Posted on 10/08/2002 1:38:44 PM PDT by fight_truth_decay
Edited on 04/13/2004 3:29:49 AM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
The executive director of a law enforcement group that endorses Republican gubernatorial nominee Bill Simon said today he had two photos showing then Lt. Gov. Gray Davis accepting a campaign contribution in his state Capitol office -- in violation of the law.
(Excerpt) Read more at bayarea.com ...
I...don't think so. Look carefully at the perspective. If it is a cut and paste...it is from two seperate photos of the men and two seperate photos of the background. The smaller photo was taken by the same camera a few feet to the left of the larger one.
The effect you see could easily be from a properly angled or diffused flash unit.
Congressman Billybob
As I stated earlier either Gray or the other guy knows where that photo was taken. It would be easier for them to say see this is the NON-gov't office located at X location. Since they haven't done that AND the photo appears genuine, I think we have our RAT cornered.
And if the photos are genuine, then Davis and the other guy (who now works in the Davis Administration) are liars and criminals.
Billybob
Yes. On the first, the entire date stamp is on the coat. On the second, only the "1" is on the coat as the rest has be cropped.
In the wrongful death trial brought by the Ron Goldman family, the years-old negatives of O.J. Simpson wearing those Bruno Magli "ugly a** shoes" that he said he would not wear even if he owned them proved he was guilty of the murders he for which he was acquitted.
If the COPS guy who came up with these pics can't produce a negative, Simon's toast.
However, if this does turn out to be slanderous, and the Davis camp DOESN'T go after the guy who supplied the pics, I would bet dollars to donuts that Demo hit man Mulholland set this whole deal up. That slimebag is capable of anything. Remember what he did to Herschensohn.
Look closer to the right. the color doesn't show up as good with the different color background.
calgov2002:
calgov2002: for old calgov2002 articles. calgov2002: for new calgov2002 articles. Other Bump Lists at: Free Republic Bump List Register |
Too much traffic at the Web site?
Photos not showing up!See also this SMALLER image, from http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/news/100802_NW_DAVIS.html:Too much traffic at the Web site?
The California Organization of Police and Sheriffs claimed the photos show Davis taking a check in his Capitol office, in violation of state law.
But the man pictured holding a check at Davis' side denied he ever set foot in Davis' office and an Associated Press inspection found no resemblance between the existing lieutenant governor's office-- which has not moved or been significantly altered --and the room shown in the photos.
Davis aides also strongly denied the charge.
"This is a bogus charge, this is a trumped-up charge and this is not the lieutenant governor's office," said top Davis strategist Garry South. "There's nothing in this office that was in the lieutenant governor's office. Not the artwork, not the doors, not even the carpet. Bogus," he said.
South said Davis was not even in Sacramento when the photos were purportedly taken but at an event with then-Vice President Al Gore in Pacoima _ a claim born out by a newspaper report from the time.
Simon made the original accusation of illegal fund-raising by Davis on Monday, causing a stir after the gubernatorial candidates met for their first debate when he told a crowded press conference he had evidence.
The evidence turned out to be a letter from COPS, one of his main backers, to the state's political watchdog group, and the photos released Tuesday.
At a campaign stop in North Hollywood on Tuesday afternoon, Simon at first stood by his claim.
"Gray Davis and his staff are not dumb. They knew they were accepting a campaign check in a government office that was against the law," he said in prepared remarks.
Under questioning by reporters he backed down.
"We'll let the (Fair Political Practices Commission) decide. They make the findings. I'm not the tribunal here," he said.
The nearly identical photos are date-stamped Jan. 31, 1998, when Davis was running for his first term as governor. They show Davis in an office standing next to Al Angele, then executive director of COPS. Angele and Davis are both holding a corner of a $10,000 check COPS donated to Davis.
Monty Holden, current executive director of COPS, which broke bitterly with Davis to back Simon, told reporters Tuesday that the office Angele and Davis are in is the lieutenant governor's office at the Capitol.
California law makes it a crime to deliver or receive a contribution in state office buildings. The statute of limitations is four years for criminal prosecutions and five years for fines by the Fair Political Practices Commission.
"We believe Gov. Gray Davis has broken the law," Holden said.
Angele denied that the photos, which he said he hadn't seen, were taken in Davis' Capitol office.
"I don't have to see it to tell you it was not the lieutenant governor's office. I've never been in the lieutenant governor's office," said Angele, now a Davis appointee to the state Board of Prison Terms.
Simon acknowledged that his campaign, which gave COPS $100,000 to appear on its slate mailer, had not sought to verify the authenticity of the photographs. He said that was the responsibility of the FPPC.
"Some things have to be proven _ testimony and investigation. I haven't done that," he said.
It wasn't clear where the photos were taken or who took them. Angele said he wasn't sure and South said the governor hadn't seen them and "has no recollection of this whatsoever."
COPS legally delivered the check to the governor's campaign office in Los Angeles, but the photo does not show that transaction, Davis aides said.
South said he and Angele retained lawyers to consider possible legal action against COPS for libel. He also said Simon should follow the lead of Sen. Robert Torricelli, D-N.J., who dropped out of his re-relection contest under an ethics cloud, and withdraw from the race.
Copyright © 2002 KABC-TV and the Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Last Updated: Oct 8, 2002
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.