Posted on 09/03/2007 3:54:27 PM PDT by Roberts
NEW YORK A couple who wrote a letter to the editor of a small community paper in Colorado were surprised to receive a threatening phone call at home complaining about it -- from a U.S. congressman.
Rep. Doug Lamborn left two voice mails after they questioned his acceptance of campaign contributions from the gambling industry. In one he said there would be "consequences" if the couple did not respond. In his messages, reprinted by the Denver Post today, Lamborn appeal to them as "brothers and sisters in Christ" and asked them to call him to discuss their "blatantly false" letter.
Jonathan Bartha is employed by the group Focus on the Family. "His wife, a board member of Falcon School District 49, worked for two months as a scheduler for candidate Jeff Crank during a bitter, six-way Republican primary race for the 5th Congressional District seat," the Post observed.
"We felt very threatened and intimidated, and quite frankly, scared," Anna Bartha told the Post. "It was just not anything we would ever anticipate an elected official would pursue or a way that an elected official would conduct himself."
When asked what he meant when he said there would be "consequences," Lamborn told the Post: "When someone tells a lie, it just has bad consequences."
But the Post noted: "Three days after leaving the messages on the Barthas' voice mail, Lamborn wrote an open letter to Greg Garcia, chair of the El Paso County Republicans, asking him to investigate."
The following is a text of two voice messages that Lamborn left, as published by the Post.
* FIRST MESSAGE: "Hello, this is Doug Lamborn calling for either Jonathan or Anna. Something very serious has happened. There was a letter to the editor that you both put in your names to the editor of the Woodmen Edition and there is something that is blatantly false in that letter.
"I would like to get together with you and show this to you and appeal to you as a brother and sister in Christ. You didn't give me that opportunity but I am happy to overlook that and deal with you on that level because I think that is the right thing to do and show you where you made a blatant, wrong statement.
"Now there are consequences to this kind of thing, but I would like to work with you in a way that is best for everyone here concerned. So please call me at your earliest convenience. It is now 2:40 (p.m.) on Saturday afternoon.
SECOND MESSAGE: "Hello, this is Doug Lamborn again, I'm finishing up my message from a moment ago. I got cut off. It is critical that you get back to me as soon as possible on this because I'll be going back to Washington here in a few days and I have to make sure that this is resolved one way or another. And like I said I'd rather resolve this on a Scriptural level but if you are unwilling to do that I will be forced to take other steps, which I would rather not have to do. So please call me. This is essential. Call me by tonight, Saturday night and we can get together sometime Sunday afternoon."
That isn’t a threat.
Doesn’t sound threatening to me.
I don’t think I saw any party designation for the Congressman......shall we all take a guess?
It will be after the Dems get through spinning it.
AKA Douglas L. Lamborn Born: 24-May-1954 Birthplace: Leavenworth, KS Gender: Male Religion: Protestant Race or Ethnicity: White Occupation: Politician Party Affiliation: Nationality: United States Executive summary: Congressman, Colorado 5th Father: Robert Lamborn Mother: Madeline Brockman Lamborn (d.) Brother: Bobby Wife: Jeanie (four sons, one daughter) Daughter: Eve
Sounds like a threat to me.
He’s a Pub.
Pubbie...this article was discussed earlier. :)
Cooperate, for the love of God. You cannot refuse this offer.
Charming, indeed. Lamborn was far from being my first choice for the 5th CD ... precisely because this is the kind of stuff he does.
Lamborn replaced Joel Hefley in the 5th Congressional District in Colorado Springs. You know, the town where Focus on the Family is based.
They have a hate-filled rag called the Colorado Springs Independent, one of whose writers is the sister of Diana DeGette, who replaced Pat Schroeder as Denver’s liberal congresswoman.
They are chomping at the bit to defame the republicans. They’re typical loony lefties like you see on DU... Garbage with the conceit of a Dauphin.
They've got the whole make an accusation ... then play the victim role down pat.
"We felt very threatened and intimidated, and quite frankly, scared," Anna Bartha told the Post. "It was just not anything we would ever anticipate an elected official would pursue or a way that an elected official would conduct himself."
Unless I heard the audio, knew that it was the Congressman's voice, I'd chock this up to a pathetic bid for attention.
Sounds like you know the situation, so I ask:
Lamborn stated their letter to the editor was false. Did Lamborn accept money from gambling interests, as they charged?
He is a Republican. I am sure this as so many assualts right now are being put out by the dimwits.
No indication as to what they wrote and whether or not it is true or blatantly false as he claims. If the statements are demonstrably false, then I approve of his approach. If they are true then it looks like he is trying to intimidate them.
Sounds like a threat of legal action. That is not an illegal threat.
Word has it, Jeff Crank is challenging him in the primary again. Is Crank a viable candidate this time?
yep....this was discussed and pursued to its end a few hrs ago on this thread:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1890523/posts
That aside, check out this OTHER DeGette-person who writes endless articles about Lamborn in the “colorado confidential”:
http://www.coloradoconfidential.com/tag.do?tag=Doug+Lamborn
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