Police To Investigate Campaign Taping: Who Taped Ganske's Campaign Meeting?

The Iowa Channel ^ | 9/25/02

[Jean S]

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Des Moines police will start a criminal investigation Thursday into the secret taping of a private U.S. Senate campaign meeting for Greg Ganske, meanwhile the person who made the tape is agreeing to cooperate with authorities.

Officials with the Polk County Attorney's office said there was enough evidence to proceed with a formal investigation. Ganske is running against incumbent Sen. Tom Harkin.

 SURVEY

A Ganske campaign meeting was secretly taped..and Harkin campaign officials released the transcript to the media. Does this event affect who you will vote for?

Yes..Changing My Vote

No..Makes No Difference

Not Sure Yet

Don't Know

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What the Des Moines Police Department and a prosecutor with the Polk County Attorney's office are trying to find out is how did a word-for-word transcription of a meeting at the Hotel Savery involving Greg Ganske supporters make it to the Tom Harkin campaign and then to a reporter.

Attorney's said the other key question they want answered, "did anyone break either state or federal laws?"

The person who can shed on exactly what happened has contacted a Des Moines law firm, which late Wednesday released a statement to the media. In that statement the person said they turned over the tape to a Harkin staffer because they were "incensed by Congressman Ganske's attitude."

You can read the entire statement by clicking here.

Timeline:

• Friday: Ganske campaign officials said they learned that someone had taped one of their private campaign meetings and leaked transcripts to the media.

• Monday: Harkin campaign denies knowledge of meeting transcript. Monday night, manager Jeff Link said a junior-level campaign staffer turned over the transcript to newspaper reporter Kathie Obradovich. Link said Harkin believes what happened was unacceptable and Link said that as campaign manager he is taking responsibility for what happened.

• Tuesday: State Republican leaders and Ganske campaign officials turned over evidence to the U.S. attorney, Polk County Attorney and the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation.

• Wednesday: Criminal investigation started into campaign taping.

Impact On Campaign?
Political experts tell us they are watching this event's impact on voters closely.

A non-scientific IowaChannel.com survey finds that 40 percent of those who took part say the taping of the secret meeting will influence their vote in this campaign. Another 50 percent tell us the event has not changed their decision.

The story has received national media attention. Articles have appeared on political Web sites for CBS, CNN, ABC, NBC, the Washington Post and others.

Look for more on this developing story on KCCI NewsChannel 8.

[Cicero]

It sounds as if the story is going to be that some outsider did it on his own, without any prior knowledge on the part of Harkin or his staff, 'because they were "incensed by Congressman Ganske's attitude." '

Whether or not that is true, if he sticks to it it will probably take some of the heat off of Harkin.

It's interesting that this news source doesn't seem to want to know who the man is or who he works for.

[TennesseeProfessor]

I noticed they didn't mention who was the Democrat and who was the Republican.... wonder why?

[patj]

Doesn't this all sound so familiar? Shades of the Bush debate tape that someone sent to Gore.

[RJayneJ]

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