Posted on 09/24/2004 7:08:11 PM PDT by kristinn
Swift boat veteran suspended 9/24/2004, 5:23 p.m. PT The Associated Press
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A Clackamas County prosecutor has been suspended for two weeks without pay because he used office equipment to prepare his affidavit as one of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, District Attorney John Foote said Friday.
Alfred French, a senior deputy district attorney, used the computer in his office to receive and print a draft of the affidavit on July 21. On the same day, he asked a legal secretary in the office to notarize the document, Foote said in a statement.
The Swift Boat veterans accused Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry of exaggerating his Vietnam war record to win medals. The charges have not been substantiated.
In a Swift Boat ad, French said "I served with John Kerry. ... He is lying about his record." In the sworn affidavit, he said Kerry "wildly exaggerated and lied about his record in Vietnam."
French subsequently acknowledged he relied on the accounts of his friends and did not witness Kerry in combat. That admission led to pickets outside his office and complaints of unethical conduct to the state bar.
"We recognize that the discipline is particularly strong in light of a single incident of misconduct," Foote said. "However, in light of the impact it has had on the daily operations of this office, the discipline is appropriate and warranted."
Calls to French's home late Friday were met with busy signals.
The suspension started on Monday and will last until Oct. 4. French will lose more than $4,200, Foote said.
Foote said the legal secretary who notarized the affidavit will not be punished because she was not aware of its political purpose.
French had been on paid leave, using vacation time, since last month, when he acknowledged an extramarital affair with a secretary more than a decade ago, and lying about it to a former supervisor.
The woman in question still works at the district attorney's office but does not report to French. Foote said he considers that matter closed.
"While we do not condone French's personal conduct, we believe it is a private matter."
The problem is that all office employees magically find time to use computers for their own "stuff"
This is no worse that buying on ebay or sending personal email.
This man did not use office leterhead or his position.
I think this revenge suspension should be used against the DA. The problem is that most of these local DA's never have opposition from other attorneys because of the carreer damage for loosing.
This also makes the Swifties cause all the more valient and points more to the vile nature of the Kamp Kerry.
Remember the Clintonistas of FBI files and IRS investigations are back in the saddle.
This is the face of the democrat (gay) party.
Of course there's an agenda. That's why he should not even teporarily had those files on his computer. He lives in a RATS' nest. He's a lawyer, a prosecutor. One would think he would understand the problems he could get into with this issue.
Using office equipment for personal use is risky. If they decide to fire you for this, you really don't have any recourse. It's actually stealing.
Most employers look the other way for minimal infringements, but it's still not a wise thing to do.
Guaran-d**n-tee you that this wouldn't have happened had he not been with Swift Vets.
Contrast that with Blather and that Mapes woman.
Only conservative Republicans (and some Libertarians) are held to lofty standards.
Should be KKKerry. (or, F**kface as some in the Blogosphere have referred to him as. ;) )
The problem is that employees commonly use courthouse computers for personal stuff. The ONLY time it really becomes an issue is when official letterhead is used.
There is selective enforcemtn involved here because I can guarantee other such violations have not been prosecuted.
How many have recieved divorce papers from their lawyers via fax or email for approval?
Perhaps wer should be discussing how much contact this prosecutor had with the Kerry Campaign? Why would they have "investigated" his computer?
Regardles of the suspesion, this show more Nixonian watergate dirty tricks which can hurt kamp kerry.
This Dum Dim prosector has also just created a candidate to oppose him in the next election.
It is not like he has must advancement in the prosecutors office in his future.
Heaven help the posecutor if this vet becomes a judge.
Very true, but is there consistency in punishments? If not, then the gentleman could sue
How often do you receive and print out, and have notarized documents that will be used in an ad campaign against the DemocRAT Presidential nominee? Being a prosecutor, I would have expected him to understand that it would be radioactive.
I am self employed.
all true. and he has been "punished"
Now we investigate the Prosecutor's Office for 1. investigating the man's computer 2. who called the Prosecutor's office to get them to investigate the computer. 3. Do the Prosecutors phone records reflect calls to the Kerry Kamp?
They had their fun, now we have ours.
If this vet was not supposed to do political stuff, NEITHER was the Chief. Its only fair.
BWAHAHAHAHAH
OK. I am a bit crabby today, sorry about that.
I have had mucho problems with employees this year, but it hasn't made me touchy at all. ;)
Fair? You expect fairness from RATS?
It is a problem, even for me. I am just so amped about this election and the events going on the world right now, its hard to really focus 100%
Someone should fire the computer network administrator of Clackamas County, Oregon for not blocking Google and other indexing websites from having access to email on their servers. There has to be an incredible amount of very sensitive information that goes through their email server. If any of that information were leaked via Google, it could have serious consequences. Imagine if a list of undercover cops were disclosed or potential witness lists for cases that are under investigation. I could imagine that lives would be at stake. For that matter shouldn't the District Attorney take responsibility for his office not having secure email communication? I bet the local paper in Portlandl, Oregon would be interested in the lax computer security in the prosecutor's office.
Using this as precedent, Dan Rather should not only be fired but forced to sit naked for a month in front of CBS with a "guilty!" sign around his neck.
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