An Ugarte post:
A fan of CasablancaPA gave me some interesting documents and asked me to post the email sent to the House Democrats. Enjoy!
House Democrats:
Most of your staff has been subpoenaed. Bill DeWeese gave partisan Attorney General Tom Corbett even more of your emails and documents then Corbett asked for putting you needlessly at risk. During many of your campaigns, your opponents tarred you with even the most circumstantial connection to the bonusgate investigation.
Demand some balance!
But, don't expect it to come from Corbett easily. He won his re-election and now he is completely focused on winning the 2010 Republican gubernatorial nomination. In fact, he zoomed immediately down to the Republican Governor's Association meeting in Miami. (PolitickerPA 11/12/08)
Corbett's strategy for winning the GOP nomination doesn't include indicting Republican legislators who have contributed hundreds of thousands to his campaigns in the past and whose cash will be needed in the future.
You know there is a strong possibility Corbett will never arrest any Republicans, and it is clear that he certainly has no intention of indicting anywhere near as many Republicans as he did Democrats in July.
Corbett's excuse will be quite simple…the evidence isn't there to follow. Why? Because all the Republican caucus servers and hard drives have been destroyed. The Republicans have admitted as much, and, in fact, this destruction was done with Corbett's complete knowledge -- "The attorney general's investigators were consulted about the changeover of computers, Miskin said." (Tribune Review, 10/16/08)
Don't despair! There is still hope for balance because the House Republicans haven't been able to destroy all the evidence of campaign activity in the House Republican Caucus over the years.
Everyone saw the campaign material on the House Republican servers back in February of 2007. It was widely documented and reported on. ("A tangled web at state house," Inquirer, 2/18/07)
House Democrats:
Most of your staff has been subpoenaed. Bill DeWeese gave partisan Attorney General Tom Corbett even more of your emails and documents then Corbett asked for putting you needlessly at risk. During many of your campaigns, your opponents tarred you with even the most circumstantial connection to the bonusgate investigation.
Demand some balance!
But, don't expect it to come from Corbett easily. He won his re-election and now he is completely focused on winning the 2010 Republican gubernatorial nomination. In fact, he zoomed immediately down to the Republican Governor's Association meeting in Miami. (PolitickerPA 11/12/08)
Corbett's strategy for winning the GOP nomination doesn't include indicting Republican legislators who have contributed hundreds of thousands to his campaigns in the past and whose cash will be needed in the future.
You know there is a strong possibility Corbett will never arrest any Republicans, and it is clear that he certainly has no intention of indicting anywhere near as many Republicans as he did Democrats in July.
Corbett's excuse will be quite simple…the evidence isn't there to follow. Why? Because all the Republican caucus servers and hard drives have been destroyed. The Republicans have admitted as much, and, in fact, this destruction was done with Corbett's complete knowledge -- "The attorney general's investigators were consulted about the changeover of computers, Miskin said." (Tribune Review, 10/16/08)
Don't despair! There is still hope for balance because the House Republicans haven't been able to destroy all the evidence of campaign activity in the House Republican Caucus over the years.
Everyone saw the campaign material on the House Republican servers back in February of 2007. It was widely documented and reported on. ("A tangled web at state house," Inquirer, 2/18/07)
Just this week you saw where John Perzel's district and Harrisburg offices were working closely with political consultants Don Raymond and Joseph Carduff. Capitolwire posted fax confirmation sheets showing how caucus resources and caucus staff were used for political purposes. (Capitolwire, 11/11/08)
You can see the proof at this link here. Paul Towhey and Maureen Popp are Republican Caucus employees.
Don't forget how Rep. Jim Marshall had Judy Jehu, a Republican Caucus employee and bonus receipient, notarize his campaign finance report during the work day. You can see Jehu's handiwork at this link here.
You should demand that Corbett subpoena Towhey, Popp and Jehu and force them to tell a grand jury about all the political campaigning they've done!
Some of the most egregious evidence of Republican campaigning in the State Capitol can be found by looking closely at campaign finance reports. Fortunately, they are stored safely at the Department of State, otherwise I'm sure the House Republicans would have burned them with a wink and a nod from Corbett just like they destroyed the Republican hard drives together.
Just a quick review of a few random Republicans shows that tens of thousands of dollars in contributions to the House Republican Campaign Committee were funneled through State Capitol and District offices. The reports also show how Republican Caucus staff members were organizing HRCC meetings and HRCC retreats.
Here are a few links to examples of Rep. Rick Geist sending contributions to the HRCC to a Republican caucus staff person in the Capitol in 2004 and 2007. Geist has been around a very long time and apparently has been moving money through the Capitol for just as long.
Rep. Gordon Denlinger wanted to make sure someone in the State Capitol got this check for a HRCC retreat in 2004.
Maybe it was Jeanne Schmedlen?
Rep. Adam Harris sent his check for the HRCC political retreat to Schmedlen's office in the Ryan Office Building. You can see it here.
It is likely Schmedlen handled this check from Rep. David Millard in 2006, too.
Did Jeanne Schmedlen spend most of her time organizing events and retreats and meetings for the HRCC? Corbett should subpoena her to force her to answer questions in front of a grand jury.
I got a big kick out of reading this statement from that battle ax Rep. Katie True about the bonusgate investigation:
"It is sad for all of us trying to do the right thing." (Lancaster New Era 7/11/08)
Do you think Katie was doing the right thing when she sent these contributions to the HRCC at the State Capitol in 2006, early 2007 and late 2007? What a blatant hypocrite!
Poor Rep. Nick Micozzie. The "old grey mare ain't what she used to be" and he doesn't know that these very large donations in 2004, 2005 and 2007 should have been to the HRCC, not HRRC. I'll bet the House Republican staff person in the State Capitol these were sent to made sure that the bank cashed the checks anyway.
It is shocking to see how much money to the HRCC Rep. Tom Killion sent to the State Capitol. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 checks to some Republican caucus staff person rounding up donations for the HRCC.
House Republican Capitol and district office staff weren't handling HRCC checks only.
Apparently Frank Linn was running a campaign out of his State Capitol Office. Here is a check from Geist to Frank Linn headquarters in the Capitol.
Killion sent checks in March and July of 2004 to former Rep. Melissa Murphy Weber's campaign office doubling as her official district office. The esteemed Committee of Seventy wouldn't lie about that. Here is the address they had for her District Office…the same one as where Killion sent his checks.
Killion didn't just send money to other suburban Philly legislators. Rep. Dave Reed must have asked him to send this contribution to his brand new office in Indiana. Here is a story about how proud Reed is of his new digs.
You should demand that Corbett follow-up on these contributions and these HRCC retreats! This is evidence that has not been destroyed by the House Republican caucus. Where there is smoke there is fire! How many other Republican members where using their caucus staff to send and receive contributions?
Retiring Rep. Steve Nichol admits that there was campaiging by Republican staff in district offices and in the Capitol. (Lebanon Daily News 7/20/08)
Make sure Corbett aggressively pursue Republicans!
Be sure that Corbett checks into the Senate Republican caucus, too. Newly minted Lt. Governor Joseph Scarnati had a habit of sending contributions to the SRCC and campaign workers in the Capitol.
Demand balance from Corbett!
Whoever you elect your next Majority Leader should demand balance and that Corbett investigate the Republican caucuses just as aggressively as he has investigated the House Democrats!
DeWeese and his Republican attorneys have let Corbett run roughshod over you. Don't let it happen again!
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