Judge: (Washington gubernatorial candidate) Rossi to give deposition before election

[depakid]

Source: The Oregonian

Republican gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi must give a deposition before Election Day as part of a lawsuit alleging illegal campaign spending by his biggest backer, the Building Industry Association of Washington, a judge ruled today.

King County Superior Court Judge Paris Kallas said the public interest demands that Rossi give his answers before, not after, the election is over. She accordingly granted a request for expedited discovery in the case. Rossi's deposition was scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday.

"Early discovery allows the parties to confirm -- or dispel -- the allegations before the election," she hand-wrote in the order. "And such prompt investigation furthers the purposes of the Fair Campaign Practices Act ... which include 'complete disclosure of all information respecting the financing of political campaigns,' as well as 'full access to public records so as to assure continuing public confidence of fairness of elections.'"

The lawsuit was brought against the BIAW by two former state Supreme Court justices who are supporting Democratic Gov. Chris Gregoire's re-election bid. It alleges that Rossi coordinated campaign fundraising with the BIAW, and that therefore the trade group should be constrained by state limits on direct campaign contributions -- $2,800, rather than the more than $6 million it has spent backing Rossi this election cycle.

Read more: http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/10/judge_rossi_to_give_deposition.html

[Diane R]

1. Rossi has run a really dirty campaign. Gregoire is a good Gov., and she needs help.

The Building Industry group is extremely right wing, and has spent millions to run horrible ads against Gregoire. I fully expect her to lose. And Rossi's dog's name is 'Dubya'.

If you have any extra change at all, please donate to Gregoire.

[KT2000]

2. Good comments

this guy is going to be a nightmare.
He also loves the insurance industry - so much for the protections we have put in place. He loves the free market.
Will donate to Gregoire right now!

[PSPS]

3. Gregoire is ahead by 11 points -- ten more than six weeks ago

Rossi's hateful negative campaign is hurting him as it should. Washington also has a high percentage of early mail-in voting, so Christine's chances are looking good.

Nevertheless, we can't take anything for granted. Among other crimes, Rossi employed vote-flipping machines in Snohomish County last time and almost stole that election. So be sure to vote and get out the vote!

[Twinguard]

8. Dino is a tool

You are right, Dino Rossi's campaign has been dirty.

He blames every little problem in WA on Gregoire. I've even got mailers that say that Christine Gregoire lost track of 1300 sex offenders. Gregoire has been tough on crime, and she has the endorsements of every major law enforcement group in the state. I doubt that she was personally tracking the ofenders, she left that to the toughened law enforcement groups. There are also ads blaming her for increasing the pay for state employees. **Oh, the horror!! How dare she pay employees a decent wage!** Dino Rossi comes off as a sleazy politician (which he is), and I too am afraid that he is going to win.

I live north of Spokane, and on my drive home from town, there is a billboard that simply says "147 votes... don't let Seattle steal this election again." If you don't know the significance of 147 votes, thats how many more votes Gregoire had in 2004. The election wasn't stolen (Florida 2000 was), the candidate with the most votes won. You suck, Dino, and you lost.

I hope he loses again, but he is fighting hard and dirty. I fear that he is going to win a squeaker and that he is going to run this state the way shrub ran the country.

[Matariki]

20. Weren't they horrid ads. I give her money every time I'm unlucky enough to see one.

That 'sex offender' ad really made my blood boil.

[merwin]

4. I'm proud of my Obama and Gregoire signs out front.

I think my street is about 60/40 (R/D), so it's a chance to make some sort of a difference. Nobody has decided to strike up a conversation yet because of it, however.

[eridani]

5. Money, phonebanking and canvassing

WA state Dems, please don't let up now!

[cascadiance]

6. Here's a couple of photoshops I did of him last election against Gregoire...

[customerserviceguy]

26. Cute

but the Brooklyn Brewery coaster needs to be replaced by a Red Hook coaster if you want it to look Washington authentic!

[zehnkatzen]

7. Why do builders back candidates who destroy the economy?

This is yet another major republican candidate who counts building industry associations amongst their biggest contributors.

I've seen this time and again. Business groups who depend on a healthy economy continue to vigorously defend and fund the party which even a blind man can see has done more to undermine our country's health than any exterior enemy ever could or would.

Who do they think is going to buy their homes and their products? They're trying to create a nation of paupers, how are we supposed to support them with our dollars if we have no dollars for them. And why do they start to huff and puff and cry "socialism" whenever we suggest that we do things any different than we do this since Nixon?

[FlyingSquirrel]

9. The Repugs are very strong in this state. It will take constant vigilance

to keep it Blue.

Rossi supporters are like Gore supporters when he lost the 2000 election by such a small margin. They're out for blood. In looking at this race, you have to wonder whether it was the right decision for Gore to sit out the election in 2004.

On the other hand, Rossi is gonna lose quite a bit bigger this time around, despite the fact that the Gregoire campaign IMO hasn't been the best. She's an incumbent now and has done a reasonably good job, and will get plenty of coattail support from Obama voters.

Still, in '04 Bush was not a very popular president so I think Gore could've pulled off a re-match, but preferably not with Lieberman of course.

I'm rambling. Rossi will lose, but his supporters will not go away.

[Raster]

10. You right on all counts. There's way too much rethuglican money in this state AND military money.

This is the land of Tim Eyman, Boeing and Ted Bundy (Husky!). Dino Rossi is a lying little shit with delusions of grandeur. And talk about owned: Rossi is the posterboy for special interests and is the epitome of prostitute politician. Make no mistake, Rossi is cut of the same cheap cloth as the liars and thieves that have been occupying the White House for the last eight years. Rossi--Goddess willing--will lose, but he will not go quietly into the night.

