Daily Kos: Betsy Devine

Breaking: NYT hits NH voter fraud! Plus Tobin trial news

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Monday September 17, 2007 · 9:32 AM PDT

2007/09/17 · 09:32

"The Bush administration has spent a lot of time talking about mythical cases of voter fraud and election improprieties," says the editorial in today's NY Times, "but the New Hampshire phone jamming case was the real thing."

Amen!!

The Times is endorsing the recent request by Representative Paul Hodes for a Congressional investigation, citing multiple actions by the now-disgraced Department of Justice that left many avenues unexplored or even blocked.

In other phone-jamming news, James Tobin's lawyers filed a motion (on September 14) for aJudgment of Acquittal on grounds that seem to me completely outrageous...more below the fold.

Breaking: US House to target NH phone jamming?

Betsy Devine

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Sunday September 09, 2007 · 4:05 AM PDT

2007/09/09 · 04:05

What did the White House know and when did they know it? Several million Republican dollars and lots of Department of Justice slow-walking went into an effort to wall off investigation of any higher-ups in the NH phone-jamming scandal.

What's new is that Representative Paul Hodes (D-NH)--a member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee--is asking his own committee to investigate.

And with an overwhelming Democratic majority in the House (233 of 435 members), this request from Hodes is likely to get more traction than a request to the Senate Judiciary Committee, which never went forward.

Breaking: NH phone-jammer Tobin to face new trial

Betsy Devine

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Monday July 23, 2007 · 9:37 AM PDT

2007/07/23 · 09:37

Thursday's Union Leader has the only news so far:

A new trial for accused 2002 GOP phone jamming conspirator James Tobin is expected in either December or January. Tobin's conviction on phone harassment and conspiracy charges was reversed by a federal appeals court in March and remanded to the trial court... Briefs will begin to be filed in September.

This could be a lot more interesting than Tobin's first trial, for a number of reasons.

If you're wondering how a crime in 2002 leads to a trial in 2007 or 2008, here's why Paul Krugman sees the NH phone-jamming prosecution as a "slow-walk" with links to US Attorney-gate.

GOP playbook plays out in Smithsonian scandal

Betsy Devine

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Tuesday June 19, 2007 · 6:57 AM PDT

2007/06/19 · 06:57

"I accept full responsibility," says the rich wrongdoer hoping to get zero punishment. "Your honor, hasn't my client suffered enough?" asks the expensive lawyer.

This morning's NY Times showcases so pure a gem of PR-speak that Kossites should take note of its themes--we will hear them again as the corrupt regime that's been running our country slowly self-destructs in a firework show of indictments.

The Smithsonian's now ex-director Lawrence Small made substantial contributions to George W Bush's 1999 war chest, Tom DeLay, Bob Ney, Rick Santorum, and similar folks. But Small's regal lifestyle, paid for at least in part by Smithsonian funds, finally proved his downfall. The Board of Regents, pledged to keep tabs on him, is now the subject of a new scathing report.

Breaking: DOJ urged to re-try phone-jamming as civil rights case

Betsy Devine

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Thursday April 05, 2007 · 3:38 PM PDT

2007/04/05 · 15:38

Trying to shut down NH Democrats on Election Day, with non-stop hangup phone calls--was that or wasn't it "telephone harassment"?

Maybe not, says the US Court of Appeals, overturning James Tobin's December, 2005, conviction for his role in the 2002 phone-jamming of get-out-the-vote lines run by NH Democrats and by the Manchester Firefighters. They remanded the case to NH for further action.

But what action? NH's US Attorney Thomas Colantuono is now under national scrutiny for his slow-walk of the phone-jamming prosecutions. John DiStaso in today Union Leader reports some news.

Poll

75 votes Show Results

When will the DOJ re-try James Tobin?

75 votes Vote Now!

When will the DOJ re-try James Tobin?

2007/ASAP -- before the Senate starts investigating.

3 votes

2008 -- just in time for Bush's leaving-office pardons.

15 votes

2009 -- Tobin's first indictment came 2 yrs after the crime.

12 votes

Never -- they'll just hope the whole thing fades away.

45 votes

Scandal of DOJ slow-walk of GOP scandal (NH phone-jamming)

Betsy Devine

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Tuesday April 03, 2007 · 1:18 AM PDT

2007/04/03 · 01:18

Many new voices are now asking why the Federal investigation of the NH's 2002 phone-jamming scandal moved so slowly. (Paul Krugman called it a "slow-walk.")

How long should it take the US Department of Justice--and NH's Bush-appointed US Attorney Thomas Colantuono--to investigate phone-jamming? Just for comparison, in Virginia in 2002, a GOP official was indicted in April of 2002 for a phone-crime committed in March of 2002.

If you're new to this angle, or wondering where to dig further, this post would be a very good place to start.

Needle in haystack (or not) set phone-jammer free?

Betsy Devine

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Thursday March 22, 2007 · 6:46 PM PDT

2007/03/22 · 18:46

On March 21, 2007 the US Appeals Court overturned phone-jamming conspirator James Tobin's conviction for his role in the 2002 Election Day GOP scandal.

