Top Calif GOP Offical: An Illegal Immigrant? (The Nation)

[marmar]

Top Calif GOP Offical: An Illegal Immigrant?

Marc Cooper

Australian-born Michael Kamburowski, the chief operating officer of the California Republican Party, has suddenly resigned following press reports that he was ordered deported 2001 and subsequently did jail time for the matter. He's also suing the government for $5 million.

GOP officials have been left stunned and almost speechless, unable to explain how Kamburowski was recently appointed to the post by state Republican chairman Ron Nehring.

Former White House adviser Steve Schmidt, who ran the re-election campaign for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, angrily described the appointment of Kamburowski as "almost a parody of incompetence and malfeasance.''

"Somebody who has been imprisoned, faced deportation, has never worked on a state political campaign ... and who is suing the government for harm inflicted by his deportation order defies description,'' Schmidt said. "The bylaws of the Republican Party invest enormous authority in the position of chief operating officer--and it's clear that this person brings no experience and qualifications to run a state party of the size of California, not to mention the assorted legal issues involved.''

When Kamburowski was named to run the multi-million-dollar finances of the Calif GOP he was a literal unknown with no proven track record as a COO. He had served previously as a registered lobbyist for Americans for Tax Reform and a top operative for the Ronald Reagan Legacy Project, both founded by conservative activist Grover Norquist. Nehring--also a former senior adviser and consultant to Norquist's Washington, DC, operation--worked with Kamburowski at Americans for Tax Reform in the 1990s.

Now it turns out that arriving in the US in 1995, Kamburowski was ordered to leave the US by immigration officials in 2001. Three years later he was imprisoned for nearly a month for refusing the order. Eventually an appeals court overturned the matter, but Kamburowski is now suing the Department of Homeland Security for $5 million. .......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.thenation.com/blogs/campaignmatters?bid=45&pid=208004

[NMDemDist2]

1. and the hits just keep on coming..... K&N n/t

[Xipe Totec]

2. too freakin funny!

:rofl:

[marmar]

3. Yup. Cracked me up!

:spray:

[Mz Pip]

4. Pretty funny

Is working for the GOP in California so distasteful that they have to hire an illegal jail bird to do the job?

Mz Pip
:dem:

[marmar]

5. "they have to hire an illegal jail bird to do the job?"

Teehee. :)

[notadmblnd]

6. apparently he's doing one of those jobs

that Americans won't. It figures he's a Norquist tool as I read the article I found myself wondering which member of the BFEE he was down on his knees in front of.

[Tom Joad]

7. He is no longer a GOP official. He resigned.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/06/26/GOP.TMP

[AlCzervik]

8. i love this state, the local paper had good coverage of this story.

[MasterDarkNinja]

9. ROFL, I wonder what'll happen to the guy who hired him

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[The Backlash Cometh]

10. harumph, harumph.

[4_TN_TITANS]

11. Hilarious!

Doing the jobs respectable Americans won't do....

[Drifter]

12. But he did stay at a Holiday Inn Express ...

It's bad enough that he was deported and served jail time. The fact that he has absolutely no experience running a state party, is just gravy.

In the Republican party, incompetence appears to bubble to the top.

Cheers
Drifter

[TexasThoughtCriminal]

13. We know repukes are too incompetent to run a country

Apparently they're also too incompetent to run their own party. They should let the Dems do it.:evilgrin:

[EstimatedProphet]

14. Of course he's not an illegal immigrant. He's Australian, not Mexican.

[Robson]

15. He's still an illegal immigrant and thus should face charges

Illegal is illegal is illegal regardless of origin. He shouldn't have been here and needs deported. The Republican Party needs held accountable for hiring him...exactly the same as any other illegal immigrant.

[EstimatedProphet]

16. I really didn't think I'd need the sarcasm smilie

What you said is exactly true. Which was my point, actually. That, and the inherent racism among repubs who would assume a white English-speaker was legal automatically.

[Robson]

17. I understand

I understand (at least I think ) what you are saying. Some believe that the opposition to illegal immigrants is race based because most illegals come from south of our border and speak another language. IMHO those are in the minority. My belief is that much of the opposition is economic based and rightfully so. Most illegal immigrants are suppressing wages and taking jobs from US citizens and costing us billions in social costs. They help the rich and screw the poor and middle class....economically.

Employers whether they be the Republican Party or ADM or Wal*Mart or the local landscaper need held accountable.

If you have any interest in the current immigration bill see this poll.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=3341368&mesg_id=3341368

[gasperc]

18. heard this a couple of days ago

isn't it one hilarious fucking story?