LoungeMachine
06-13-2006, 12:53 AM
Rove mum on phone-jamming scandal
By JOHN DISTASO
Senior Political Reporter
31 minutes ago
Deputy White House Chief of Staff Karl Rove refused last night to talk about the 2002 Republican phone-jamming scandal that has led to the convictions of three GOP operatives.
Before speaking to about 500 activists at the New Hampshire Republican State Committee's annual dinner, Rove was asked by the New Hampshire Union Leader to comment on the operation, in which Democrats allege he may have had a role.
"Listen to my speech," Rove said. "It will be a good one for you." The speech was a defense of Bush administration economic and foreign policy and did not mention phone jamming.
"I'm here to tell you this is a red (Republican) state," Rove told the party faithful. He thanked New Hampshire for teaching President George W. Bush a lesson in 2000 by favoring John McCain in the GOP Presidential primary and for then giving him its four key electoral votes in November of that year.
White House adviser Karl Rove speaks at the Republican Party's annual fundraising dinner in Manchester Monday. (AP)
Across Elm Street at Veteran's Park, about 100 people demonstrated against Rove. Some held signs saying, "Karl Rove, 666," "Karl Rove: Traitor, Criminal."
State GOP Chairman Wayne Semprini said the party expected to raise $55,000 to $60,000 last night. He has acknowledged that some of it will help pay the state committee's legal defense bills in a civil lawsuit filed by the New Hampshire Democratic Party over the phone-jamming scandal.
Rove has also appeared before a federal grand jury five times as part of a federal probe into the lead of a CIA's operative's identity. Rove's attorney has said a special counsel has told him that Rove is not a target of the probe.
But Democratic organizations blasted Rove.
"It is fitting that one of the main architects of the Republican Party's win-at-all-cost mentality would come to Manchester to try to rescue the New Hampshire Republican Party, which has been virtually bankrupted by a criminal conspiracy to disenfranchise New Hampshire voters," said Democratic National Committee spokesman Damien LaVera.
Former Republican National Committee chairman Ed Gillespie said last month that he told someone at the White House he had decided to have the RNC pay the legal defense bills for convicted phone-jamming conspirator James Tobin. He said he could not remember who he told.
Telephone records from Tobin's federal trial last December revealed that Tobin and former state GOP officials made dozens of telephone calls to the White House political affairs office in the weeks and days leading up to the illegal operation. Current RNC chair Ken Mehlman, who headed the political affairs office in 2002, has said an assistant in his office received the calls, which had nothing to do with phone jamming.
Rove told the Union Leader two years ago that given the many campaigns in which he has been involved, "I'm sure I've encountered" phone jamming "somewhere along the line, but I don't know enough about it to comment."
Democrats have long been trying to link the phone-jamming operation to the White House, which state Republican attorney Ovide Lamontagne last night called "ridiculous."
Former state GOP executive director Charles McGee has admitted engineering the plan to jam get-out-the-vote telephone lines at five state Democratic office and the Manchester Professional Firefighters Association headquarters on the morning of Election Day 2002, when Republican John E. Sununu defeated Democratic former Gov. Jeanne Shaheen.
In his speech, Rove said the Bush administration, faced with an economic crisis after Sept. 11, 2001, "went back to our roots" and has "cut taxes every single year since this President has been office."
Defending the war in Iraq, Rove said the Saddam Hussein was a threat to America, the Middle East and the world.
"We were absolutely right to remove him from power and we have no excuses to make for it," said Rove.
Democrats, such as Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., who initially supported the war but are now calling for withdrawal, "may be with you for the first shots, but they're not going to be there for the last tough battles."
State Republican National Committeeman Tom Rath introduced Rove with a reminder that the status of the state's first-in-the-nation Presidential primary is under attack by "a narrow band of extremists in the national Democratic Party.
"There is no greater defender of the primary than the President of the United States and Karl Rove," Rath said.
Republicans paid $100 a ticket for last night's dinner, while about 100 people paid $250 for a private pre-dinner reception with Rove.
Several state senators and House members attended the dinner, but no members of the state's all-GOP congressional delegation appeared. Reps. Jeb Bradley and Charles Bass were in the state to file for reelection yesterday afternoon, but then headed back to Washington what spokesman described as legislative business. Rove said they crossed paths at the airport.
