Former Bush campaign official indicted for phone-jamming

[Caution]

Former Bush campaign official indicted for phone-jamming

By Erik Stetson, Associated Press, 12/1/2004 15:50

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) A federal grand jury on Wednesday indicted James Tobin, President Bush's former New England campaign chairman, on four counts related to the jamming of get-out-the-vote phone lines on Election Day 2002.

State Democrats, who have filed a lawsuit over the jamming, had accused Tobin in October of involvement in the conspiracy.

Tobin, 44, stepped down Oct. 15, but released a statement calling the allegations ''without merit.''

The 2002 jamming consisted of computer-generated calls to get-out-the-vote phones run by Democrats and the nonpartisan Manchester firefighters' union. More than 800 hang-up calls tied up phones for about 1 1/2 hours.

The indictment charges Tobin with conspiracy to commit telephone harassment and aiding and abetting of telephone harassment. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison.
<snip>

Edit trying to fix weird-ass Boston.com link

Can't mark this up sinec the forum software seems to truncate this link (I think it has to do with the colon at the end)

Here is the actual link:
http://www.boston.com/dailynews/336/region/Former_Bush_campaign_official_:.shtml

[ClintonTyree]

1. The GOP cheat????????????

NEVER.......that's preposterous. If EVER there is a fair and balanced political party, it's the GOP!

I should have entered this in the biggest lie post.

[yardwork]

7. but but but bush is a godly man!!!!! I have that on good authority!

Could my freeper friends be (gasp) wrong? Could it be that bushco actually cheats and steals? If that is true, then maybe (horrible thought) bushco isn't telling the truth about other things??!!

Too scary a thought. I'll just turn on rush. He'll make me feel better. There, there.

[Fridays Child]

12. Jesus hates Bush. Saw it on a bumper sticker. Agreed with it.

[louis-t]

2. Is this the 2nd or 3rd person to be indicted?

one person is already in jail, being convicted after pleading guilty. I recently read about a second that was indicted. I wonder if this was the third.
edit: link didn't work so I couldn't read the rest of the article

[saracat]

3. But Bush won! Stop whining. The Gop just had a better GOTV

and this proves it doesn't it? Snicker. Nah, the GOP don't have to cheat to win. Bush just got more votes.

[clydefrand]

4. And how many more cases are there like this one across

this great country?

[DS1]

5. It doesn't matter, the damage is done. That's one thing the GOP figured

out early. After he doesn't do his time in prison, he'll be appointed Ambassador to Peru.

[Judi Lynn]

6. Who knew John Ashcroft was trying to stall this case?

Just ran across this article in google:

Posted 10/19/2004 9:06 PM
Senators ask Ashcroft to let phone-jamming suit go forward

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Two Democratic senators asked U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft on Tuesday to stop interfering in a civil suit over phone-jamming by New Hampshire Republicans during the 2002 elections.

U.S. Sens. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts and Patrick Leahy of Vermont wrote a letter demanding that the Justice Department, which is pursuing a separate criminal case, withdraw its request to put the civil case on hold for six months.

Lawyers for the Democratic Party were scheduled to take sworn testimony from Republican witnesses last week about a national GOP official who allegedly approved the phone-jamming operation.

At the last minute, Justice Department lawyers involved in the criminal case called and said they were going to ask for a stay. The GOP witnesses did not show up, despite a state court order requiring them to do so.
(snip/...)

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/2004-10-19-phone-jamming_x.htm


James Tobin
http://www.seacoastonline.com/news/10162004/news/43315.htm

[GoSolar]

8. Republicans don't care about Democracy.

Guess we've known it all along.

[berni_mccoy]

9. And Repubs have a hard time...

understanding why we are paranoid! GO FIGURE!

[caligirl]

10. I repeat posted this article and can't self delete it. sorry and

it was my very first post too. double sorry.

[Caution]

11. it happens :)

I wouldnt worry about it and it's an important article.

[NYC]

16. I think I responded to your post.

The good thing is that this is a very important article, and deserves to be seen by everyone. Perhaps the duplication will enable more people to see this.

[Pepper32]

13. Another Ukraine cheater? Thank goodness this doesn't happen in America!

Imagine the outrage if that happened in good ole U.S.A! Those Ukraine's need to get it together and taken a lesson or two from us.

[DeepModem Mom]

14. kick

[FDRrocks]

15. Back in the day, we'd hang fuckers like this.....

I am against the death penalty, but this asshole will probably not spend a day in jail.

I say jail him for life. Minimum frugalities.

[GingerSnaps]

17. You would think that the Liberal Media would mention this

:argh:

[orpupilofnature57]

18. Jon Stewart was probably busy and Bill Mahers season is over, who else?

[Dr Fate]

22. How about Ted Kennedy, or Hillary Clinton?

Or are they too "big" for this kind of thing?

Counldnt they demand an interview on cable TV and talk about it tonight?

Nahh- they are too "busy" or too chicken. Better to let it die on the vine.

[Dr Fate]

21. No, I wouldnt. But I would like a prominent Democrat to speak out...

ON TV- TONIGHT. But I guess they are too chicken to go on TV and tell the truth about Republican tactics.

The Repubs would not be too chicken to talk about it if WE did that.

[Supersedeas]

19. Bush Leagues tactics....plain and simple.

[Dr Fate]

20. will ONE SINGLE prominent DEM go on TV tonight and express outrage?

And demand a nationwide investigation of these sorts of things?

NAHHHHHHHHHH. That would be too righteous & agressive.

Imagine if the shoe was on the other foot- every prominent Republican would be on TV accusing Kerry of "trying to steal the election"

Why cant our leaders speak out like the Repubs always do?

[Cocoa]

23. Rove learned his craft from the best

he got his start in politics in Nixon's dirty tricks operation.

[Dr Fate]

24. But no prominent Democrat will ever say that on TV.

So what difference does it make.

So what?- a few non-office holding DEMS talk about it on a message board- big deal.

As far as the rest of the country goes, this never happened.

[napi21]

25. Just talked about this on AAR around 1:30 today.

Frankin has a guest (Jim Norton I think) and they were talking about this, and exactly how it was done.

Too bad it takes sooo long to get enough info on these dirty tricks to prove anything.