Cross posted at Hillbilly Report.
Is Mitch McConnell's Senatorial campaign coordinating with the Super PAC Kentuckians For Strong Leadership and American Crossroads? I think so. I don't say that lightly and I will try to explain why as best as I can.
First let's take a look at the Super PAC Kentuckians for Strong Leadership and American Crossroads and see what they have in common. Steven Law is a board member of Kentuckians for Strong Leadership and President of American Crossroads and Crossroads GPS. Caleb Crosby is the Treasurer of Kentuckians for Strong Leadership and the Treasurer of American Crossroads.
Steven Law's ties with Senator Mitch McConnell go way back.
1990: Manager of Senator Mitch McConnell’s first reelection campaign.
1991-1997: Senator Mitch McConnell's Chief of Staff.
1998-2000: National Republican Senatorial Committee Executive Director.
2001-2007: US Labor Department Deputy Secretary and Chief of Staff working with Mitch McConnell's wife Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao.
2007-2009: US Chamber of Commerce Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel.
2010: American Crossroads President & Chief Executive Officer.
Okay, now that we have all that out of the way let's proceed with why I believe Mitch McConnell's Senatorial campaign is coordinating with the Super PAC Kentuckians for Strong Leadership and American Crossroads.
It all started February 2, 2013 when Mitch McConnell's opened of his campaign headquarters in the Watterson Office Park in Louisville, Kentucky. Curtis Morrison, a Progressive political activist and blogger, didn't attend the event but arrived later and could hear voices behind the closed door of an office. He, Curtis, heard Mitch McConnell speaking and decided to record the audio of the conversation that seemed to be a political strategy meeting. Curtis Morrison recorded audio of the meeting with a cell phone, while standing outside of the door where the meeting was being held and Mother Jones published the recordings.
Soon after Mother Jones published the recordings Senator Mitch McConnell pushed for an FBI investigation.
CNN
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's re-election campaign is "working with the FBI" on how Mother Jones, a liberal magazine, obtained a recording of political aides meeting with McConnell and discussing opposition research on Ashley Judd, McConnell campaign manager Jesse Benton told CNN Tuesday.
Curtis Morrison responded by asking:
Who was in the room? You can see him here on Current TV asking that question.
Who was in that office with Senator Mitch McConnell plotting against Ashley Judd and Alison Lundergan Grimes? Well according to an official with Mitch McConnell’s campaign everyone present was a close ally of the senator.
National Journal
“It was a very small meeting of senior staff and longtime loyalists — a ‘family meeting’ if you will,” the official said. “No one in that room would have ‘leaked’ anything.”
Mitch McConnell loyalists attended the meeting? Really! Who were these loyalist? Steven Law, representatives of American Crossroad and Kentuckians for Strong Leadership Super PAC? That's what it looks like and here's why.
Four days (February 6, 2013) after the February 2, 2013 meeting American Crossroads posted this political ad "American Crossroads Presents: Ashley's Story." When you watch the video you will notice some of what was discussed at Senator Mitch McConnell's closed door meeting with his loyalist was used in the American Crossroad video verbatim!
If you watched the above American Crossroads video you will notice it included exactly what was discussed at Senator Mitch McConnell's closed door meeting. Coincidence? I don't think so.
Mother Jones Transcript Of The Secretly Recorded Mitch McConnell Meeting.
Judd's voice: I am committed to President Obama and Vice President Biden. They're my candidates and I will be a surrogate in the campaign and do whatever I can…
Judd's voice: "And it just clicked: Tennessee is home.
There's more and this is personal because it involves me. During Senator Mitch McConnell's closed door meeting with his loyalist they discussed Kentucky Democratic Senatorial candidate Alison Lundergan Grimes and yours truly Jim Pence.
Mother Jones Transcript Of The Secretly Recorded Mitch McConnell Meeting.
The best hit we have on her is her blatantly endorsing the 2008 Democratic national platform. This sort of goes back to the Kyle Simmons adage about be careful what you say to friends.
[Plays Grimes interview with Jim Pence, from Hillbilly Report.]
Jim Pence's voice: I'm going to ask you this. Do you support the national Democratic Party platform?
Grimes' voice: I do, Jim. You know, unlike my opponent, I am a lifelong Democrat, born and raised—and, and proud to stand up and say I am a Democrat, and running on the Democratic Party ticket.
The conservative Super PAC Kentuckians for Strong Leadership takes the video clip discussed in Senator Mitch McConnell's closed door meeting with loyalist and uses it in political ad (see below) and airs the ad on TV throughout the state of Kentucky. Coincidence? I don't think so.
BTW, I didn't appreciate Senator Mitch McConnell's pals over at Kentuckians for Strong Leadership using my video, without my permission, in that political ad.
I believe there's enough evidence here to warrant an investigation into Senator Mitch McConnell's ties to Steven Law, American Crossroads and the Conservative Super PAC Kentuckians for Strong Leadership. It has been said where there's smoke there's fire and as you can see there's plenty of smoke here.
CREW filed an FBI and ethics complaint April 11, 2013 but their complaint as best as I can tell doesn't include campaign coordination with PACs like American Crossroads and Kentuckians for Strong Leadership.
CREW
Today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) asked the FBI and the Senate Select Committee on Ethics to investigate whether Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) violated federal law and Senate rules by misusing Senate staff or resources to conduct opposition research on potential campaign opponents.
Curtis Morrison is still under in investigation and may be indicted. I hope not, but if he is the discovery phase is going to be interesting and we may find out who was in that room plotting against Ashley Judd and Alison Lundergan Grimes.