Violence At GOP And Bush-Cheney '04 Campaign Hqs Across The Country Ltr to AFL/CIO (Hotline #)

From: Bush-Cheney '04 Communications
Date: 10/11/04
Re: Violence At Republican And Bush-Cheney '04 Campaign Headquarters Across The Country

Below is the text of a letter sent by Bush-Cheney '04 Campaign Chairman Governor Marc Racicot to AFL-CIO President John Sweeney via fax at 10:15 a.m. today. The letter asks Sweeney to put an end to protest activities that have led to injuries, property damage, vandalism and voter intimidation at Bush-Cheney '04 and Republican Party offices around the country.

Bush-Cheney '04 has created a hotline for victims of voter intimidation to report what happened. The hotline, 1-888-303-7125, will begin operation at 11:00 a.m. today.

Over the past several weeks, acts of violence and vandalism have occurred at Republican and Bush-Cheney campaign headquarters across the country. In addition to the injuries, property damage and disruption associated with these acts, these events have created a threatening and intimidating atmosphere abhorrent to our democratic process.

On October 5th, according to news reports, witnesses, police reports and admissions of your members, the AFL-CIO, as part of a national strategy, protested at more than a dozen of our campaign and party headquarters across the country. In many locations, the protestors attempted to enter, or entered, campaign or party facilities. As one protestor said, "Actually, we're storming into an office." In Orlando, Florida, injuries and damage were sustained. Protestors forced their way into the facility, fracturing the arm of one staffer, and vandalized the office. In Michigan, protestors entered a headquarters and engaged in activities apparently intended to disrupt volunteers trying to make phone calls.

Protests by your organization come on the heels of several other incidents at Bush-Cheney '04 offices around the country, including a break-in at our Seattle office where laptop computers were stolen from the Washington State Bush-Cheney ’04 executive director and the state Republican Party 72-hour director. Just last night in Canton, Ohio, a Bush-Cheney '04 staffer was forced to lock herself in an office while another break-in was in progress. The facility was seriously damaged and property was stolen. Additionally, gun shots have been fired into Bush-Cheney '04 offices in West Virginia, Florida and Tennessee, windows broken in West Virginia and campaign staffers threatened. In Wisconsin, a supporter of the President had a swastika burned into his front yard simply because he had a Bush-Cheney '04 lawn sign. We urge your support in helping us ensure the safety of all individuals working on our campaign and others as we are making every effort to secure the safety of all participants in the political process.

I hope you will put an end to protest activities that have led to injuries, property damage, vandalism and voter intimidation. We will hold you and your organization accountable for the actions of your members and urge you to immediately discontinue any coordinated protest efforts that result in damage to our facilities, or injury to people who may hold different political views than your members, but who share an equal right to be involved in the political process without suffering violence, intimidation and threats.

