Joe Walsh Strikes Back at Ex-Wife

By Chuck Sudo in News on Sep 8, 2011 4:30PM

8th District Rep. Joe Walsh (center) at a "Cup 'O Joe With Joe" meeting in Lake Zurich in January. (Photo from the congressman's website.)

8th Congressional District Representative and Tea Party darling Joe Walsh said he would handle accusations levied by ex-wife Laura he owes over $100,000 in child support privately. Probably because he would be a vindictive dick about it.

Walsh also forgot about the power of the press. The Sun-Times discovered Walsh's attorneys filed a motion seeking sanctions against Laura Walsh a mere six days after the story broke. They sought the sanctions after claiming Laura Walsh failed to provide her employment and salary records at pharmaceuticals manufacturer Eli Lilly as well as bank statements, tax returns and expense reports in order to prepare for the child support negotiations. What Laura Walsh's salary has to do with her ex-husband's alleged failure to pay child support, we have no idea.

Laura Walsh's attorney Jack Coladarci call the motion "harassment" and a deflection maneuver. Coladarci said his client had no corresponding obligation to pay her ex any support and, since the issue here is the $117,000 Joe Walsh supposedly owes in back child support, the request for his client's financial records is inappropriate.

Walsh is also taking heat for flying home and not attending tonight's joint session of Congress by President Obama from an unexpected politician. Sen. Mark Kirk said of Walsh's snub, "The joint session of Congress is in the Constitution. Even if you campaigned against [President Obama] you respect the office.” Walsh's chief of staff Justin Roth said of his boss's snub, "He would rather hear from job creators as opposed to being used as a pawn by the president for a political speech. He will meet with small business owners ... He would love to come back to D.C. with four or five [job creation] ideas and present that to the president."