Posted on 09/24/2002 11:00:19 AM PDT by Dog
Harkin staff issues apology to Ganske campaign
By Todd Dorman
. DES MOINES — U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin’s campaign manager apologized Monday after acknowledging that his staff released the transcript of a closed-door Ganske for Senate campaign meeting, while Republicans called for a criminal probe to find out who taped the private proceedings.
. Citizens for Harkin Campaign Manager Jeff Link said no one associated with the campaign attended the Sept. 3 meeting at the Hotel Savery in Des Moines, where Ganske promised an aggressive campaign against Harkin.
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Link said the Harkin campaign later obtained a transcript of the remarks which Harkin’s “press operation’’ then passed on to Lee Enterprises Des Moines Bureau Chief Kathie Obradovich. Obradovich wrote about the transcript in a column that appeared in Monday’s Quad-City Times, saying it had been provided to her by Democratic sources.
. U.S. Rep. Greg Ganske is running to unseat Harkin, a Democrat, in the November election.
. “Senator Harkin has indicated in the strongest possible terms that this was clearly unacceptable,’’ Link said in a statement. “As campaign manager, I take full responsibility for it, and on behalf of the campaign, I apologize to Congressman Ganske and his campaign.’’
. In a statement released at 9 p.m. Monday, the Ganske campaign called on Harkin's staff to disclose what they know about how the recording was made and pledged to “continue to pursue...legal remedies against the Harkin campaign and its agents.”
. “A partial apology from one member of a conspiracy is not enough,” Ganske spokesman Ann Warren said in the statement.
. While visiting Eisenhower School in Davenport Monday morning, Harkin denied his campaign taped the meeting, or that he had authorized it. “We had no campaign staff there,” he said.
. Link did not say how the Harkin campaign obtained the transcript or who taped the Ganske meeting. Earlier on Monday, Iowa Republican leaders asked state and federal law enforcement agencies to investigate, charging that the meeting was covertly recorded either through the use of a bugging device or by someone in the room wearing a “wire.’’
. “Clearly, a very serious breach of privacy has occurred,’’ said Chuck Larson Jr., chair of the Republican Party of Iowa, at a Statehouse media briefing. Larson wrote letters to the U.S. Attorney’s office in Des Moines and to the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation seeking a criminal inquiry. “Without doubt, someone was either wearing a wire in the room or the room had been bugged.’’
. But Republicans declined to directly accuse the Harkin campaign of wrongdoing.
. “I don’t think it would be appropriate at this time to speculate,’’ Larson said. But he called on Democrats to disavow such tactics and assist any inquiry.
. Iowa Democratic Party Vice Chairman Rob Tully dismissed what he viewed as mudslinging and said, “Any assertion of illegal activity here is completely ludicrous.’’
. According to Iowa law, it is not illegal to tape communications if the person “is a party to the communication or one of the parties to the communication has given prior consent” to the interception.
. The law also states that taping under those circumstances is not illegal unless it was done “for the purpose of committing a criminal or tortious act” in violation of the Constitution or U.S. laws or “for the purpose of committing any other injurious act.”
. A separate section of state law provides that anyone who is “openly present and participating in or listening to a communication” is not prohibited from recording the message or communication.
. Republicans contended planting of a listening device would clearly violate state and federal laws. But they also argue whoever secretly taped the meeting intended to injure Ganske’s election chances, and therefore, broke the law.
. And GOP leaders contended that penalties would extend to anyone who distributed the tape or transcript if they knew it was obtained illegally.
. “What happened here cries out to be investigated,’’ said Alan Ostergren, a former federal prosecutor and current assistant Muscatine County attorney who appeared at Monday’s briefing with Larson.
. Al Overbaugh, spokesman for U.S. Attorney Steve Colloton, said Larson’s request is being “reviewed.’’ Sgt. Robert Hansen, spokesman for the Iowa Department of Public Safety, said state investigators are evaluating the case.
. The transcript was taken from a Sept. 3 campaign meeting that Ganske’s campaign manager Bill Armistead said included about two-dozen supporters. They met in the Eleanor Roosevelt Room of the Savery Hotel along with campaign staff. White House political affairs director Ken Mehlman also joined the meeting by phone. The Ganske campaign did not tape the meeting, Armistead said, so it could not verify every detail of the 12-page transcript.
. “Greg Ganske, we think, makes a lot more sense for the people of Iowa than Senator Harkin does,’’ Mehlman said according to the transcript as he briefed the supporters on how the Ganske-Harkin race is “incredibly important’’ in the overall effort by Republicans to retake the Senate.
. Ganske then answered several questions from the group about his campaign’s status and strategy. The transcript highlights a quote attributed to Ganske saying, “You’ve never seen a campaign where anyone will attack (Harkin) like we’re going to. With a smile on our face. Not angry, not growling or scowling, just being so happy that we are just going to whip back the stress from our shoulders.’’ A fund-raising pitch followed.
. Armistead said the Ganske campaign has not yet contacted all the meeting participants. He said those who have been contacted deny taping the proceedings. A request for a complete list of attendees was not granted Monday.
Yep. The defense on this one was that they found it in a dung heap. ;^)
Geez! Does our side ALWAYS have to be so polite?
Speculate!!!
Just move on again, folks, nothing to see here. Criminal activity on behalf of RAT candidates is acceptable and not even reportable in lamestream press.
How can he say this? When the Bush videotape of practice debates wound up in Democrat hands, they turned it over to the FBI and people were prosecuted. Why is this different?
-PJ
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