NATION : Dukakis’ Bomb Talk Was No Joke
BOSTON — Gov. Michael S. Dukakis’ joke about a bomb on a USAir plane and a White House aide could have landed the 1988 Democratic presidential candidate in trouble with airport security.
Dukakis was boarding a USAir flight from Logan International Airport to Washington on Sunday evening when he spotted White House aide and political foe Ron Kaufman.
According to WBZ-TV in Boston, Dukakis reportedly joked about checking Kaufman and his baggage for a bomb.
Such remarks about airline safety, even in jest, are prohibited by federal law and should be reported to authorities, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman said.
“He apparently made some comment that caused the USAir agent to check with his supervisor to see if security should be notified,” said USAir spokesman Dave Shipley.
Shipley said the supervisor recognized the governor and let him go.
“That was an error in judgment,” Shipley said. “He should have been detained and questioned if in fact he made some remark” about carrying a bomb.
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