By JOHN DISTASO
Senior Political Reporter
31 minutes ago
Deputy White House Chief of Staff Karl Rove refused last night to talk about the 2002 Republican phone-jamming scandal that has led to the convictions of three GOP operatives.
Before speaking to about 500 activists at the New Hampshire Republican State Committee's annual dinner, Rove was asked by the New Hampshire Union Leader to comment on the operation, in which Democrats allege he may have had a role.
"Listen to my speech," Rove said. "It will be a good one for you." The speech was a defense of Bush administration economic and foreign policy and did not mention phone jamming.
"I'm here to tell you this is a red (Republican) state," Rove told the party faithful. He thanked New Hampshire for teaching President George W. Bush a lesson in 2000 by favoring John McCain in the GOP Presidential primary and for then giving him its four key electoral votes in November of that year.
White House adviser Karl Rove speaks at the Republican Party's annual fundraising dinner in Manchester Monday. (AP)
Across Elm Street at Veteran's Park, about 100 people demonstrated against Rove. Some held signs saying, "Karl Rove, 666," "Karl Rove: Traitor, Criminal."
State GOP Chairman Wayne Semprini said the party expected to raise $55,000 to $60,000 last night. He has acknowledged that some of it will help pay the state committee's legal defense bills in a civil lawsuit filed by the New Hampshire Democratic Party over the phone-jamming scandal.
Rove has also appeared before a federal grand jury five times as part of a federal probe into the lead of a CIA's operative's identity. Rove's attorney has said a special counsel has told him that Rove is not a target of the probe.
But Democratic organizations blasted Rove.
"It is fitting that one of the main architects of the Republican Party's win-at-all-cost mentality would come to Manchester to try to rescue the New Hampshire Republican Party, which has been virtually bankrupted by a criminal conspiracy to disenfranchise New Hampshire voters," said Democratic National Committee spokesman Damien LaVera.
Former Republican National Committee chairman Ed Gillespie said last month that he told someone at the White House he had decided to have the RNC pay the legal defense bills for convicted phone-jamming conspirator James Tobin. He said he could not remember who he told.
Telephone records from Tobin's federal trial last December revealed that Tobin and former state GOP officials made dozens of telephone calls to the White House political affairs office in the weeks and days leading up to the illegal operation. Current RNC chair Ken Mehlman, who headed the political affairs office in 2002, has said an assistant in his office received the calls, which had nothing to do with phone jamming.
Rove told the Union Leader two years ago that given the many campaigns in which he has been involved, "I'm sure I've encountered" phone jamming "somewhere along the line, but I don't know enough about it to comment."
Democrats have long been trying to link the phone-jamming operation to the White House, which state Republican attorney Ovide Lamontagne last night called "ridiculous."
Former state GOP executive director Charles McGee has admitted engineering the plan to jam get-out-the-vote telephone lines at five state Democratic office and the Manchester Professional Firefighters Association headquarters on the morning of Election Day 2002, when Republican John E. Sununu defeated Democratic former Gov. Jeanne Shaheen.
In his speech, Rove said the Bush administration, faced with an economic crisis after Sept. 11, 2001, "went back to our roots" and has "cut taxes every single year since this President has been office."
Defending the war in Iraq, Rove said the Saddam Hussein was a threat to America, the Middle East and the world.
"We were absolutely right to remove him from power and we have no excuses to make for it," said Rove.
Democrats, such as Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., who initially supported the war but are now calling for withdrawal, "may be with you for the first shots, but they're not going to be there for the last tough battles."
State Republican National Committeeman Tom Rath introduced Rove with a reminder that the status of the state's first-in-the-nation Presidential primary is under attack by "a narrow band of extremists in the national Democratic Party.
"There is no greater defender of the primary than the President of the United States and Karl Rove," Rath said.
Republicans paid $100 a ticket for last night's dinner, while about 100 people paid $250 for a private pre-dinner reception with Rove.
Several state senators and House members attended the dinner, but no members of the state's all-GOP congressional delegation appeared. Reps. Jeb Bradley and Charles Bass were in the state to file for reelection yesterday afternoon, but then headed back to Washington what spokesman described as legislative business. Rove said they crossed paths at the airport.