BREAKING: Blackwell Seeks Depositions of Kerry and Edwards

[WilliamPitt]

http://forum.truthout.org/blog/story/2005/3/1/153814/3859

OHIO ATTORNEY GENERAL AND SECRETARY OF STATE SEEK TO TAKE DEPOSITIONS OF SENATOR KERRY AND FORMER SENATOR EDWARDS IN OHIO RECOUNT CASE

In a filing today in the Ohio recount case in federal court in Columbus, Ohio, the Ohio Attorney General and Ohio Secretary of State asked a federal judge to allow them to take depositions of Senator John Kerry and former Senator John Edwards. Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro and Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell urge the court to dismiss Kerry-Edwards as an intervening party in the recount case. They argue that they should have the right to place Kerry and Edwards under oath for questioning on the grounds that the 2004 presidential and vice-presidential candidates should no longer be allowed involvement in the case.

...more...

[Darkhawk32]

1. My first impression is that this is an act of desperation (edit)

Or another delay tactic.

[WI_DEM]

2. Blackwell is a partisan hack

trying to score browny points so he can be the next governor of Ohio.

[ucmike]

3. why would he depose them?

so he can prove he cheated?

[roseBudd]

4. what do lawyers think this means? n/t

[gkhouston]

5. Hey Blackwell, we'll show you ours

if you'll show us yours...

[ucmike]

6. Must be a typo-- I think he wants to DISPOSE of them.

[Catamount]

7. LOL!

:smoke:

[TN al]

8. Fishing expedition...

...If Blackwell gets his way you can bet the questions will range far afield. Why wouldn't he want to depose Bush and Cheney too? Wait a minute, I think it is coming to me. Could it have anything to do with them being republicans?

[CaliforniaPeggy]

29. Could that be possible?

Nah, couldn't be! hehehe

[Peace Patriot]

9. He's going to use Kerry's statements that Bush won to try to dismiss...

...the lawsuit, and wants to get Kerry on record (legally). That was my first hit.

He may be after dirt of some kind. This is a Karl Rove move, for sure. They're out to trip them up somehow, digging for something.

He's getting a lot of bad publicity, and seeks high profile "news" defense (getting K/E involved will guarantee headlines).

I wonder when Blackwell's going to realize that the Bush Cartel will chew him up and spit him out when necessary. Small time crook. Cannon fodder.

[EFerrari]

15. Ah, Gannon fodder. n/t

[Wilms]

21. Same thing happened to me!!! So I guess my glasses are OK! n/t

[Amaryllis]

96. Ha! Good one, SF!

[zann725]

76. He knows, I'm sure. That leaves an 'opening'...however brief and guarded

n/t

[AtLiberty]

10. Let me get this straight...

...Blackwell has avoided participating in formal investigations of the election, yet he expects others to tow the line?

Hmmm...

[OKJackson]

56. Good point...

...Conyers and the federal election commission should lock their teeth around that and rip some of Blackwell's flesh off ;^)

[fooj]

82. Ouch!

[BigBearJohn]

11. UNbelievable. This guy is begging to get investigated.

[farmbo]

12. CALL THEIR BLUFF!!! Kerry /Edwards can shine some badly needed light on

...those SW Ohio counties which "pushed Bush over the top" with terror alerts, 15,000 votes after the polls closed and Triad "tablation services".

[tex-wyo-dem]

25. This is exactly why Fraudwell wants K/E removed...

shining more light on the Ohio corruption is the last thing he wants.

[MelissaB]

13. Nominated!

[EFerrari]

14. I killed my parents, and throw myself on the mercy of the court

as an orphan.

roflmao!

[blondeatlast]

24. Exactly. Let's hope his chutzpah comes back on him.

Edit: read Will's article--it just might!

Ohio Attorney General Petro and Secretary of State Blackwell are now clearly trying to remove Kerry-Edwards from this case either via a court order or, if that fails, via the threat of taking the depositions of Kerry and Edwards.

MORE

This. Is. Getting. Good.

Reeeeeeeeeaaaaalllly good!

[ClassWarrior]

16. WHAT

[ClassWarrior]

17. ARE

[ClassWarrior]

18. THEY

[ClassWarrior]

19. HIDING?

NGU.

[seito]

48. Not

[seito]

49. Hiding

[seito]

50. Nuffin

So look over there

Signed
KB

[bleever]

58. How

NGU.

[bleever]

59. Long

NNGU.

[bleever]

60. Can

NNNGU.

[bleever]

61. They

NNNNGU.

