James Chamblee
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 Posted:
Sat Jul 02, 2005 4:01 pm Post subject:
Ohio Dems Suffer Watergate-type Break-in |
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The break-in occurs at a time when the Ohio Republican Party is
threatened by one of the largest scandals to hit the state’s
government in decades.
The break-in occurred a week after the Ohio Democratic Party began
airing a 30-second TV ad that links Republican office-holders with the
state’s failed $50 million rare-coin investment with Tom Noe.
To some Democrats, this week’s break-in is reminiscent with a burglary
in October at the Lucas County Democratic Party Headquarters about
three weeks before last year’s election.
In that case, thieves shattered a side window overnight at the
headquarters, stealing computers and sensitive campaign information.
Toledo police investigated, but were unable to make any arrests in the
case.
Ten days after the break-in, Toledo police said greed -- not politics
-- appeared the be the chief motive for the crime.
Sandy Isenberg, who was chairman of the Lucas County Democratic Party
at the time of the break-in, said yesterday the latest burglary
"sounds more and more like dirty tricks."
"It’s no different than our break-in, through a window, [they] took
three very important computers, and left everything else," she said.
"Come on -- How strange is that? I find it extremely peculiar and
suspicious."
The former Lucas County commissioner said the computers nabbed in last
fall’s break-in contained "loads and loads of information that could
be used in many different ways."
"I lived through the Nixon era and I’m living through this convoluted
mess right now," she said.
"And it would seem to me that the Republicans will stop at nothing to
further their cause. That’s unfortunate because there are many
Republicans out there who would and do find this situation that the
state of Ohio is in abhorrent of their beliefs and values."
Roger Sanders, an attorney working on a Democratic voter protection
project last year, who had his laptop computer stolen during the
break-in at Lucas County Democratic Party Headquarters in October,
said this week’s burglary "Looks suspicious and it certainly sounds
more like Watergate than Coingate."
In August, thieves broke into the Ohio AFL-CIO headquarters in
Columbus, stealing eight desktop computers and two laptop computers,
said Kent Darr, an AFL-CIO spokesman.
Police have not made any arrests and the computers were not recovered,
Mr. Darr said.
One of the computers contained a letter -- which was not backed up --
that instructed labor groups around the state on how to properly
register voters.
From The Toledo Blade, 7/2/05:
http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050702/NEWS03/507020
05
Ohio Democrats victims of break-in
Thieves grab computer from party headquaters in Columbus
By STEVE EDER and JAMES DREW
BLADE STAFF WRITERS
COLUMBUS --
Thieves targeted the Ohio Democratic Party Headquarters this week,
stealing a computer and a high-tech communications gadget belonging to
party chairman Denny White.
Police said yesterday one or more burglars appeared to have climbed a
wall Monday and crawled through an unlocked second-story window
overnight at the party headquarters about three blocks from the
Statehouse.
The break-in occurs at a time when the Ohio Republican Party is
threatened by one of the largest scandals to hit the state’s
government in decades.
Some Democrats also say the break-in is eerily similar to a burglary
at the Lucas County Democratic Party Headquarters last fall, in which
three computers were stolen.
Police, though, said it is unclear if the theft had anything to do
with politics, or the investigations into investments at the Ohio
Bureau of Workers’ Compensation.
"Until we find the person, there’s no way of knowing that," said
Sherry Mercurio, a police spokesman, who said investigators lifted
fingerprints at the scene.
Yesterday, posters celebrating John Glenn’s accomplishments still hung
on the walls of the headquarters, a portable stereo sat on a desk, and
a few Sony Vaio desktop computers with flat panel monitors remained
untouched.
The items belonging to Mr. White were a Dell computer valued at $800,
a flat-screen monitor valued at $250, and a $250 BlackBerry
communications device.
The break-in occurred a week after the Ohio Democratic Party began
airing a 30-second TV ad that links Republican office-holders with the
state’s failed $50 million rare-coin investment with Tom Noe.
Lawyers for Mr. Noe, a Republican fund-raiser, have told authorities
that about $13 million in assets are missing from the coin fund.
_________________________________________________________
Typical.
Harry
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