One of the cardinal rules of dealing with reporters, is do not - DO NOT - tell 'em whoppers. Period. End of Story.
Except, there's a breaking story about how that's EXACTLY what the GOP in the MN Senate did to KMSP-TV Investigative Reporter Tom Lyden. And it has to do with another "do not - DO NOT - do" - campaigning from state property; in this case, the State Capitol.
While you're watching the following video, you can't help thinking that the GOPer Staffer Maureen Watson is thinking about saying to Tom Lyden: "Well, who ya gonna believe - me, or your lyin' eyes?" That's before she ducks out, not to be seen again.... Let's look!
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(direct link to KMSP-TV story/video)
From that story, by Tom Lyden: "State ethics laws are clear that an employee must not use state time, supplies, or state-owned property and equipment for private interests -- including campaigning."
But, it gets better - or, worse. Shawn Towle of ChecksAndBalances.com, who Lyden interviewed in that video, just put up a post with ALL of the names that email went out to, and it's quite the list! The electeds include:
"Benson, Michelle" "Chamberlain, Roger" "Daley, Ted" "DeKruif, Al" "Fischbach, Michelle" "Gazelka, Paul" "Gerlach, Chris" "Gimse, Joe" Hall, Dan" "Hann, David" "Hoffman, Gretchen" "Ingebrigtsen, Bill" etc etc etc
Now, not one - NOT ONE - of those brainiacs couldn't figure out that running this little scheme out of the State Capitol wasn't such a slick idea? NOT ONE???!
The title of this post -- "...we are in this together..." -- is from the body of the email that was sent out inviting people to this scheme.
And they ARE all in it together; all of the staffers and all of the GOP incumbents on the ballot this fall.
This appears to be an orchestrated and coordinated scheme; this needs to be investigated.
Quite frankly, the Mn GOP is a cast of clowns, and the last two years they've brought nothing but scandals and dishonor to St. Paul. Can't someone just open a RICO Investigation on 'em??!?
One key question, so far unanswered: were those people taking those free lunches and going back to their state supplied desks in their state supplied offices and using their state supplied phones for phone calls? Or were they using state supplied cell phones to make those calls?
Stay tuned!
h/t to Shawn Towle, ChecksAndBalances.com