[bleever]

62. Hide

NNNNNGU.

[bleever]

63. It?

Not much longer, if they don't "accident" Blackwell.

NNNNNNGU.


(sounds of popcorn popping)


:thumbsup:

[ClassWarrior]

72. We

The People...

[ClassWarrior]

73. Shall

Most Definitely...

[ClassWarrior]

74. Overcome.

And not just some day. Some day SOON.

NEVER GIVE UP.

[Wilms]

23. "THE HELL"

[ClassWarrior]

26. Nice addendum.

I'll have to go into another run of the bumper stickers. <LOL>

NGU.

[Helga Scow Stern]

20. Go Blackwell!

Show your hand!

I wonder if this has anything to do with those state judges who got inserted into the Ohio SC with corporate money, the ones that Arnebeck recently won a lawsuit against........

[blondeatlast]

22. I assume they will depose Karl Rove and Ken Mehlman as well?

Oh, wait--I thought this was the United States of America, where justice prevailed.

My apologies.

[ClassWarrior]

27. Screw them. Depose Junior** and Unka Dick**.

NGU.

[blondeatlast]

28. Them too. A small part of me wants JK and JE to be deposed.

As well as Badnarik and company.

Let's get the shit out where it can be pored through with fine-toothed combs.

Democracy is NOT dead.

[ClassWarrior]

31. You got that right, BAL. When the truth is allowed to be heard...

...WE win. Always.

NGU.

[fooj]

83. Truth is our most powerful weapon!

NGU.


What are they hiding?:think:

[CaliforniaPeggy]

30. Pardon me,

What does NGU stand for?

[ClassWarrior]

32. Never Give Up.

My personal motto since 11/03/04.

Welcome to DU. :hi:

NGU.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

38. Never Give Up!

What a terrific motto, ClassWarrior! Thank you for the nice welcome, also. I appreciate it a whole lot...

[Number_6]

33. Nothing but bluff and fraud

My guess is that he's counting on/hoping that Kerry or Edwards will
be unavailable. They should certainly call his bluff and raise him
(continuing poker metaphor) by pushing their own investigation
until there is no place left for Blackwell to hide. He may interpret
bullying behind his rinky-dink state law and getting away with it
for a few months as being free, like Katherine Harris. Kerry is
a prosecutor. Some of these Democrats in high places may surprise.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

39. Hi, Number_6,

WELCOME TO DU! You may be on to something with the fact that Kerry was a prosecutor. He can be very tough; and you know that Edwards was known for it also. We are overdue for some pleasant surprises, IMHO.

[MissWaverly]

54. just another Rovian delay just like Plame

Spin, spin, spin, look over here in this direction, question the innocents, let's see if we can find out some dirt on them, forget the criminals look over there, there some innocent people that need prosecuted.

[fooj]

34. What are they hiding??? Must be big...

[Amaryllis]

97. soon there'll be nowhere left to hide :)

[New Earth]

35. you have got to be kidding me....

these guys are fucking ridiculous!!!!!

[EFerrari]

37. They are! Isn't it GREAT! LOL

[understandinglife]

36. Run, Fraudwell, Run. (nt)

PROVE MY VOTE COUNTS

[manly]

40. Blackwell

He misses the publicity. He's just trying to get back into the public eye, the turd. What an absolute idiot! I hope he gets his wienie caught in the wringer, and gets brought up on charges for all the illegal acts he committed during the election, and the lies he told. What a low-life! A true Republican.

[sickinohio]

87. I hope he gets his weinie caught, gets a grave infection

and can't run for governor here in the great state of Ohio!! Mike Coleman for governor!! Go Mike go!

[ohtransplant]

41. Great article!

As the kids say...It's on!!

[Number_6]

42. Jive Nazis in the State House, continued

Not being of the legal profession but...the actual document from
Herr Petro seems to use the logic of: Dear Judge, if you follow
what these Dems say they want, it means you'll have to depose
Kerry and Edwards because they are the plaintiffs. But surely
you can't see that, for they surely wouldn't answer and so you
wouldn't even ask to depose them. They have kept their distance;
You haven't seen them working their case personally on the ground
in Ohio, therefore they don't care. And further, Kerry conceded.
Therefore, dismiss the case (the logic goes). There are also
technicalities that Petro is trying to invoke--similar cases in
multiple courts.
But Kerry and Edwards mean it. It is only Rethugs who play with
the courts. Why Kerry conceded is a whole topic unto itself.
And was Rethug talking point during Ohio electoral challenge in
Congress. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think there is no federal
law which says if a candidate concedes, he forfeits his right to
spur investigation of election "irregularities" if they are later
exposed.

