Judicial 'Memogate' Extends to Kerry Campaign, Report Claims

CNSNEWS.com ^ | 4/08/04 | Robert B. Bluey

[kattracks]

(CNSNews.com) - The campaign manager for Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry is being linked to the Senate Judiciary Committee's "Memogate" controversy, which involves alleged Democratic efforts to delay the confirmation of President Bush's judicial nominees.

Mary Beth Cahill, a former chief of staff to Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.), left her Senate job last November to become Kerry's campaign manager. But in April 2002 when Cahill worked for Kennedy, her name was attached to a controversial memo spelling out a plan to delay the confirmation of Julia Smith Gibbons to the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the Washington Times reported Thursday.

Cahill was reportedly one of five Kennedy aides carbon copied on the April 17, 2002, memo, which recommended Kennedy delay Gibbons' confirmation process to influence an affirmative action case pending before the 6th Circuit.

The Center for Individual Freedom (CFIF), which has pursued a Senate investigation into the matter, called for Cahill's resignation Thursday if she was in any way involved with the plot.

"John Kerry, as the standard bearer of his party seeking the highest and most respected office in the land, has an obligation to the American people to reveal Cahill's involvement in this matter," said Jeffrey Mazzella, executive director of CFIF.

Kerry's campaign spokeswoman, Stephanie Cutter, did not return a call seeking comment.

At issue in the Gibbons' memo is whether Kennedy's former Judiciary Committee attorney, Olati Johnson, inappropriately asked the senator to delay Gibbons' confirmation hearing in order to prevent her from joining the 6th Circuit in time to rule on the affirmative action case.

Prior to joining Kennedy's office, Johnson had worked as an attorney at the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, which was a defendant-intervenor in the affirmative action case involving the University of Michigan and before the 6th Circuit Court.

Johnson wrote the memo after receiving the request from Elaine R. Jones, her former boss at the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, according to CFIF. Kennedy's chief counsel, Melody Barnes, also allegedly approved the memo, CFIF reported.

At the time the memo was written on April 17, 2002, the affirmative action case was pending before the court. But by the time Gibbons was confirmed by the Senate on July 29, 2002, the appeals court had already issued its ruling.

A copy of the controversial memo is posted on CFIF's website. But the Washington Times obtained a second page that listed the people to whom it was carbon copied.

In a story that ran in Thursday's paper, Times writer Charles Hurt reported that one of the five Kennedy aides who received the memo was named "Mary Beth." According to Senate financial records, Hurt reported, the only "Mary Beth" on Kennedy's staff at that time was Cahill.

Kennedy and his aides have tried to dismiss the issue. At a Wednesday press conference, when CNSNews.com asked the senator about the memo, Kennedy was quickly escorted from the room by his staff.

"No. I'm not gonna, uh, re, uh," Kennedy muttered.

Hurt cornered the senator as he made his way back to his office, but Kennedy shifted the topic away from the alleged conspiracy to block Gibbons' confirmation and toward allegations that Republican staff members on the Senate Judiciary Committee had read Democratic strategy memos.

"I am so troubled, as other members of the Judiciary are, in the fact that Republican staffers would burglarize this confidential material in the Judiciary Committee. ... We can't have staffers - in this case, Republican staffers - believing they can basically commit criminal crimes in order to advance a political agenda," Kennedy said, according to the Times.

Mazzella said the revelation that Kennedy's aides recommended delaying a confirmation hearing solely to influence the court's decision should trigger a Senate Ethics Committee investigation.

"This scandal is quickly evolving into one of the most egregious in the history of the United States Senate," Mazzella said. "Given Senator Kennedy's active involvement in the Kerry campaign and Cahill's knowledge and possible involvement in 'Memogate,' Kerry should immediately and publicly address this issue."

Mazzella added, "What was yesterday a dark cloud of corruption hanging over Senator Kennedy's office is today raining on John Kerry's campaign."

See Earlier Story:
Kennedy Dodges Questions on Judicial 'Memogate' (April 7, 2004)

E-mail a news tip to Robert B. Bluey.

Send a Letter to the Editor about this article.

[Young Rhino]

"What was yesterday a dark cloud of corruption hanging over Senator Kennedy's office is today raining on John Kerry's campaign."

Ethical Democrat is an oxymoron.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Mazzella added, "What was yesterday a dark cloud of corruption hanging over Senator Kennedy's office is today raining on John Kerry's campaign."

GOOD!!

[abner]

Yipes Ping!

This was mentioned on Brit Hume tonight also.

[Support Free Republic]

[Howlin]

The campaign manager for Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry is being linked to the Senate Judiciary Committee's "Memogate" controversy, which involves alleged Democratic efforts to delay the confirmation of President Bush's judicial nominees.

