Firings panel can’t compel MD4BUSH (FR Mentioned)

The Gazette ^ | 11/04/05 | Thomas Dennison

[conservative in nyc]

The Democrat-controlled panel investigating Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.’s hiring and firing practices cannot legally issue subpoenas to identify the mysterious Internet figure known as MD4BUSH, a key request made by Republicans.

Assistant Attorney General Robert A. Zarnoch, counsel to the General Assembly, said Thursday that the Special Committee on Employee Rights and Protections does not have the legal authority to subpoena records from a Web site where former Ehrlich aide Joseph F. Steffen Jr. made comments about Baltimore Mayor Martin O’Malley’s marriage.

Steffen, an Ehrlich aide, was fired earlier this year after discussing O’Malley (D), who is running for governor, on the conservative site freerepublic.com with someone identified as MD4BUSH.

--Snip--

Unlike the federal government, Maryland has a shield law that prohibits a judicial, legislative or administrative body from compelling a reporter to disclose sources or information obtained ‘‘in the course of pursuing professional activities,” such as news gathering.

--Snip--

Officials from freerepublic.com plan to hold a news conference outside the Washington Post building today at 9:30 a.m. to discuss the MD4BUSH matter.

‘‘The Washington Post played a key role in the furtherance of this dirty trick,” according to a freerepublic.com statement. ‘‘Their role in this scandal has ramifications that go beyond Maryland politics and is reminiscent of Watergate, but with the players’ roles reversed.”

[conservative in nyc]

- Lawyers for the MD General Assembly claim the special committee investigating the MD4Bush affair can't subpoena Free Republic.

- MD has a shield law, which should protect Matthew Mosk from revealing his sources.

- Tomorrow's Free Republic press conference is mentioned at the end of the article.

There's more at the link.

[conservative in nyc]

MD4Bush Ping!

Please FReepmail me if you want on or off the list.

Pass the popcorn!

[DCPatriot]

Hell, that computer hardrive is powdered chalk by now.

[writer33]

Free Republic is to blame for everything!

:)

[conservative in nyc]

The purported reason the Committee can't subpoena FR's logs - it's outside the scope of the Committee:

‘‘Even if we wanted to subpoena the records of freerepublic.com, we couldn’t because it is outside the authority and jurisdiction of the committee,” said Sen. Thomas McLain Middleton (D-Dist. 28) of Waldorf, chairman of the 12-member panel. ‘‘There is clearly nothing in the resolution governing this committee that even comes close to touching MD4BUSH.”

[Rodney King]

The purported reason the Committee can't subpoena FR's logs - it's outside the scope of the Committee:

Well, they can always try just asking for the records.

[Anti-Bubba182]

"Unlike the federal government, Maryland has a shield law that prohibits a judicial, legislative or administrative body from compelling a reporter to disclose sources or information obtained ‘‘in the course of pursuing professional activities,” such as news gathering."

What crap! They don't have to get it from the reporter, he says he doesn't know anyway. They can get the information from FR.

[advance_copy]

OK, so the MD legislature can't (i.e. won't) subpoena the FR recors. Fine, FR's user agreement was violated by WaPo, their "intermediary", and MD4BUSH. FReepers can no longer be confident their FReepmail is private. Our right to FReedom of association has been violated. Civil action should result.

Also, as HAL9000 pointed out, the Electronic Communications Privacy Act may also have been violated. That would be a federal offense.

The Washington Post is published in DC, making the jurisdiction for any crimes or civil action a federal matter. Maryland's shield law may protect WaPo reporters from the MD courts, but not from the U.S. courts.

[mr.sarcastic]

...it's outside the scope of the Committee

Well isn't that convenient...

[conservative in nyc]

I had to delete the relevant portion of the article due to copyright restrictions. According to the article, Senate Minority Leader J. Lowell Stoltzfus (R) was intimating that he wanted to subpoena Washington Post reporter Matthew Mosk as well as Free Republic.

[Anti-Bubba182]

FR is the main source. It can link MD4Bush with MDDems.org.

[muawiyah]

Still, the Washington Post is actually PRINTED in Springfield, Virginia, right down the street from me. Seems to me you can sue their pants off in FDC in Alexandria. Parking is much more convenient than in DC.

[FlingWingFlyer]

Time for a leak? They do seem to be in fashion this year.

[fire and forget]

Apologies for interjecting with an off-topic question. Bush was criticized at some point for his jogging and fitness regimen. I'm presently in a debate with a lefty. Thought I could quickly find reference to this but am having trouble. Can anyone help?

Thanks in advance.

[Enterprise]

Jail the scoundrels! ! !

[ElkGroveDan]

Steffen, an Ehrlich aide, was fired earlier this year after discussing O’Malley (D), who is running for governor, on the conservative site freerepublic.com with someone identified as MD4BUSH.

Someone got a link to the thread? Or were they using FreepMail?

[bad company]

Ping!

[conservative in nyc]

Steffen, an Ehrlich aide, was fired earlier this year after discussing O’Malley (D), who is running for governor, on the conservative site freerepublic.com with someone identified as MD4BUSH.

Some of his comments were on the public forum (something like yeah, I heard that too, when others raised the rumor). But the most incriminating quotes used by the Washington Post were in Freepmails from Steffen (NCPAC) to MD4Bush. Those FReepmails were dumped here, among other places, right before the WaPo's first article was published.

[ElkGroveDan]

OK I got it now. Funny thing both accounts are still active, though MD4BUSH hasn't psoted in quite a while.

[writer33]

Yep. Time for a special prosecutor and indictments for Jim Robinson!

:)