Kirk Lippold

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Kirk Lippold is a candidate for the Republican nomination for 2nd Congressional District of Nevada, and is affiliated with the Tea Party movement.^[1] He is a retired U.S. Navy commander, who was captain of the destroyer, USS Cole (DDG-67) when she was attacked in 2000 by al-Qaeda, and, during a subsequent assignment to the staff of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, worked on planning the Guantanamo Bay detention camp after the 9/11 attack.

Naval career[edit]

While he was cleared of dereliction of duty in the attack, he was not promoted to captain, probably due to objections from Senator John Warner (R-VA). ^[2]

Politics[edit]

In an interview, he said that his experience with the Cole motivated him for new government service. "That attack changed my life, in that it made me realize the importance of what America’s military does around the globe to safeguard our freedoms. My service to my Navy became more focused and even deeper, which has caused me to want to enter government service again.”

His primary opponents include Sharron Angle, who lost the Senatorial election in 2010. While both are affiliated with the Tea Party, he differentiates himself from Angle by saying "She is [a] serial campaigner and candidate. Not being a career politician, I can look at things with new leadership and new vision and bring to the office a sense of integrity. People don’t believe integrity exists in Washington. I want to instill that sense of integrity and do what is right no matter how difficult the choice is.”

In his campaign statements, he emphasizes fiscal conservatism, but he may be challenged on his involvement with the George W. Bush Administration detention policies generally and the Guantanamo facility specifically. He opposes detainees being brought to the U.S. for trial.^[1]

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