Rep. Martin Frost's (D) aide identified in theft video from Texas redistricting hearing

Republican Party of Texas Press Release | 4/23

[GOPcapitalist]

AUSTIN – Susan Weddington, Republican Party of Texas Chairman, today called on Congressman Martin Frost, D-Arlington, to cooperate with the Department of Public Safety’s investigation into the theft of a state employee’s property.

On April 10, a folio containing congressional redistricting maps was stolen from a committee room in the state capitol. The folio and its contents belong to a GOP legislative aide. DPS has video footage of three men, including one identified as Frost senior aide Gerry Hebert, apparently leaving the committee room with the loot. Shortly after the theft, Rep. Frost produced one of the purloined maps to reporters in Washington, D.C.

“Martin Frost has an obligation to cooperate fully with the Department of Public Safety’s investigation and should immediately explain how he obtained this stolen map,” said Weddington. “If Rep. Frost knew that he was in possession of stolen goods, he has violated Texans’ trust and his most sacred responsibilities as a public servant.”

DPS is investigating the theft as a class B misdemeanor, punishable by up to a $2,000 fine and 180 days in jail. If the pilfered goods were transported from Texas to Washington, D.C., the crime may be a federal offense.

[adam_az]

CAUGHT

[Search4Truth]

Destroying evil BUMP

[Illbay]

Two questions:

1. If they know who did it, why haven't arrests been made?

2. How is this any less of a crime than the Watergate break-ins?

[Mind-numbed Robot]

You, I, and all other people who keep up with what is going on, know that this will come down to no charges being filed because of inability to prove motive. "It was an accident. I thought the folder was one of mine (or ours)." Then the media will pounce on the Republicans for trying to make a big deal of it. Yet, the Republicans in Texas government know what happened and will take appropriate action.

Martin Frost's district was gerrymandered first by Jim Wright and the Democrats who ruled Texas for years. (Like many other areas of the country, Texans were slow in giving up their allegiance to the Democrat Party.) It includes a rather geographically small area but encompasses all the union related industries in the middle of a conservative population. They include a General Motors assembly plant as well as many government defense contractors such as Bell Helicopter and a Lockheed (formally General Dynamics) aircraft plant, that have union labor included in the contracts. That concentration of unionism must be politically neutralized.

[deport]

Excerpt from another article.......

Legislators get OK to redraw election boundaries

[begin]

Meanwhile, an investigator said Wednesday that the Texas Department of Public Safety has not reviewed a videotape that could provide information about a GOP-backed redistricting map and other materials that Republicans allege were stolen from a committee hearing room at the state Capitol.

Mark Simms, a redistricting expert on the staff of House Speaker Tom Craddick, R-Midland, reported the materials stolen.

The surveillance videotape, made available for viewing Wednesday by The Dallas Morning News, shows a series of still frames of three men walking together down a Capitol hallway about 15 minutes after the end of an April 10 redistricting meeting.

One of the men, pulling a rolling briefcase, was identified by various Republicans as lawyer J. Gerry Hebert, a redistricting expert who advises Democrats and worked for a committee chaired by Mr. Frost.

"In light of the fact that the matter's under review, I won't have any comment, other than to say that I categorically deny that any maps or documents were stolen from anyone," Mr. Hebert said from his office in Alexandria, Va.

Neither of the other two people in the video has been identified by investigators or Republicans. One of them, an apparently Hispanic man in a dark suit coat, is shown carrying a tube that Mr. Simms said appears identical to a rolled-up map he had left in the back of the committee room.

The other, a stocky black man in a dark suit, is shown carrying a stack of materials in front of him .

Mr. Simms said Wednesday that the shape, color and order in which the items were stacked exactly matched a stack of materials he had left for safekeeping on a committee clerk's desk at the front of the room – but which subsequently disappeared.

Those items included a large paper envelope topped by a distinctive state officeholder directory, with paper tabs added along one edge.

Mr. Simms said the disputed map was inside a leather folio he left with the committee clerk. The folio itself is not visible on the tape.

E-mail wslater@dallasnews.com and pslover@dallasnews.com

[Constitutionalist Conservative]

How is this playing in the news in Texas?

As far as I know, only the Dallas Morning News is pursuing the story.

[lone star annie]

I live in this creep's district as of the latest redistricting. He is beneath pond scum and will lie, cheat and steal with the best of them. I sure hope the legislature redistricts this creep into oblivian. We have a great GOP candidate that ran against him last time but was very underfunded.

Martin Frost is an arrogant RAT and I will continue to work for his defeat.

[Not A Democrat]

In addition to the GM and Bell Helicopter plants, Frost's district was drawn to include southeast (African-American neighborhoods) and the north side (Hispanic neighborhoods) of Fort Worth, in addition to some minority neighborhoods in Dallas County.

After the latest redistricting, a portion of north Arlington with many GOP voters was added to his district, to connect the Democrat areas in Tarrant and Dallas counties. Frost moved to this GOP area in north Arlington. It would be really easy for the Republicans to draw him out of a district now, if they chose to do so. I sure hope they do. He is scum.

[Mind-numbed Robot]

Thanks for the update.

[Mind-numbed Robot]

Martin Frost is an arrogant RAT and I will continue to work for his defeat.

Keep up the good work. When Frost was first elected and for many years thereafter, he seemed to me to always have the look of someone who was guilty of something and was about to be caught. (I reasoned - Well, he is a Democrat after all, so he is most likely guilty of much that he doesn't want exposed.) However, between 2000 and 2002 he seemed much more at ease and relaxed for some reason. (Was that the time of the last redistricting?) He now looks scared again.

[Revenge Of Daffy-Duck]

btt

[Humidston]

Video of folio taken instead of video taken bump.

[lone star annie]

Frost got a very heavy Democratic district in his last redistricting with all of heavily minority areas of East Fort Worth to South East Fort Worth. Now he is afraid of losing them with Fort Worth being divided with Joe Barton and Kay Granger. All I can say to him is Awww too bad.

[lone star annie]

I live in his new North Arlington district where no self-respecting RAT can win for dog catcher. However, his sweet little district is primarily comprised of minorities.

Story is that Martin could not bring himself to live in his old district so he the poor man needed some cushy digs near the airport. He picked out a house in an upscale neighborhood and then had his RAT buddies include his new house in North Arlington.

[mathluv]

Where is the cry for Frost to step down from his leadership role in congress?

[Gracey]

Thanks GOP for posting this.

[outlawcam]

once his gerrymandered district is dissassembled

You should see it. It's in the shape of a horseshoe.

[Theodore R.]

No, Tom DeLay is NOT a "Rodney King" Republican. The "Rodney King" Republicans tend to be in the state Senate, where 21/31 votes is needed to do much of anything. Many of these senators do not want to "rock the boat."

[friendly]

Let's Roll (over democrat criminals!)