Former White House Drug Policy public affairs pro Bob Weiner blasted Lance Armstrong’s declaration Thursday that he will stop fighting drug charges leveled by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.
Armstrong, in a lengthy statement posted to his website Aug. 23, said he has been subjected to a two-year criminal investigation followed by an “unconstitutional witch hunt.”
“There comes a point in every man’s life when he has to say, ‘Enough is enough,’” Armstrong said. “For me, that time is now.”
After Armstrong’s statement Thursday, the Anti-Doping Agency said it will strip the cyclist of his seven Tour de France titles and implement a lifetime ban against him. Armstrong said the agency does not have the authority to take his titles.
PR pro Weiner, a seasoned Democratic PR hand who directed PA for the drug office until 2001, when he opened his own D.C. shop, said Armstrong’s “arrogance” is what “finally brought him down.”
“His statement that ‘Everyone knows who won’ is outrageous and wrong,” Weiner said of Armstrong. “Everyone now knows who cheated.”
Weiner, who believes masking agents helped Armstrong avoid detection, said Armstrong’s fall is “sad” but a huge victory for “clean sport.” He expressed support for the U.S. and World Anti-Doping agencies’ new strategy of using collateral evidence and testimony to unearth performance-enhancing drug use – a method that brought down the sprinter Marion Jones -- rather than solely relying on testing.
The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency said it had several witnesses who said they saw Armstrong “dope.”
Armstrong’s surrender Thursday came three days after an Austin judge tossed his lawsuit that attempted to halt the Anti-Doping Agency’s investigation.
U.S. Anti-Doping chief Travis Tygart said Monday that he was pleased with the court’s decision to toss Armstrong’s suit and to uphold the Congressionally mandated due process for athletes. He said he looked forward to a “timely, public arbitration hearing” for Armstrong, should he choose that route.
Armstrong’s decision to give up his defense closes the latest chapter of the cyclist’s legal and PR war against doping charges since he retired for a second time last year.
He brought on the crisis PR firm Fabiani & Lehane in 2010 after a federal probe and was damaged last year when a “60 Minutes” report featured Armstrong’s former teammate Tyler Hamilton detailing Armstrong’s alleged drug use.