Over the last few days we have seen updates on the two on-going investigations in Maryland involving robocalls and alleged illegal activity involving the calls that were placed on or just prior to the November 2nd election.
As I mentioned yesterday, the Hagerstown Herald Mail published a front page article with a banner headline about the Washington County Republican Central Committee (WCRCC) sending a letter to the office of the State Prosecutor welcoming an investigation into the miss-use of its name on a robocall critical of Democrat County Commissioner candidate Kristin Aleshire. We have covered this extensively, here. No one is alleging the call was illegal, just the use of the WCRCC name on the authority line has raised questions.
The robocall really was a very bad idea, whoever did it, but the Herald Mail, a left-leaning newspaper, is only too happy to milk this for all its worth.
WASHINGTON COUNTY — The Washington County Republican Central Committee has sent a letter to the Office of the State Prosecutor saying its members “welcome and solicit” an investigation into an election robocall that was falsely attributed to the committee.
“If in your judgment the incident warrants investigation, we welcome that” the letter said, according to a copy provided to The Herald-Mail. “And if you find the circumstances to involve criminal mischief beyond simply commonplace errors of miscommunication and misunderstanding, we will of course support your efforts to hold people accountable to the law, be they of our Party or another Party.”
Committee Chairman Randy Buchman said the members voted at their Dec. 9 meeting to send the letter, due, in part, to a public outcry that the Republican Central Committee was not pursuing the matter aggressively enough.
“I guess there’s a feeling that we’re trying to hide something or protect our own or something like that,” Buchman said Friday. “We’re interested in letting everything fall where it may.”
The automated call, which attacked then-county commissioner Kristin B. Aleshire, included an authority line saying it was paid for by the Washington County Republican Central Committee.
The Henson raid!
Contrast the Washington County headline story with the much more serious case of the Ehrlich robocall investigation where the home of a Democrat operative hired by the Robert Ehrlich for Governor campaign was raided by investigators with the State Prosecutor’s office.
Reported with little fanfare in the Baltimore Sun:
Investigators for the state prosecutor raided the home and office Friday of Julius Henson, the political operative who ordered the controversial Election Day robocalls for former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.
Emmet C. Davitt, Maryland’s new state prosecutor, declined to comment on the raid. Neither Henson nor his lawyer could be reached for comment Friday.
WBAL-TV, which broke the news of the morning raid, aired footage showing investigators carrying boxes from Henson’s home during an early-morning raid.
Henson, a Democratic operative who was working this year for the Republican Ehrlich, ordered more than 112,000 robocalls before the polls closed on Election Day last month.
Read it all.
As I asked previously, here, what was Republican Bob Ehrlich thinking to hire this guy—a Democrat with a reputation for campaign dirty tricks?
Will we see raids in Washington County next—wouldn’t the Herald Mail love that!
[...] Update December 19: Herald Mail milking the story for all its worth, here. [...]
By: Newly elected State Senator Chris Shank linked to controversial robocall « Potomac Tea Party Report on December 19, 2010
at 11:02 am
[...] Update December 19th: State Prosecutor raids home of Julius Henson, here. [...]
By: Robocalls linked to Ehrlich campaign « Potomac Tea Party Report on December 19, 2010
at 11:03 am