Violation of the Hatch Act? Attorneys, your opinions, please

[msanthrope]

Found this while sifting through the bilge posted by the Repukes accidentally to georgewbush.org.

Here is my question. Why is

Todd Ungerecht
Senior Policy Advisor
Northwest Region
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
U.S. Department of Commerce
[phone]

reporting to operatives in the Bush campaign about a conference he had with the media? Why is he giving operatives of the Bush campaign a list of the media and what questions they asked? Is this electioneering? A possible violation of the Hatch Act?

Interesting FOIA filing, no?


http://www.georgewbush.org/deadletteroffice/


-----Original Message-----
From: Perino, Dana M.
Sent: Tuesday, August 31, 2004 9:44 PM
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Fw: How is it going?
-----Original Message-----
From: Anderson, David R.
To: Connaughton, James ; Perino, Dana M. ; Greene, William ; Becker, Glynda A.
Sent: Tue Aug 31 21:41:52 2004
Subject: Fw: How is it going?

-----Original Message-----
From: Todd Ungerecht
To: Anderson, David R.
CC: [e-mail]
Sent: Tue Aug 31 18:35:40 2004
Subject: Re: How is it going?

The call lasted a little longer than it should have been allowed, but I think Bob got through the questions pretty well. Incidentally, I don't know how they got the number, but about 8 or 10 enviro reps were called as the sequence of the callers were recognized. Luckily, none of them were given an opportunity to ask a question.

There were 16 media reps with questions during the call:
1. Eric Barker, Lewiston Tribune
2. Rocky Barker, Idaho Statesman
3. Eva Brandt, Associated Press
4. Kathleen O'Neil, Post-Register News
5. Hal Briton, Seattle Times
6. Will Phinney, Confederated Tribes Bulletin
7. Jeff Barnard, AP
8. Barry Eppeson, Columbia Basin Bulletin
9. Bill Rudolph, NW Fishletter
10. Natalie Henry, Greenwire
11. Eric Robinson, the Columbian (Vancouver, WA)
12. Blaine Harden, Washington Post (NW office)
13. Michelle Cole, The Oregonian
14. Gary G?, Highland Times
15. Mark Engler, Capitol Press
16. Amy Cole, Movable Currents (I suspect an arm of American Rivers)

Bob gave a 10 minute overview following the points, followed by Q&A. The qs focused on a variety of issues--how the opinion achieved no jeopardy for Snake River fall chinook and sockeye, how RSWs work and the project timeframe for their installation, etc., and then evolved into questions about the jeopardy standard, how different from 2000, whether it would lessen the standard for recovery, how the environmental baseline from 2000 changed, how harvest impacted, what about the 199 RPAs in 2000 bi-op.

Blaine Harden (the NW rep for the Washington Post) asked if dam removal would be out of the opinion and if the ocean conditions went south would dam removal be brought back in, etc.,

The AP reporters focused on the standard--whether it would be for sustainability or for recovery.

Natalie Henry from Greenwire asked if the new proposed actions would respond to Judge Redden's concerns.

Bob did well in responding to all questions and encouraged them to review the details of the opinion when its released.

Todd Ungerecht
Senior Policy Advisor
Northwest Region
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
U.S. Department of Commerce
[phone]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Anderson, David R."
Date: Tuesday, August 31, 2004 2:37 pm
Subject: How is it going?


> Jim and I are eager hear.
>