Democrats Seek Answers in Phone Jamming

[AnOhioan]

MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) - A judge gave state Democrats the go-ahead Thursday to question high-ranking Republicans in a civil suit over the jamming of Democrats' phones on Election Day 2002.

Three former GOP officials have already been sentenced in the phone jamming scheme. In the civil suit, state Democrats want to know who knew about the plan.

They point to a record of phone calls that show national GOP official James Tobin, one of those convicted, made two dozen calls to the White House within a three-day period as the phone jamming operation was finalized, carried out and then abruptly shut down.

The national Republican Party, which paid millions to defend Tobin, said the contacts involved routine election business and that it was ``preposterous'' to suggest they involved phone jamming.

More at http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-5949193,00.html


Bolding added by myself

[redqueen]

1. preposterous my rear end... it's perfectly reasonable.

do they really expect any thinking person to think otherwise?

not that there seem to be too many of those around anymore these days...

[RDANGELO]

2. Ok, what was the reason for all those phone calls.

The national Republican Party, which paid millions to defend Tobin, said the contacts involved routine election business and that it was ``preposterous'' to suggest they involved phone jamming.

[MaineDem]

3. Democrats get OK to question Republicans on phone jamming

That's the local headline.

From the article:
Democrats want to question the former associate director of the White House Political Affairs Office, Alicia Davis, and the former executive director of political operations for the RNC, Terry Nelson.

Also on their list is the former national political director for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, Chris LaCivita, who went on to develop the Swift Boat veterans TV campaign against Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry in 2004, and Edward Gillespie, who was RNC chairman when the decision was made to pay Tobin´s legal expenses.

Judge Philip Mangones granted the Democrats´ request to appoint individuals in Virginia and Washington D.C. to oversee the depositions of former national Republican officials who live there.

In New Hampshire, Democrats want to question, among others, former Republican state Chairman John Dowd and Jayne Millerick, then a GOP campaign consultant. Also on their list is Chuck McGee, who was director of the New Hampshire GOP in 2002 and who admitted to coming up with the phone-jamming idea and served seven months for conspiracy.

http://news.mainetoday.com/apwire/D8IR8DK00-193.shtml

[Judi Lynn]

4. From a few days ago: Phone-jamming trial may draw link to GOP

Phone-jamming trial may draw link to GOP
By JOHN DISTASO
Senior Political Reporter
Saturday, Jul. 8, 2006

Concord – An accused Republican phone-jamming conspirator may tell a court he believed his actions were authorized by the national Republican Party or the White House, his attorney said yesterday.

Jeffrey Levin, the federal public defender for Shaun Hansen of Spokane, Wash., says in papers filed in U.S. District Court that Hansen directed his former telemarketing firm workers to jam the phone lines of Democratic and firefighters union offices with hang-up calls on Election Day, 2002, because he had been assured by political operatives and an attorney it was legal.

Hansen also “reasonably assumed” the political consulting firm that hired him “was a governmental entity, or at least that the activities that his business was being ask to perform had been approved in advance by the national Republican Party,” Levin wrote.

Hansen, who headed the Idaho telemarketing firm Mylo Enterprises, had been paid $2,500 to place the hang-up calls by GOP Marketplace, a Virginia consulting firm. Its president, Allen Raymond, had been paid $15,600 to arrange the phone jam by Charles McGee, executive director of the New Hampshire Republican State Committee at the time.
(snip/...)

http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Phone-jamming+trial+may+draw+link+to+GOP&articleId=1f4ea6ad-3e62-4164-84d0-a34963ff7dd4

[caligirl]

5. Rove learned from Atwater, protesting way to much Mehlman.

Atwater renounced dirty tricks on his death bed. So Rove, when are you going to renounce what your teacher did.

[Rageneau]

6. I wish the American media considered this to be news.

But since it only concerns vote-tampering involving people at the highest levels of the Republican Party, our MSM is content to leave the coverage to the Brits.

Now, what was that about Madonna again?

[progressoid]

7. Yes, more pictures of Brad and Angelina's baby please!

:banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead:

[Joanne98]

8. If there was voting fraud on American Idol, it would be huge !1!1!1

[NoAmericanTaliban]

9. I tried to call my elected representatives but the phone was jammed

:)

[gully]

10. Odd that we have to rely on foreign media to tell this story no?

On second thought, it's par for the course.

[hootinholler]

11. But illegal tactics are

'routine election business' for the republicans.

-Hoot