[pacalo]

43. Kerry/Edwards vs. Blackwell...

I love it!





versus



Bring it on!

[smartvoter]

44. LOL!!! nt

[gademocrat7]

45. YES!! BRING IT ON

Expose Blackwell for the corrupt fraud that he is!!!!!!!!

[kster]

46. Kerry vs Blackwell

exactly where Kerry wants it. Like the old days "wanna step outside". Great pics.

[Nordmadr]

80. Fo' shizzle!!!! N/T

[Carolab]

47. Go ahead, question them! Question ALL of them.

This is so rich.

[babsbunny]

51. Okay

I've read all of your posts, now, can this be good for us in any way shape or form? It sounds like you think it is good.

[paineinthearse]

52. on the grounds that the 2004 ..candidates no longer be allowed involvement

:wtf:

Blackwell has gone off the deep end.

[garybeck]

53. JK, please don't let us down this time n/t

[Rocky Top]

55. There is definitely SOMETHING BIG going on in Ohio!

WHAT ARE THEY HIDING!!!!!!!!!

[garybeck]

65. they're not idiots

Repubs have a reason for doing this. they might think Kerry and Edwards will back down. Maybe they will, and if they do, the case will get thrown out completely.

they must have a contingency plan for if they don't back down and they do allow themselves to be questioned. I'm sure they will have certain questions that will force them to answer a certain way. For example they'll ask them, "do you have any proof that the election was stolen?"

what do you think they'll answer to that?

if we look at what everyone has said, virtually every democrat, they will say there is no proof.

then what?

I hope it turns out to be good but I'm just worried that they are trying to get the whole thing dismissed.

Gary

[kster]

69. I think they

may have met there match, because I don't think Kerry is an idiot either.Seems like Kerry is fighting this thing on his terms,right now.

[garybeck]

71. how so? Backwell called this, not Kerry

I don't see how this is his terms. I also doubt Kerry expected this.

gary

[kster]

77. 7265 cases and

he didn't expect this,I hardly doubt that Kerry is sitting in his recliner right now thinking "oh sh*t" they want me to come in for a deposition. He knows the possible out comes of everything he does.The fact that he is still in the game is troublesome to the other party. Kerry reminds me of a Hawk.

[bleever]

57. How dumb can Kathy B?

JK will definitely make time to be deposed.

The fact that he might have thought * won is irrelevant to whether the law was followed re: the recounts.

The recounts were bogus, Kathy B broke the law many times over, and JK knows it.

I also think he knows by now (based on some of his asides during the Senate hearings on Condi and TortureBoy) that the election was stolen.

So if I'm JK, I'm looking at Kathy B and asking, "Do you feel lucky, punk? Well, do you?"

"Not hiding nuffing! So you can't look!"

Keep it up, Kath. See you in the funny papers.

[seito]

67. Was that a rhetorical question?

[Nothing Without Hope]

78. What sorts of Kerry statements are you referring to

when you say that it sounds like he now thinks the election was stolen? I'd love to know more about that, especially if he indicates that he has actually changed his mind. As you know, at the time he conceded he claimed (while election watchers were still en route to report to him on the outrages they had seen) that while there were some problems, the numbers of votes affected would not have been enough to make a difference in the outcome of the election.

Is he really now thinking that he DID win the election if the votes were counted fairly? (And then there is the deliberate disenfranchisement...)

In this situation, I'm sure he is anticipating every move Blackwell makes in this litigational minuet. Blackwell is sooooo outclassed. He just wants to please his Rethug bosses so they'll make him governor, and then something higher. He appears to believe that his good pals in power will see to it that he will never be held accountable for anything he ever does, no matter how brazen. In fact, they will toss him in the garbage the moment he becomes inconvenient.

[bleever]

91. The statements he made as asides during the hearings.

One was something to the effect that "Well, our votes should count for something," and another was with reference to Norm Coleman's snitty remark about how he was glad JK was back in the senate,
something like "Why don't we pass a quick resolution and move on?", said with just enough sarcasm.

Along with his sponsorship of the Count Every Vote act with Hillary and Boxer, I've been under the impression that he's learned how much less than kosher this election was.

[Nothing Without Hope]

92. Thanks, Bleever. I hope that seeing just how corrupt the process

has become will trigger his bulldog side BIG TIME. Grrrrrr! We need that in this fight.

[lala_rawraw]

64. They don't have to show

up, like Blackwell.

