Lee Whitnum (born June 23, 1960) is an American writer and politician. She is an outspoken critic of the Israeli lobby and gained notoriety on that issue in the 2010 Connecticut U.S. Senate race as a Democrat. She also takes a hard stand against illegal and legal "white collar" immigration as a way to curtail unemployment. She sites abuses of the H1-B and L1 immigration loopholes as detrimental to the United States.[1] by contributing to unemployment.
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Whitnum received a Bachelors Degree in Computer Science from the University of Maryland University College and attended Harvard University to graduate with a Master's Degree (EdM.) in Administration, Planning and Social Policy. During her time as a Harvard graduate student, she was in a relationship with then-first term Senator John Kerry. Their relationship lasted nearly two years. At the time of their relationship, she was in her late twenties and Kerry was in his mid-forties. They met in 1990, when John Kerry was no longer with his first wife, but before he met his later wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, in 1992.[2]
For twelve years Whitnum worked as a contract software engineer for the United States Army concentrating in the area of Field Artillery.
Whitnum, a Protestant, lives in Greenwich, CT and is unmarried.
Whitnum was a candidate for the 2010 Democratic nomination for the United States Senate from the State of Connecticut for the seat previously held by Christopher Dodd. Whitnum advocated lobby reform with a critical focus on the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) stating, "AIPAC had a strong hand in pushing for the Iraq War, and AIPAC has fully infiltrated our election process, Whitnum said in a statement to the Hartford Courant. "AIPAC is the reason why senators and members of Congress consistently vote $2 billion a year to Israel -- a country that is not impoverished. We need that money here at home for our own crumbling infrastructure. [3]
This nomination was won by Richard Blumenthal. Whitnum repeatedly called for Blumenthal's resignation blaming him for the AIG FP meltdown [4] for failing to reform the Hedge Fund industry in Connecticut as he had promised.[5] "The largest financial meltdown in United States history happened right here in Wilton, Connecticut. A mistake with such catastrophic consequence to our country cannot go rewarded." Whitnum stated in a press release that was widely reported.[6]
In 2008, Whitnum ran for Congress in the Fourth Congressional District of Connecticut.[7] She lost in the primary to Congressman Jim Himes. During the Channel 12 debate she said the United States should not have invaded Afghanistan.[8]
She also challenged Himes for his attendance on the very popular AIPAC-sponsored candidate trips to Israel.[9] She later ran a TV commercial which depicted Himes with his arm around Prime Minister Olmert pledging support for Israel in exchange for dollars reigning down.[10] The televised campaign advertisement caused considerable controversy. Whitnum later was quoted by the Hartford Courant, "I pledge support to one country and one country only, the United States."[11] Most Members of Congress continue to go on the popular AIPAC sponsored trips.[12]
Whitnum did get on the ballot in the 4th Congressional District in 2008 with a petition drive.[13]
Whitnum has brought a lawsuit against Governor Dan Malloy. While Mayor of Stamford, Malloy called a televised press conference stating that Whitnum was "anti-Semitic", "motivated by hate", and other statements which Whitnum disputed. Whitnum contended that she is "anti-AIPAC but not anti-Semitic." Whitnum originally filed suit against Malloy for slander on May 15, 2010.[14] But she later amended her complaint to include Malloy's June 23, 2010, remarks to the Jewish Ledger. She commends the Jewish Ledger for quoting her accurately, but condemns Malloy's "simple-minded" interpretation of her words inaccurate.[15] "It is not about religion or race - it's about politics and foreign policy.... and people of more than one religion on all side of the issue".[16]
Whitnum blamed Malloy's much-publicized learning disability as the problem.[17] "You have to be able to read to learn about AIPAC's unchecked power - it is not discussed on television." Whitnum stated in court documents, "He has staff who should check facts before he gets behind a microphone." Whitnum further accused Malloy of maligning her and her work to "pandering to a constituent group." Whitnum is the author of Anti-AIPAC Not Anti-Semitic: The Israel Lobby's Dangerous Control of Congress.
Whitnum first received press attention in 2004 as a former romantic interest of presidential candidate John Kerry. In 2003 Whitnum wrote Hedge Fund Mistress, a fictionalized view of life in Greenwich, Connecticut during the "hedge fund heyday in the 90's and early 2000s".[18] Whitnum stated in the New York Daily News[19] the novel contained one chapter about a senate candidate which was written before Kerry received the nomination. "There is one G-rated chapter out of 48 about a senator. His character is needed to show the insanity and motivation of a hedge fund billionaire...who exacts revenge...to the detriment of the United States." On her website Whitnum defends her choice to keep the chapter in the book despite criticism. "The chapter is G-rated and crucial to the story, it is an everywoman slice-of-life; as an artist I had to leave it in."[20]
After Kerry's nomination in 2004 Whitnum posted a webpage Scrapbook of mementoes of her time at Harvard and on Kerry's campaign 14 years prior. Whitnum states on HedgeFundMistress.com that the webpage went viral receiving more than 600,000 hits due to Republican bloggers' attention. Whitnum said "who knew a few G-rated mementos posted in the middle of the night for friends would explode the way it did - I do apologize."[21] At the time, 2004, Whitnum told the Washington Post that she was distressed by the attention, as it detracted from Kerry's campaign.[22] Whitnum removed the site in 2004 but it has been cached by a Republican blogger.
Whitnum's novels are published under the pen name Lee Roystone.