The court's 20-page opinion turns on narrow legalism, clearly rejecting the idea that Tobin was innocent:

That Tobin assisted in the substantive crime is patent; his call to Raymond was integral to the accomplishment of the scheme. ...We think it fair to add that despite the unattractive conduct, this statute is not a close fit for what Tobin did.

One tiny claim hidden by RNC lawyers inside a "haystack" of other claims. bought this surprise ending...

Breaking: USAgate takes phone-jamming to US Senate

Betsy Devine

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Wednesday March 21, 2007 · 3:00 PM PDT

2007/03/21 · 15:00

Breaking--In a damning 10-page letter to Senator Patrick Leahy, Chair of the Senate Juciciary Committee, NH Democrats spell out step by step the evidence against what Paul Krugman called the "slow-walk investigations" of the NH phone-jamming. Thanks to Josh Marshall breaking this story and for posting the 10-page letter (pdf).

Well, I had my own small breakthrough on this written up--so, after pointing you toward Marshall's big news, let me just also post my latest piece of the puzzle.
***********
As 2003 rolled slowly onward, the GOPMarketplace website vanished and memories had lots of time to get cloudy. By the time the FBI got a statement in Dec. 2003 from their chief suspect Chuck McGee, more than a year had gone by since the crime itself.

Today, I stumbled on an new piece of that puzzle, evidence that NH'sUS Attorney Thomas Colantuono didn't swing into gear until a green light came from Washington.

RNC phone-jamming lawyer spills disturbing beans

Betsy Devine

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Saturday March 17, 2007 · 9:26 PM PDT

2007/03/17 · 21:26

How do our new Democratic Senate and Congress look to the many who have so much to hide?

Scarily revealing is the oh-so-subtle promo (pdf) for DC white-shoe lawfirm Covington and Burling co-authored by one of the many high-priced DC lawyers who worked for the RNC on the NH phone-jamming, one Robert Kelner. (Quotes etc. below the fold.)

Phone-jamming fans may recall that Kelner let slip some embarassing info to a TV station in NH--making it clear that the RNC's defense lawyers were fully informed about DOJ investigations into the phone-jamming's White House connection, although said investigations were kept a deep secret from Democrats.

Kelner's remark inspired a Freedom of Information Request to the DOJ (pdf here), filed on April 18, 2006 but not yet answered by the DOJ.

NH US Attorney ignores GOP crime

Betsy Devine

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Sunday March 11, 2007 · 10:35 PM PDT

2007/03/11 · 22:35

Trying to board a plane with a loaded gun--think that might get you in trouble?

Not if you are a NH Republican state legislator--at least, not when NH's US Attorney Tom Colantuono is on the job.

When the x-ray machine found a loaded revolver in the carry-on bag of NH Republican state legislator Howard Dickinson, TSA and airport officials asked Colantuono to file federal charges. He refused.

Gun-toting Howard Dickinson--veteran GOP strategist Dave Carney -- former NH House Speaker Gene Chandler -- NH racetrack owner Richard Hart--what do these NH people have in common? All have ties to Colantuono or to Republicans, all showed up in my search of NH newspaper archives for various kinds of publicized wrong-doing, and none faced any charges from Tom Colantuono.

I've complained before that the NH phone-jamming was pursued incredibly sloowwwwly by Colantuono--but that may be just part of the story of how Colantuono made Krugman's list of shame, the list of US Attorneys who didn't get fired.

US attorney scandal and NH phone-jamming

Betsy Devine

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Saturday March 10, 2007 · 9:08 PM PST

2007/03/10 · 21:08

Hey--what about the US Attorneys who didn't get fired? Paul Krugman is asking (free link here)--and it's a good question.

Check out the US Attorney in charge of the NH phone-jamming, Thomas Colantuono. Does Gonzales give prizes for slow response to Republican dirty tricks? It took Colantuono's people more than a year before the FBI questioned their top/only suspect in the NH phone-jamming, a crime by Republicans.

But in other matters, Colantuono could move fast. Just before the 2004 elections, he moved fast to block Democrats from questioning phone-jamming suspects--and fast again to file corruption charges against a NH Democrat.

In 2006, right after the Democrats' landmark electoral victory, Colantuono also moved fast to shut down his phone-jamming enquiries, making a guilty plea deal with the last defendant that gave the Feds nothing and the Republicans everything. Let me back this sordid story up with more detail.

Phony guilty plea in phone-jamming case, November 16, 2006

Betsy Devine

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Friday November 17, 2006 · 5:08 PM PST

2006/11/17 · 17:08

Ten days after the Democrats' national landslide victory, Bush-appointed US Attorneys in both NH and Idaho pledged not to question Shaun Hansen any further about his role in jamming NH phones on Election Day 2002.

I was there (and "real reporters" were not) in NH Federal District Court on November 16, when 34 year-old Shaun Hansen pled guilty to two felony counts arising from the 2002 NH phone-jamming scandal.

Hansen's deal with the feds, and his vague and evasive "factual plea" warrant scrutiny which the press has not given it, so .... Read More

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