An attorney for U.S. Congressman Lynn Westmoreland penned a letter threatening to “take any and all actions necessary on Congressman Westmoreland’s behalf to rectify the harm that The Citizen has caused” from the posting of an anonymous online blog that made satirical accusations about Westmoreland’s ethics.

In the letter, attorney Stefan C. Passantino of McKenna Long and Aldridge LLP in Atlanta said the statements in the blog were “false and malicious.”

“Moreover, The Citizen’s continued publication of this false and misleading information after having been put on notice of its falsity, also evidences a specific and malicious intent to injure and damage Rep. Westmoreland’s reputation by continued repetition of a known falsehood,” Passantino wrote.

Citizen Publisher Cal Beverly declined a Westmoreland request to remove the post Friday, although it was later withdrawn, most likely by the same person who posted it.

Citizen attorney Don Johnson sent a reply letter to Passantino, saying that the posting was not defamatory to Westmoreland.

“We do take exception to the fact that an employee of Congressman Westmoreland called the client’s publisher and made threats that the newspaper would be hearing from Congressman Westmoreland’s lawyer,” Johnson wrote. “It is presumed that your letter is following through on this threat.”

The blogger, who goes by the online moniker SadFayette, wrote a blog entitled “Seabaugh-Westmoreland Code of Conduct,” referring to Westmoreland and also state Senator Mitch Seabaugh, whose district formerly included Peachtree City.

The blogger was one of a number of commenters who have been criticizing the two lawmakers for their support of TDK Boulevard Extension from Peachtree City into a hot new development area of eastern Coweta County.

The anonymous poster alleged that the two legislators have “codes of conduct,” the content of which drew the complaint from Westmoreland’s office.

In the listing of the so-called “codes of conduct” SadFayette wrote:

“ADULTERY: It’s legal; its ok

“DRUNKENENSS (sic) ON SUNDAY WITH THE LIQUOR LOBBYISTS AT THE SPORTING EVENTS WHICH WE DON’T HAVE TO PAY FOR AND HANG OUT WITH YOUNG GIRLS, ALL ON THE SABBATH: It’s legal; its ok

“LIE ABOUT REASONS FOR TDK: It’s legal; its ok

“MISREPRESENT YOUR BUSINESS CONNECTIONS: It’s legal; its ok

“TAKE THE LORD’S NAME IN VAIN: It’s legal; its ok

“Hey, wait...Those were some of the Ten Commandments. Now I must apologize. That’s not fair. Lynn and Mitch only know the Three Commandments.”

The blog in question was not posted by a Citizen staffer but instead by an anonymous computer user. Non-staff bloggers generally aren’t held to the same standards as traditional journalists throughout cyberspace.

Westmoreland press secretary Brian Robinson confirmed that Westmoreland’s attorney is not being paid with taxpayer funds, but he declined to indicate whether it is being paid for by Westmoreland himself or from Westmoreland’s campaign funds.

Robinson said Tuesday that Westmoreland has no further objection now that the offending blog has been removed from TheCitizen.com. He reiterated that Westmoreland’s office felt the attack was unfair.

Robinson said Westmoreland can be challenged on policy issues and some issues of his personal life, but the blogger went “beyond the pale.”

Westmoreland is up for re-election this year and is facing opposition from Republican-turned-Democrat Mike McGraw of Coweta County.