[Laurab]

66. Would this get Blackwell under oath as well?

That I would pay to see!

[goodboy]

68. Blackwell refused to give depositions...WTF is this hypocrisy!?!?!?!

Will??? WTF?

[zann725]

75. I've said from the start, Blackwell will be the one to 'slip up.'

There's a great ambivalence...beneath his over-the-top retentiveness.

He can't "tell all"...but like a criminal who anonymously leaks clues to the "authorities," arrogantly taunting to be caught...could Blackwell be shrewd enough to dare K/E to say what he can't?

In poker, would this be called a 'bluff?'

I agree however, it's doubly arrogant since Blackwell AND Bushco have evaded similar subpoenas asking his (their) depositions in various EF cases thus far.

[LeahD]

70. Maneuvering, shaneuvering!

He can stall, but he cannot hide.

[ClassWarrior]

79. .

[mod mom]

81. If K/E agree to be deposed, will this FORCE BLACKWELL do have to submit to

the same?

[garybeck]

84. i'm not a lawyer but I doubt it

I'm sort of guessing but it seems like if K/E say no, they'll move to throw out the case. If they say yes, they'll ask them all kinds of questions that will be pointed towards showing that there are no grounds for their involvement.

this is another reason why K/E should have asked for a recount directly, not just followed behind the leadership of Glibs.

[genieroze]

85. Oh shaddup Blackheart. eom

[rumpel]

86. Chutzpah Grande

[Rocky Top]

88. Legal Filing Highlights Blackwell Hypocrisy in Ohio Recount Case

WASHINGTON -- March 2 -- A spokesman for the Green Party's 2004 presidential campaign, which initiated the Ohio recount, today blasted the suggestion by Ohio's Republican Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell that he would need to take depositions from John Kerry and John Edwards as part of the Ohio recount litigation.

http://www.commondreams.org/news2005/0302-06.htm

[Senator]

89. TWO WORDS: for the Kerry/Edwards lawyers...

Perjury Trap

The fascists are one-trick ponies. Were I a lawyer, I wouldn't let a client get within 100 yards of a Republican "prosecutor."

These guys are thugs. (I wouldn't be surprised if they've recently added one of Starr's legion of "the unemployable and the obsessed" as a consultant.) And they must be dealt with as such.

Sad to say that means fighting "dirty." Most likely the threat would be enough (all bullies are cowards), but it has to be backed up. They should be made aware that they are walking into the cross hairs of some major Heinz Money Whoop Ass.

Violence (whether it be rhetorical, political, legal, financial, or physical) is all they understand. It's high time our side came to understand this.

[mod mom]

94. If they refuse, their case appears weak, but if they agree ONLY if

blackwell and the Voting Machine and source code owners will also submit to testimony under oath. Why are these perpetrators allowed to go without having to answer? what ever happened to equal treatment? Are they above the law?

[Senator]

98. Yes, above the law

Though technically not above the law, just in willful violation of it and currently beyond accountability. Which is a distinction without a difference.

What we fail to comprehend here on the left (though it's demonstrated to be true over and over) is that they literally believe that not getting caught is the same as doing right. They simply believe their own propaganda of irresponsibility.

Yes, to us members of the "reality-based" crowd this is in fact a form of mental illness. But this is exactly what people mean when they say a society's "gone mad" (Roman Empire, Nazi Germany).

The (breached) Constitution, the Geneva Conventions, American Democratic values, are just "quaint" relics to them. Pablum for fools who continually show up with a knife to a gunfight.

You can't bargain or reason with these people.

It matters little whether their "higher calling" is Super-Patriotism, the Lord's Will, or simply some self-delusional Machiavellian claptrap about Projecting our SuperPowerfulness for the Freedom and Happiness of the World (unless of course it begins to eat into the profits).

It's just a kinder, gentler form of fascism.

[Chicago1]

90. When HELL Freezes over!!!!

Senator Kerry and Edwards WOULD NEVER EVER EVER be deposed by these IDIOTIC CRIMINALS. They're ALOT smarter than that!!!!


Waiting for the IMPEACHMENT WHILE THE SCANDALS KEEP UNFOLDING
America's Work Stories
http://usaworkstories.blogspot.com
[email protected]

[babsbunny]

93. Can somebody

send this to Keith Olbermann?

[mdb]

95. It does seem like another of Blackwell's stall tactics.

But why the stall? How good are the machines and ballots being protected?

I just hope all those ballots and machines are secure and are not being tampered with. The longer this is stretched out the more chances of tampering can happen.

[probuddha]

99. kick