Feds Investigate Dems' Obtaining Steele's Credit Report (Charles Schumer, D-N.Y Staff Member)

WBAL-TV ^ | September 21, 2005 | WBAL-TV

[blake6900]

I wonder why Schumer didn't ask John Roberts his thoughts on illegally obtaining credit information.

[csvset]

Bump.

What the pluck, Chuck?

[falcon1966]

Send comments to:
motley@dscc.org
krupnick@dscc.org
info@dscc.org
Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
Phone (202) 224-2447
Fax (202) 969-0354

[the anti-liberal]

Excerpted from Michelle Malkin, who excperted from Newsday:

Two opposition researchers working for Sen. Charles Schumer at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee obtained copies of a confidential credit report on Maryland's Republican lieutenant governor, prompting calls for their prosecution.

In July, committee research director Katie Barge and Lauren Weiner, a junior staffer, used Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele's Social Security number to get his credit report, according to a Democratic official familiar with the case.

The committee, which works to elect Democrats to the Senate, has been compiling research on Steele, Maryland's highest-ranking African-American official, a GOP contender for the U.S. Senate seat to be vacated by Democrat Paul Sarbanes in 2006.

Barge, a Democratic operative who led the research unit for a liberal media watchdog group run by journalist David Brock before joining the committee in February, reported her actions to the committee's executive director, J.B. Poersch Jr., within hours. Poersch relayed the information to the U.S. attorney's office and suspended the pair with pay until Aug. 31, the official said.

Barge and Weiner resigned earlier this month after an internal investigation. Calls to the FBI, which is probing the case, weren't returned last night.

"The lieutenant governor is the victim of identity theft and would like these people prosecuted to the full extent of the law," Steele's chief of staff Paul Ellington said. "They posed as him to get his credit report. We're not going to say they were going to buy a car with the information they got, but a crime was committed."

Fraudulently obtaining a person's credit report is punishable by a maximum of 2 years in prison, according to the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Phil Singer, a spokesman for the campaign committee, said Schumer, who took over the committee in November 2004 and was chairman when the two staffers were hired, had no knowledge of the actions. "Chuck's only involvement was to report this matter to the authorities immediately after first learning about it," Singer said.

"The DSCC immediately ensured that Mr. Steele's credit report was not used or disseminated to anyone," added Singer, who called the matter an "isolated incident."

And:
Republicans here in Maryland have nailed the desperate Democrats' attempt to smear Steele dead-on:

"If they're trashing you, they fear you," Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R) said. "You don't go to this sort of extreme if you're not fearful."

Also:
at Captain's Quarters, where one commenter bluntly explains the crimes involved:

To obtain a report legally, a signature authorization is required and information is required to obtain the report.

The access of the report is a crime. The distribution of the report is a crime. The acceptance and READING of the report is a crime.

If someone gave the people accessing the report personal information required to obtain the report, they also committed a crime.

Using any of the data on the report against someone is distribution and may even have other criminal elements attached if consideration was requested.

Period.

The people screaming about Plame should be outraged. Everyone upset over identitiy theft should be outraged. Every American should be outraged at this misuse of personal data.

[BlackRain]

Those familiar with the incident, say Katie Barge and Lauren Weiner were working on opposition research in July. They found Steele's Social Security number in a court document and used it to obtain his credit report."

Who Is Katie Barge?

1) Media Matters for America research director Katie Barge worked in the research department of Senator John Edwards' presidential campaign.

2) Katie Barge worked with David Brock, the former right-wing journalist turned liberal, and had overseen a team of researchers.

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0503-04.htm 3) Who Knew Katie Barge was a Karoake Diva?

Katie Barge and Sam Myers, Jr., will compete for the $600 prize next Wednesday night. Sam worked — and we do mean worked — the crowd with Jon BonJovi's "Wanted Dead or Alive," while young Ms. Barge left them swooning with her tingling rendition of "Natural Woman."

http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/politics/TheNote/TheNote_July17.html

We know that you are reading this thread Katie, just wanted to say hi!

[savedbygrace]

I missed that part. I read where it said she resigned, but I didn't get from that that she did it with pay. How do you resign with pay?

[Paleo Conservative]

Of course if this happened on the Republican side, the MSM would be talking about a widespread abuse of power by Congressional Republicans.

[Mo1]

Those familiar with the incident, say Katie Barge and Lauren Weiner were working on opposition research in July. They found Steele's Social Security number in a court document and used it to obtain his credit report.

Throw their rear ends in jail!

[conservative blonde]

Probably CNNCBS etc. will not go with story but FOX's Brit Hume ran with it last night

[Southack]

Katie Barge has spent her adult life as a professional dirty trickster...working under double-agent David Brock and Clintonite John Podesta and Senator Edwards, for the DSCC, as well as for the outrageous agitation and propaganda (AGITPROP) outlet known as "Media Matters."

Katie Barge is living proof that the Left believes that they can only win via political dirty tricks instead of on the merits of their ideology.

[.cnI redruM]

SO why didn't he just have Hil fax the data over?

[caisson71]

SCUMer is at the bottom of the Dimocraps cesspool.

[t_skoz]

[BlackRain]

Katie Barge oversaw opposition researchers who monitored 'conservative' media.

"Some of the researchers wore headphones as they scanned episodes of cable news programs stored on digital recording devices, among them "Hannity & Colmes" on Fox News Channel, "Dennis Miller" on CNBC and "Scarborough Country" on MSNBC. Two researchers have been assigned to cover Mr. Limbaugh, whose program they will regularly transcribe."

No doubt Katie monitors the Freerepublic as well!

[ladtx]

I caught that last night. They just need to keep beating the drum on it, Major Garrett would be a good reporter to sic on 'em.

[Spunky]

"Filegate has been similarly whitewashed. How many New Yorkers know that over 900 FBI background files on potential enemies were secretly obtained by the White House? How many know that Hillary is a key suspect?

Several witnesses have stated that Craig Livingstone, the White House operative who obtained the files, was Hillary's agent, reporting directly to her. This would dovetail with reports that Hillary ran a "war room," whose purpose was to "smear, defame and harm perceived adversaries," as alleged in a lawsuit by Gennifer Flowers.

Hillary's Reign of Terror

These FBI files were found (I think) two years later sitting on a table outside of Hilliary's office (I believe it was)

[Yellow Rose of Texas]

Who is Steele? Sorry to be so uninformed, have been watching hurricanes and the blame Bush for everything folks.

[Arizona Carolyn]

I missed some of Limbaugh today. Did he bring it up?

[lowbridge]

I don't have a specific recollection of that.

http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a388825e95e8e.htm

http://nick.assumption.edu/WebVAX/ETnew/wclin28.html

http://www.judicialwatch.org/archive/1998/119.shtml

Now you have.

[ladtx]

Who is Steele?

Lt. Gov of MD. Bill Bennett has talked to him several times on his radio show a very bright guy. Dems hate him because he's conservative and black and has held a relatively high elected office.