[jocon307]

"No. I'm not gonna, uh, re, uh," Kennedy muttered.'

Priceless.

[kayak]

At a Wednesday press conference, when CNSNews.com asked the senator about the memo, Kennedy was quickly escorted from the room by his staff.

My gosh! They've now openly got a keeper for him!

[BigSkyFreeper]

I caught bits and pieces of this on Brit's program tonight, I really didn't get the gist of it, since I was busy at this computer at that time. Now having read this article, it's all starting to come home to roost for Kerry.

[SirFishalot]

Kerry will now probably deny knowing the Butcher of Chappaquiddick, LOL

[Howlin]

Now what was it you were saying about showing memos today? :-)

[EGPWS]

Kennedy and his aides have tried to dismiss the issue.

What, a change of tactics?

I would expect them to blame the RNC for it and insist on hearings!

[MJY1288]

Howlin, We have all witnessed the underhanded and illegal moves the Democrats have made for the past three years, we always wonder why the Bush team doesn't jump all over these issues and we can't help but wonder why they don't do so immediately, but today we saw just one more example of how the Bush team is playing Chess while the Dems play Checkers.

How many times have we've seen the Dems trot out what they consider a political lightning only to see them being electrified by their own inability to see beyond their hatred of President Bush?

I firmly believe that the Bush Admin has nothing to hide and when the facts are placed on the table, the Dems will look bad as usual, because they ignored the gathering threats of the 90's, and anybody that thinks the 9/11 Commission will not report these facts are not giving Gov. Kane and Commissioner Lehman any credit for their hard work in honoring the mission they were given. Politics will have little effect on the final report, Politics play a roll in the media's response to such news events like we saw today, but the truth gets in the way of such committee's as we have here in the 9/11 Commission

[onyx]

Well, whata ya know.

[Keith in Iowa]

>>Ethical Democrat is an oxymoron.

As is "Senate Ethics Committee".

[Mo1]

The campaign manager for Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry is being linked to the Senate Judiciary Committee's "Memogate" controversy, which involves alleged Democratic efforts to delay the confirmation of President Bush's judicial nominees.

Does this mean Kerry will be having surgery on his other shoulder next week?

[PhiKapMom]

Think Rush with his "rope a dope" by the Bush Administration has it nailed. Am beginning to think that some of the issues that conservatives have been so upset with are part of that strategy. Pres Bush has taken issue after issue away from the RATs and with four more years will turn some of those issues around to a more conservative agenda IMHO.

They knew they were going to be in a tough reelection campaign and had to take the issues away from the RATs which has made the RATs hysterical.

Hope someday that Karl Rove writes a book about all of this on how to make your political enemy go nuts!

[stocksthatgoup]

On November 10, 2003, Mary Beth Cahill, chief of staff to Senator Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., replaced Jim Jordan as John Forbes Kerry's campaign manager for the U.S. presidential election, 2004.[1]

Right-wing columnist William Safire, in his November 12, 2003 Op-Ed piece for the New York Times, Never Love a Stranger, writes that Cahill's hiring reflects the "Kennedyization of the Kerry campaign," which "was carried out by Jeanne Shaheen, the former New Hampshire governor. She prevailed on the candidate to fire his longtime manager, Jim Jordan, and replace him with Mary Beth Cahill, Ted Kennedy's chief of staff. Cahill has impeccable far-left credentials, from Emily's List fund-raising to Representative Barney Frank's staff. She is an ideological soulmate of the superb writer and Kennedy Boston braintruster Robert Shrum, who has been battling Jordan to yank Kerry's moderate position over to the demonstrative dovecote."

In February 1999, Cahill, described as a "Capitol Hill veteran", was appointed by President William Jefferson Clinton as Assistant to the President and Director of the Office of Public Liaison. She had "recently left her position as executive director of EMILY's List ("the nation’s largest financial resource for pro-choice Democratic women running for the House, Senate and governor" / "a nonprofit Democratic political action committee"), which provides financial and political assistance to candidates for office. She formerly served as the organization's political director. She ... managed a number of gubernatorial, U.S. Senate, Congressional, and other political campaigns around the country. Ms. Cahill served as director of personnel and as director of the Washington, D.C., office of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts under Governor Michael Dukakis, and ... worked on the staffs of Representatives Robert Drinan and Barney Frank. She received a B.A. degree from Emmanuel College."[2]


External Links

Mary Beth Cahill Wiki Page

[Mo1]

Interesting history Ms. Cahill has there

Would Emily's List be the same group that was with the Dems at the press briefing after the 39 hour filibuster?

[counterpunch]