Free Republic

The Obama campaign and Strickland administration both deny involvement in the "Joe the Plumber" background check, but Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O'Brien still is examining Helen Jones-Kelley's phone records to see who she spoke with around the time when her office accessed confidential state records. Jones-Kelley resigned Wednesday as director of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. However, she still could face criminal charges for authorizing the improper search of computer databases. The probe into a private citizen's confidential records ignited a furor across the country when it was revealed by The Dispatch. O'Brien said he is reviewing...

COLUMBUS — Gov. Ted Strickland Thursday suspended his Ohio Department of Job and Family Services director for one month without pay after a scathing state investigation found she'd improperly mined state computer databases for information on Samuel "Joe the Plumber'' Wurzelbacher. While agreeing she lacked a valid reason for the searches, he resisted calls from Republicans that she be fired. "Helen Jones-Kelley has dedicated her life to helping the most vulnerable among us,'' Mr. Strickland said. "She is recognized nationally as an expert in the field of foster care and she has worked commendably for many years as an advocate...

Gov. Ted Strickland placed the director of the state Department of Job and Family Services on paid leave yesterday for possibly using a state computer and e-mail account for political fundraising. E-mails obtained by The Dispatch show that Helen Jones-Kelley's account was used to assist the presidential campaign of Democrat Barack Obama in raising money. Strickland asked Inspector General Thomas P. Charles to investigate the "unconfirmed" matter, and the governor named Jan Allen, secretary of his cabinet, as acting director of the department. The state e-mails show that Jones-Kelley provided the Obama campaign with the names of 17 potential Dayton-area...