Democrats used state funds to research foes

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ^ | July 20, 2008 | Dennis B. Roddy and Tracie Mauriello

[PittsburghAfterDark]

HARRISBURG -- As the pivotal 2006 legislative election season began, top Democratic House aides, using state resources, undertook a wide-ranging opposition research campaign into both Democratic and Republican office seekers, e-mails show.

The project was spearheaded by Eric Webb, director of the Democratic Office of Member Services, who, on Jan. 31, sent e-mails to state employees advising them to begin digging up information on 35 declared and potential candidates for the state House.

"We are mainly looking for bad things: liens, bankruptcies, homicides ... you get the picture," Mr. Webb advised a dozen House colleagues via their state e-mail accounts. Employees were asked to use LexisNexis, an online search service that makes use of thousands of databases. The state had several LexisNexis accounts that a grand jury later said were used for opposition research.

[PittsburghAfterDark]

Think this would go unnoticed by a Republican led legislature?

[Jet Jaguar]

ping

[backhoe]

Thanks- I never have that Gomer Pyle “Surprise, surprise!” graphic handy when I want it.

[Political Junkie Too]

You mean it's not all their money to do with as they please?

-PJ

[xDGx]

The corruption is pretty deep when even the left-wing socialist rag (Pgh Post-Gazette) has to run stories on it.

They usually go for YEARS without even mentioning this stuff.

[A. Morgan]

[lowbridge]

bump

[paudio]

The authors worked their best to show that this was not an inter-party issue because the victims are both Democrats and Republicans. Despite mentioning that that year the majority party in the state legislature changed from Republicans to Democrats, they only interviewed two victims, both Democrats.

[backhoe]

Thanks!

[tbpiper]

Clearly, for the Democrats, there’s never a ‘controlling legal authority’.

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

Mr. Webb included a template that included the person's name, House district, date of birth, and first five numbers of the candidate's social security number.

My state tax dollars at work (snort!). This guy and the others all need hardcore jail time, if for nothing else, the misuse of social security numbers.

[originalbuckeye]

We have to start repeating, ad infinitum:

The Democrat Culture of Corruption
The Democrat Culture of Corruption
The Democrat Culture of Corruption

[Publius6961]

Democrats used state funds to research foes

Am I supposed to make the (much too subtle) inference that this might be illegal?

Is it OK to ask that?

[FFranco]

Think this would go unnoticed by a Republican led legislature?

---

No Republican would ever do anything like this.

[Psycho_Bunny]

“Culture of corruption”

[sionnsar]

The Democrat Culture of Corruption

A bit redundant, that.

[centurion316]

Pennsylvania seems to be getting a number of stark reminders of the price you pay when you sign up with the Devil (Democrat Party). One wonders if Pennsylvania voters will come to their senses, or decide that they like the ambrosia that the Devil is issuing forth.

[mrmargaritaville]

I believe that if someone digs deep enough the Veon web of corrupt and criminal activity will lead right to Rendell’s doorstep. He has been VERY quite lately-maybe for good reason.

[SunkenCiv]

November 2008 — Be There.