Section 1961. Definitions

As used in this chapter -
(1) ''racketeering activity'' means (A) any act or threat
involving murder, kidnapping, gambling, arson, robbery, bribery,
extortion, dealing in obscene matter, or dealing in a controlled
substance or listed chemical (as defined in section 102 of the
Controlled Substances Act), which is chargeable under State law
and punishable by imprisonment for more than one year; (B) any
act which is indictable under any of the following provisions of
title 18, United States Code: Section 201 (relating to bribery),
section 224 (relating to sports bribery), sections 471, 472, and
473 (relating to counterfeiting), section 659 (relating to theft
from interstate shipment) if the act indictable under section 659
is felonious, section 664 (relating to embezzlement from pension
and welfare funds), sections 891-894 (relating to extortionate
credit transactions), section 1028 (relating to fraud and related
activity in connection with identification documents), section
1029 (relating to fraud and related activity in connection with
access devices), section 1084 (relating to the transmission of
gambling information), section 1341 (relating to mail fraud),
section 1343 (relating to wire fraud), section 1344 (relating to
financial institution fraud), section 1425 (relating to the
procurement of citizenship or nationalization unlawfully),
section 1426 (relating to the reproduction of naturalization or
citizenship papers), section 1427 (relating to the sale of
naturalization or citizenship papers), sections 1461-1465
(relating to obscene matter), section 1503 (relating to
obstruction of justice), section 1510 (relating to obstruction of
criminal investigations), section 1511 (relating to the
obstruction of State or local law enforcement), section 1512
(relating to tampering with a witness, victim, or an informant),
section 1513 (relating to retaliating against a witness, victim,
or an informant), section 1542 (relating to false statement in
application and use of passport), section 1543 (relating to
forgery or false use of passport), section 1544 (relating to
misuse of passport), section 1546 (relating to fraud and misuse
of visas, permits, and other documents), sections 1581-1588
(relating to peonage and slavery), section 1951 (relating to
interference with commerce, robbery, or extortion), section 1952
(relating to racketeering), section 1953 (relating to interstate
transportation of wagering paraphernalia), section 1954 (relating
to unlawful welfare fund payments), section 1955 (relating to the
prohibition of illegal gambling businesses), section 1956
(relating to the laundering of monetary instruments), section
1957 (relating to engaging in monetary transactions in property
derived from specified unlawful activity), section 1958 (relating
to use of interstate commerce facilities in the commission of
murder-for-hire), sections 2251, 2251A, 2252, and 2260 (relating
to sexual exploitation of children), sections 2312 and 2313
(relating to interstate transportation of stolen motor vehicles),
sections 2314 and 2315 (relating to interstate transportation of
stolen property), section 2318 (relating to trafficking in
counterfeit labels for phonorecords, computer programs or
computer program documentation or packaging and copies of motion
pictures or other audiovisual works), section 2319 (relating to
criminal infringement of a copyright), section 2319A (relating to
unauthorized fixation of and trafficking in sound recordings and
music videos of live musical performances), section 2320
(relating to trafficking in goods or services bearing counterfeit
marks), section 2321 (relating to trafficking in certain motor
vehicles or motor vehicle parts), sections 2341-2346 (relating to
trafficking in contraband cigarettes), sections 2421-24 (relating
to white slave traffic), (C) any act which is indictable under
title 29, United States Code, section 186 (dealing with
restrictions on payments and loans to labor organizations) or
section 501(c) (relating to embezzlement from union funds), (D)
any offense involving fraud connected with a case under title 11
(except a case under section 157 of this title), fraud in the
sale of securities, or the felonious manufacture, importation,
receiving, concealment, buying, selling, or otherwise dealing in
a controlled substance or listed chemical (as defined in section
102 of the Controlled Substances Act), punishable under any law
of the United States, (E) any act which is indictable under the
Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act, (F) any act
which is indictable under the Immigration and Nationality Act,
section 274 (relating to bringing in and harboring certain
aliens), section 277 (relating to aiding or assisting certain
aliens to enter the United States), or section 278 (relating to
importation of alien for immoral purpose) if the act indictable
under such section of such Act was committed for the purpose of
financial gain, or (G) any act that is indictable under any
provision listed in section 2332b(g)(5)(B);
(2) ''State'' means any State of the United States, the
District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, any
territory or possession of the United States, any political
subdivision, or any department, agency, or instrumentality
thereof;
(3) ''person'' includes any individual or entity capable of
holding a legal or beneficial interest in property;
(4) ''enterprise'' includes any individual, partnership,
corporation, association, or other legal entity, and any union or
group of individuals associated in fact although not a legal
entity;
(5) ''pattern of racketeering activity'' requires at least two
acts of racketeering activity, one of which occurred after the
effective date of this chapter and the last of which occurred
within ten years (excluding any period of imprisonment) after the
commission of a prior act of racketeering activity;
(6) ''unlawful debt'' means a debt (A) incurred or contracted
in gambling activity which was in violation of the law of the
United States, a State or political subdivision thereof, or which
is unenforceable under State or Federal law in whole or in part
as to principal or interest because of the laws relating to
usury, and (B) which was incurred in connection with the business
of gambling in violation of the law of the United States, a State
or political subdivision thereof, or the business of lending
money or a thing of value at a rate usurious under State or
Federal law, where the usurious rate is at least twice the
enforceable rate;
(7) ''racketeering investigator'' means any attorney or
investigator so designated by the Attorney General and charged
with the duty of enforcing or carrying into effect this chapter;
(8) ''racketeering investigation'' means any inquiry conducted
by any racketeering investigator for the purpose of ascertaining
whether any person has been involved in any violation of this
chapter or of any final order, judgment, or decree of any court
of the United States, duly entered in any case or proceeding
arising under this chapter;
(9) ''documentary material'' includes any book, paper,
document, record, recording, or other material; and
(10) ''Attorney General'' includes the Attorney General of the
United States, the Deputy Attorney General of the United States,
the Associate Attorney General of the United States, any
Assistant Attorney General of the United States, or any employee
of the Department of Justice or any employee of any department or
agency of the United States so designated by the Attorney General
to carry out the powers conferred on the Attorney General by this
chapter. Any department or agency so designated may use in
investigations authorized by this chapter either the
investigative provisions of this chapter or the investigative
power of such department or agency otherwise conferred by law.

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