Chafee Taps Wife Of Phone Jammer For "Consulting Services" (WaPo)

[kpete]

WaPo: Chafee 'taps' wife of GOP phone 'fixer'!!
by EZ writer
Sat Aug 05, 2006 at 05:24:25 PM PDT
Coming from WaPo (not online yet):

Interesting fact: In its latest filing to the Federal Election Commission, the campaign of Sen. Lincoln Chafee, R-R.I., lists $386,000 in payments for ``consulting services'' to a firm called Northeast Strategies LLC, listed on Kenduskeag Avenue in Bangor, Maine.

Tantalizing fact: The same Kenduskeag Avenue address is home to James Tobin, a former regional official of the Republican National Committee.

Eyebrow-raising fact: James Tobin was found guilty last year of criminally violating federal elections law, having participated in a scheme by New Hampshire Republicans to jam Democratic get-out-the-vote phone lines on Election Day 2002. Text

More from WaPo:

Campaign manager Ian Lang said that Tobin has no role in the company or the Chafee campaign. Instead, he said, Northeast Strategies is made up of Tobin's wife, Ellen, and a political consultant, Kathie Summers.

James Tobin--who is appealing his December 2005 conviction--``is not involved at all,'' Lang said. He said that, in addition to Summers' expertise, the money pays for mailings and phone calls, as well as additional staff.

Summers confirmed Lang's account Friday. She said that she had worked on campaigns all over New England and that her company was built on her expertise in targeting and reaching nonaffiliated voters.

So if you can't hire a convicted hatchet man like James Tobin outfront -- after all he IS a convicted criminal -- just hire his wife.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/8/5/202426/7127

[joemurphy]

1. Wife's the next best thing. Chafee's in trouble and may be

going down. Good riddance.

[mom cat]

2. I hope his Dem opponet uses this to the max!

[nasher]

3. I think Chafee is going to lose

Republicans don't like him, and Democrats want a senate majority and a more progressive senator like Whitehouse.