Two pieces of blockbuster news today in the ongoing NH phone-jamming scandal.
1) NH Democrats detail, in 10 damning pages, the evidence the NH’s US Attorney Thomas Colantuono stone-walled and “slow-walked” the investigation of the 2002 Election Day crime where the NH Republican State Committee paid a Virginia telemarketing firm $15,600 (having just received $15,000 from Abramoff clients), some of which went to pay an Idaho telemarketing firm to make repeated hang-up phone calls to Democrats’ ride to the polls lines. (Josh Marshall posted that 10page document as 10 html pages; it’s here as one 10-page pdf file.)
2) James Tobin’s conviction has been overturned by the US Appeals Court, on the grounds the NH’s US Attorney Thomas Colantuono chose the wrong statute to use in prosecuting him. I did predict this result in January, after the appeals court hearing at which I was the only “reporter.”
Update:Here’s a text file of the court’s opinion. They don’t acquit Tobin, but remand his case back to the courts of NH to be re-tried. Poor Mr. Tobin.
Update: Yet more documents :
- 20030207Union Leader Article first public report of phone-jamming on Election Day 2002 (pdf)
- 20030210 Democrats ask US Attorney to investigate phone jamming (pdf)
- 20031216 McGees statement to FBI (pdf)
- 20041015Motion to Intervene & Stay Discovery.pdf
- 20050512RqSpecPros.pdf
- 20051205Tobin Trial Re Darrell Henry.pdf
- 20061004Tobin Legal Bills in relation to payments to NE Strategies.pdf
- 20061013Darrell HenryDepositionTranscript.pdf
- Lobbying contract of NH Senator John E Sununu’s father John E Sununu (2002)
- Darrell Henry American Gas Assoc.doc
- 20070321 Democrats ask Senator Leahy to investigate DOJ handling of phone jamming (pdf)
5 responses so far ↓
1 Loafer // Mar 21, 2007 at 10:39 pm
This is wonderful news. Finally, Justice has been served! By the way, Betsy, your cracker Jack investigatory skills are sorely lacking. Seemingly, you forgot to tell your bloggers that Ellen Hall had managed Susan Collins’ first Senate campaign during the primary, and had been Kevin Raye’s Political Director when he ran for Congress. To bad, you were so desperate to burn Ellen from the stake that you forgot the duty of a reporter is to “report” on the truth.
Perhaps, now you will actually report on her political background and credentials? Probably, not, its best not to let the TRUTH get in the way on your sensationalism!
2 Betsy Devine // Mar 21, 2007 at 10:51 pm
Hi Loafer, I was not aware of Ellen Tobin’s involvement in the campaigns you mention. Can you post a URL to back up those claims? I have no wish to “burn” Mrs or Mr Tobin, who seem like decent human beings. I would like to have the truth come out about who else, higher up, authorized phone jamming. My impression is that payments to James Tobin’s lawyers and to Ellen’s Northeast Strategies are aimed at keeping them quiet. I might be wrong–and then again, so might you be.
3 wendy norris // Mar 22, 2007 at 12:26 am
Betsy,
Could you please contact me off-line at wnorris AT ColoradoConfidential DOT com?
I’m working on an investigative report about a former NH GOP executive director who has some ties to this story.
Sorry, your contact info doesn’t appear to be public.
4 Loafer // Mar 22, 2007 at 9:32 am
Betsy,
Thank you for your honesty. I know about Ellen’s history because she worked for me during the Raye campaign and ran the independent voter program that won Kevin the primary. Also, on the money, Summers and Hall were the mail vendors for Chafee, also, most of the money posted went to Majority Communications to pay for the mail during the campaign–in fact, their retainer was a very small amount.
5 Crime 2.0 // Aug 7, 2008 at 2:47 pm
[…] all…. the guy who made possible the NH 2002 election phone-jamming got his conviction overturned because the interstate denial-of-service attack on Democrats’ phones was not covered by […]