Draft dodger Alexi Giannoulias

While Illinois Republican US Senate candidate Mark Kirk has served as a Navy reservist for 21 years, his Democratic opponent has only worn the uniform of a Greek professional basketball team. The failed Mob Banker has dual Greek and American citizenship.

From Big Government last month.

But one thing we still don't know is how an American with Greek citizenship was able to live in Greece without being drafted into the Greek military.

Under Greek law, all citizens must serve in the military once they turn 18. Much like in Israel, Greek citizens will perform a period of military service after high school.

Alexi Giannoulias was a college graduate when he came to Greece – an age meeting the requirement for military service. So how did he get around the requirement?

The Giannoulias campaign had an answer for the State Journal-Register:

KATHLEEN STRAND, spokeswoman for Giannoulias, said the candidate has dual citizenship by virtue of the fact that his father was born in Greece. However, since Giannoulias was never a permanent resident of Greece, he wouldn’t be required to serve in the Greek military.

"There was no draft when he was there" while playing basketball, she added.

Ah, but the Weekly Standard is reporting that the campaign wasn't telling the truth.

But according to a legal analysis prepared by a prestigious Athens-based law firm, the Giannoulias campaign lied to reporters.

The legal memorandum, issued by the Law Office of P. Yatagantzidis & Associates and obtained by THE WEEKLY STANDARD, states that mandatory military service was in effect when Alexi Giannoulias was in Greece and would have applied to a dual citizen like Giannoulias.

All Greek men are required to serve. There is no exemption for Greek men who hold dual citizenship (except for those born between the years 1945-1959). In principle, it is also irrelevant whether you live in Greece or not…

… There was a military service obligation in the year 1998 for all Greeks including those living abroad…

… The individual referred to in the facts, is a Greek citizen since he has a Greek father, so in principle he has to serve in the Greek armed forces. Assuming that he settled in the States before the age of eleven and resided there permanently, he is qualified as “permanent resident abroad” in the sense of law…

… Assuming that the individual stayed in Greece for more than six months in a single calendar year, it is difficult to imagine of legal reasons to get around the service obligation.

The Giannoulias campaign has spent much of the campaign criticizing Kirk's military service.

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