Copies of the candidate's old DUI arrests - long ago "expunged" from the public record - also were mailed to the candidate's wife.
Political observers say it is a classic attempt at political intimidation aimed at convincing the candidate not to run. He is running against an entrenched Democrat incumbent and if he wins it is very likely the GOP would take control of the state House for the first time in history.
The governor claimed yesterday, at a widely reported news conference, that there were no political figures on the list of people whose records were illegally checked by the politically-connected trooper, but his assertion is belied by the facts.
Meanwhile, the Democrat administration is refusing calls from a variety of public officials, including some ethical Democrats, for the investigation to be turned over to an outside entity such as the FBI or a federal prosecutor. Instead, the Democrat administration is letting the Tennessee Highway Patrol handle the investigation.
That's the same Tennessee Highway Patrol that benefited from the governor's "pay-for-promotions" program in which troopers received promotions in exchange for generous campaign donations from the trooper and their families. It's the same Tennessee Highway Patrol that refused to discipline a high-ranking officer who fixed the Deputy Governor's speeding ticket. That officer is, by the way, the same officer who made hundreds of unauthorized criminal background checks.
Republicans need to gain only four seats in the 99-seat state House to gain a majority. The state's Democrat machine is pulling out all the stops to prevent losing power, and the Republican candidate, businessman A.J. McCall, is one of their key targets. In addition to the above-mentioned dirty tricks, the state Democrat Party is likely to try to sink McCall by allocating significant resources to the campaign of incumbent state Rep. Stratton Bone.
If you can help McCall, please visit his website at www.ajmccall.com and make a donation to his campaign.
Here are the key other news links: The Tennessean: Trooper Snooped on 182
WSMV TV Department Of Safety Won't Release Names Of Individuals On List
TerryFrank.net Blogger Terry Frank details how the Bredesen administration is trying to spin away the facts
BillHobbs.com The Democrats may have been hunting for expunged records
Isnt this the same Trooper that let Dave Cooley off?
And they call us the “smear machine” and “cheaters”?
WOA. The FBI, TBI need to get involved in this one.
It’s not JUST the Tennessee House majority at stake, as important as that is. As the state has shifted republican incrementally, the democrats have shifted the appointment of the 99 County election commissions to allow them to retain majorities on ALL 99 of them.
But the house is their last refuge - and they REALLY want to keep it!