[HillbillyBob]

15. Actually I lived in Broward County Fla and Gore DID win

It was a stolen election with dems illegally dumped from the rolls, several folks told me they had been told they got letters that they were felons and were denied their vote, they were
85 year old retirees that has were dems who had lived in the same house for 50 years.
At our polling place our ballots were taken out in boxes and dumped into truck mounted paper shredders right in the parking lot of the gymnasium at Holiday park, I was eyewitness, I reported it, I spoke out about it, I got put on the no fly list, had my home ransacked while i was out. I live in a nice little out of the way place in the woods now several states away now. Oh and there were several others to witness, including Fox Nuz local rep and they had a camera truck there and everything, the video showed the next evening on local, never another peep about it.

[petwlkr]

24. I can attest to that

I was living in Boca Raton/Palm Beach County in 2000. I saw what was happening first hand as well. Another little tactic they used that very few people ever called them on was that State Troopers had established road blocks around the polling places in predominately black areas of the state. They claimed the road blocks were just random check points to look for people driving with no license, registration; or insurance but it was obvious it was meant as an intimidation tactic.

I was screaming "foul" right from the git go and was promptly treated like Chicken Little by most people I talked to. Well guess what folks? The sky WAS falling and we as a country have the concussions to prove it. This can NOT be allowed to happen again.

[stevedeshazer]

11. A King County judge? The mouth breathers in WA will go nuts.

Chehalis and Yakima will soon be in flames.

[Nambe]

12. Wash. gov's GOP rival ordered to give pre-Election Day deposition in campaign-spending lawsuit

Source: SEATTLE (AP)

Republican gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi must give a deposition before Election Day as part of a lawsuit alleging illegal campaign spending by his biggest backer, a judge ruled Monday.

The decision could affect Rossi's close race with Gov. Chris Gregoire, a Democrat who defeated Rossi four years ago in the tightest gubernatorial race in U.S. history.

King County Superior Court Judge Paris Kallas said the public interest demands that Rossi give his answers before, not after, the election.

Rossi's deposition was scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday. ...

Read more: http://www.newsday.com/news/politics/wire/sns-ap-washington-governors-race,0,2387471.story

[Gillian]

13. I hope Rossi goes away.

[SeattleVet]

18. The deposition should be interesting.

Since he's a hard-core repuke, we *know* that he will perjure himself; they can't help it. A week before the election.

The guy has never given a straight answer to any question he has ever been asked. If you look up 'smarmy' in the dictionary, they use his photo to illustrate the concept.


This has the potential to be as completely amusing as Ted Stevens being convicted, a week before the election.

[Unrepentant Fenian]

14. Rossi is a real slimeball! If he wins, we're screwed. n/t

[Generic Other]

16. Rossi is a sleeze...love how he pretends he's not a Republican

can't wait to see his crap go down. Wanna see another balloon filled rented hall with nothing but crestfallen GOP thumbsuckers whining into their flat champagne.

[depakid]

17. That was amusing

For those outside the Northwest who may not get the reference:

Judge allows Rossi to "prefer G.O.P." on ballot

This morning King County District Court Judge Richard Eadie refused to direct the state's 39 counties to change their ballots to list gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi as a Republican, as a lawsuit filed by the state Democratic Party had proposed. Rossi is currently shown on the ballot as a candidate who "prefers G.O.P. Party", a designation that Democrats argued was misleading according to polling, and potentially illegal under state law that requires affiliation with a previously acknowledged party. This year's "top two" primary may have changed all that.

This morning King County District Court Judge Richard Eadie refused to direct the state's 39 counties to change their ballots to list gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi as a Republican, as a lawsuit filed by the state Democratic Party had proposed.

Rossi is currently shown on the ballot as a candidate who "prefers G.O.P. Party", a designation that Democrats argued was misleading according to polling, and potentially illegal under state law that requires affiliation with a previously acknowledged party. This year's "top two" primary may have changed all that.

http://www.politicker.com/judge-allows-rossi-prefer-gop-ballot

[Matariki]

19. He's been running some of the sleasziest ads I've seen.

Along the lines of the Willie Horton ad. Linking Governor Gregoire to 'missing' sex offenders in the creepiest, blue movie sort of way.

I really hope this scumbag doesn't become our Governor.

[struggle4progress]

21. Wash. gov's GOP rival ordered to give deposition

Source: AP

By GENE JOHNSON

SEATTLE (AP) — Republican gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi must give a deposition before Election Day as part of a lawsuit alleging illegal campaign spending by his biggest backer, a judge ruled Monday.

The decision could affect Rossi's close race with Gov. Chris Gregoire, a Democrat who defeated Rossi four years ago in the tightest gubernatorial race in U.S. history.

King County Superior Court Judge Paris Kallas said public interest demands that Rossi give his answers before, not after, the election. His deposition was scheduled to begin a four-hour deposition at 10 a.m. Wednesday ...

The lawsuit was brought against the Building Industry Association of Washington by two former state Supreme Court justices who are supporting Gregoire's re-election bid. It alleges that Rossi coordinated campaign fundraising with the BIAW, and that therefore the trade group should be constrained by state limits on direct campaign contributions — $3,200 — rather than the more than $6 million it has spent backing Rossi this election cycle ...

"

Read more: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h0klwdoeh6zAl5FJBZG56CMxiuFQD94372603

[petwlkr]

22. Long overdue

Rossi has been using the BIAW as an extension of his campaign since the last election. It's about time he got called on it.

[darkism]

23. This guy again? n/t

[foxfeet]

25. Rossi is FAR to the right on social issues

and never mentions them in his advertising. As Governor, he'd do his best to undermine reproductive rights and gay rights. I hope the lawsuit wipes that unctuous smile off his face. He is truly despicable, as is the BIAW.