BY JIMMY LAWTONNorth Country This Week

Updated at 1:40 p.m. to include comment from Executive Director of  Super PAC Save American Freedom Alex DeGrasse.

The Library of Congress has removed online access to a 2013 TAUNY interview that was used as ammunition by Republicans to criticize NY-21 Congressional District hopeful Blake Gendebien, but it will be made available again soon.

A spokesperson at the Library of Congress said Tuesday that online access was removed at the request of Gendebien, but said it can be obtained onsite in the American Folklife Center’s reading room.

However, on Wednesday, the Library of Congress said that Gendebien has since requested that the audio interview be made available again and said they are working to make that happen as quickly as possible.

The interview, which included a harsh depiction of the North Country workforce, fueled Republican press statements criticizing Gendebien for comments he made about corrections officers and the local labor force.

North Country This Week became aware of the interview’s restricted access after a link in an earlier story which referenced the piece was no longer working.

That prompted an inquiry to the Library of Congress to determine why it had been removed.

"In this case, the subject of the interview requested that it be taken down from our site. We are typically generous in honoring these requests since they are personal narratives, however we keep the descriptive information online and make the collection accessible onsite in our reading room. That is what we’ve done in this case," he said.

North Country This Week reached out to Gendebien regarding the situation and though they did not delve into details as to why the request was made, campaign officials provided the following statement on his behalf.

“This is what Albany and politicians do, they take statements out of context and launch deceiving attacks in an effort to fool voters. While my comments are readily available online, I will make the recording available again so DC and Albany party bosses can continue living in the past,” Gendebien said in the prepared statement.

“While they are dwelling on decades-old comments I’m focused on delivering a better future for the North Country -- fixing our broken immigration system and lowering prices for hardworking families.” 

The decision to restrict access appears to be in conflict with the spirit of the Library's existing policies, if not the technical policies.

"The Library’s Collections Policy Statements define in detail the scope of materials that can be added to its collections. That scope is intentionally broad and deep as befits the nation’s library. Thus, there are items in the collections that some will find objectionable or may challenge. For example, authors or publishers may request that particular materials be withdrawn from the collections. To meet its mission, though, the Library must include such materials in the Library’s collections. Barring exceptional legal or ethical circumstances, any requests to remove within-scope items on such grounds will be declined. A decision may, however, be made to restrict access to the materials. Requests for removal should be directed to the Collection Development Officer, who will coordinate as necessary with other Library stakeholders, including the Office of the General Counsel (OGC)," the policy says.

North Country This Week has sought further clarity on the policy from the Library of Congress officials who did not directly respond to the question.

The interview in question gives a candid description of rural farm life and was part of a larger series that included similar interviews with dozens of North Country farmers.

In the interview Gendebien said corrections officers "don't have much self-worth," and that Hispanic workers are better workers than local kids because they "don't have practical independence and an ability to think and the knowledge these guys do."

He also said that the local workforce is lacking and that those that are available come with baggage like domestic abuse issues, drinking problems and custody battles.

The interview was used to fuel political attacks by GOP Chair Ed Cox and others, but Gendebien remained unfazed by their comments and said he wore the attacks as a badge of honor.

In an early interview Gendebien said that while he agrees he could have worded things better the reality is the interview with TAUNY was given by a tired farmer and a frustrated business owner, not a politician.

“I’m not a politician, I was a tired farmer and I spoke plainly,” he said.

Gendebien didn’t shy away from responding to specifics regarding the interview either. He said his comments about correction’s officers could have been worded better and that his intention was to convey that the job is difficult and taxing and that many of the officers take on second jobs doing things that are more enjoyable and fulfilling.

“My point is they bring a lot of value to the North Country,” he said.

Gendebien said many corrections officers are his friends and neighbors and that the idea he holds them in ill regard is simply off base.

“The issues that I’m really tired of are rich D.C. show horses prancing around with 15 year old interviews rather than talking about the real issues,” he said.

Similarly he said his comments regarding the workforce were really about the difficulty in finding a solid workforce.

“Obviously I don’t think every employee available in the north country has domestic problems and an alcohol problem,” he said. 

“Talk to anyone in the North Country that is self-employed…They all know how hard it is to find a quality workforce,” he said.

He said the decision by Republicans to use a decade-old interview as political ammunition  shows they are scared he could win the race .

“It means this is going to be a race and I can win and I can represent this entire district better than anyone else ever has,” he said. “I’m going to win this race. I'm laser focused on the issues and they are digging up 15 years old interviews that nobody cares about. What people care about is what's going to make their lives better and I will genuinely work for everyone in the district to make that happen.”

Although Republicans haven't yet rallied behind a candidate to run against Gendebien, Executive Director of  Super PAC Save American Freedom Alex DeGrasse criticized Gendebien for the removal request and issued the following statement on the situation.

"Far Left NY-21 Democrat candidate Blake Gendebien knows that his anti-American worker and anti-American family, pro-illegal amnesty positions including admitting to bailing out a criminal from ICE detention for $10,000 makes him unelectable, which is why he desperately asked the Library of Congress to scrub his disastrous, career-ending public interview from their website. Blake is a coward and went as far as having the Library of Congress engage in censorship to hide his true beliefs from the voters of NY-21. Shameful."