITH: "You're just fabricating this as you go."

They weren't talking issues. Instead the two candidates hurled accusations at each other.

At a press conference set up in the alleyway in front of Merrill Cook's campaign headquarters, Smith's main accusation was that Cook is missing important votes in Congress while he is campaigning in Utah.

SMITH: "You don't have to miss votes, Merrill. We all want you back there voting as our congressman, I mean that is what this is all coming down to."

Cook countered-- for every vote he's missed this term, he had a good reason.

COOK: "But because of my hospitalization, and because of a judge's order that I be available right here in Salt lake City plus these final weeks of the campaign are the only reason I ever missed a vote."

The judge's order came during the 8 days Cook spent in Salt Lake during a controversial lawsuit brought by a former aide.

Smith yesterday also defended himself against against Cook's accusations of slippery campaign financing.

Smith acknowledges he sold stock in his company, iengineer.com, in a deal that raised $500,000 he has now lent to his campaign. But Smith has so far refused to release details of the transaction, which Cook says leaves important questions unanswered.

COOK: "Who did you sell your stock to, and did you sell it at a market value? Simple question. Because if he didn't, then we have a Joe Waldholtz kind of financing thing going on here and that's serious. The public has a right to know where in fact that money came from."

SMITH: "I have sold stock in my company to finance my campaign -- that's a very common method of financing a campaign. These are sales of stock that are in no way related to Merrill, or any kind of political activity."

Cook argues, the money could really be a contribution . . . and it could be from anyone -- maybe even from fellow Congressman Chris Cannon -- but it's hidden in the stock deal.

COOK: "The public has a right to know where in fact that $500,000 came from."

SMITH: "I have confidentiality agreements that I've entered into as part of overall business relationships that I would then be in violation of, so I have to seek permission from these individuals before I can release that, and I am working on that effort right now."

Issue-oriented rhetoric has all but disappeared from the candidates' press conferences this week, except for a short discussion of each candidate's position on the tax code.

At the same time, both candidates acknowledge Cook is narrowing Smith's once double-digit lead, and both candidates often mentioned, especially in the free-for-all yesterday, how desperate the other is.

Each candidate is condemning the other for creating a negative race, and for inappropriate tactics like Cook's campaign ads and Smith's press conference on Cook's doorstep yesterday.

(Over one another) SMITH: "You're using scare tactics like..." COOK: "We're not doing the kind of tactics like sending all our campaign folks over to your headquarters to try to..." SMITH: "Well, bring 'em over." COOK: "To try to interfere with our..." SMITH: "Bring 'em over and we'd love to sit down with them..."

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