*** UPDATE *** The Libertarian Party has sent out a press release saying they have provided documentation to the Attorney General and plan to soon file a complaint with the state’s attorney. The release is here.
[ *** End Of Update *** ]
* I had also heard this but have been so far unable to confirm…
Republican News Watch has learned that the Libertarian Party of Illinois lodged complaints on Thursday with both the Office of Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and the Office of Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez over intimidation tactics employed in an attempt to prevent the Libertarian’s slate of statewide candidates from appearing on the November ballot. […]
“The Illinois Republican Party’s actions, by hiring a private investigation firm such as Morrison Security Corporation to engage in deceptive and coercive tactics against the Libertarian Party’s petition gatherers and signers, are beyond outrageous,” said Ben Koyl, Libertarian Party candidate for Illinois Attorney General. “The actions by the Republicans are calculated to deprive registered voters of Illinois of their right to free and open elections. These coercive and deceptive tactics have a chilling effect in that they discourage people from signing petitions and are in violation not only of Illinois election law, but also of our First Amendment rights,” added Koyl.
.
The party did highlight the above story on its Facebook page, however.
* Meanwhile…
Bruce Rauner for the first time personally responded to Early & Often reports that private investigators were armed with guns while working for the Republican effort to remove the Libertarians from the November ballot.
Rauner said in a news availability that he was “outraged” and “appalled” by the behavior, but said it had nothing to do with himself or his campaign. […]
When asked about ties between the program and Rauner’s campaign, Rauner said: “One person did but that person as far as I know was not involved in the specific issue that was raised. That person who we paid for a specific project that was done, it was a discreet project, it had nothing to do with this other work that the state party had to do. That was completely disconnected. Our campaign has had nothing to do with the issues.”
* Video…
* The Quinn campaign offered up a “fact check”…
On the 51st anniversary of Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, Republican billionaire Bruce Rauner found himself explaining yesterday why his campaign bankrolled armed operatives to intimidate voters recently at their homes, as first reported by the Chicago Sun-Times.
In the video… Rauner refused to apologize for his campaign’s unacceptable voter intimidation with guns, let alone take an iota of responsibility. Rauner also refused to say whether anyone was fired over this dangerous dirty trick.
Rauner’s responses range from false to evasive. Check it out:
Rauner Claim #1: “That program that was run - that was run by the state party.”
Reality: Seriously? You mean your so-called “voter integrity” program by your lawyer, with your staffer?
Rauner Claim #2: Only “one person” from my campaign was involved.
Reality: Uh, no. Rauner lawyer John Fogarty is the same lawyer leading the petition attack for the Illinois Republican Party. Furthermore, Morgan Kreitner - a notary for the Rauner-backed effort to knock the Libertarians off the ballot, is a salaried employee of the Rauner campaign. In addition, Rauner personally has donated $6,500 to the man carrying out this voter integrity initiative. And Rauner has donated millions of dollars to the Illinois Republican Party.
That’s three, at least, by our count, including the candidate himself.
Rauner Claim #3: “That person who we paid for a specific project that was done – it was a discreet project –it had nothing to do with this other work…it was completely disconnected.”
Reality: Wait, what? What’s this “discreet” project, exactly? Who did you pay to do what?
Rauner Claim #4: “Our campaign has nothing to do with the issues that you describe.”
Reality: Only you do. You bankrolled it. You’ve gone all over Illinois bragging about your so-called “voter integrity” efforts, your campaign has donated more than $2 million to the Illinois Republican Party to carry out these efforts and you personally donated $6,500 to the political organization of the man carrying out the gun intimidation effort. But now that your cronies have been caught red-handed, it’s hear-no-evil, see-no-evil, speak-no-evil. Is this the Rauner version of accountability?
* The Tribune editorial board also weighed in today…
We know, we know: Politics ain’t beanbag. But politics doesn’t have to be rotten and nefarious either.
Yet oodles of people who run for office in this state will tell you of strong-arm tactics they endured, sometimes from their own party, to get their names on an Illinois ballot.
It’s shameful. Sincere candidates who believe in public service spend months walking door-to-door collecting signatures — one of the purest elements of democratic elections — only to get kicked off the ballot through dishonest means.
The latest allegation of skulduggery accuses Republican Party leaders of trying to remove Libertarian Party candidates from the Nov. 4 ballot, ostensibly to protect GOP candidate for governor Bruce Rauner. Rauner would compete more easily in a one-on-one race with Gov. Pat Quinn with no Libertarian candidate siphoning off votes. Rauner says he knew nothing of the alleged intimidation:
- Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner - Friday, Aug 29, 14 @ 11:00 am:
This could snowball into a major problem for the Rauner camp. Moreover, it gains attention for the Libertarian ticket. The Libertarian candidate is apparently a pro-lifer. Rauner doesn’t want any of this stuff in the news. But it probably will be for a while.
- phocion - Friday, Aug 29, 14 @ 11:02 am:
How can you be a Libertarian and pro-life?
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Aug 29, 14 @ 11:04 am:
Tom Hagen is at it again.
If I were a member of the next General Assembly, I would watch my back at all costs. Bruce Rauner is an ally until Bruce Rauner can leverage you to own you.
There won’t be a partnership, there will be a “one-sided” understanding. There will be intimidation, and if you are lucky, it might just only be one project that might be effected.
Bruce Rauner will not care about you, the collateral damage to My Party, the substantial damage to the state with that cowboy way. Rauner cares for Rauner. If you care for Rauner, he may care about you. You care less about Rauner, Rauner will care more and more to destroy you…
…even with holstered weapons?
- Just Observing - Friday, Aug 29, 14 @ 11:08 am:
=== This could snowball into a major problem for the Rauner camp. ===
I doubt it. The general public is not paying attention to this.
- Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner - Friday, Aug 29, 14 @ 11:14 am:
@ Phocion. Good question, but read for yourself: http://www.illinoisfamilyaction.org/?tag=chad-grimm
- Anonymous - Friday, Aug 29, 14 @ 11:15 am:
discreet projects,disconected,that`s my future govenor (i got my jail cover in place)
- Madison - Friday, Aug 29, 14 @ 11:16 am:
Whenever something’s going on, it seems Rauner’s name floats up. This is a classic sign of poor campaign management. This is turning out to be a race to the bottom people.
Which candidate will make the last mistake?
- yo - Friday, Aug 29, 14 @ 11:16 am:
Just Observing, they would be if an ad is made about it.
- OLK 73 - Friday, Aug 29, 14 @ 11:21 am:
Boy you really don’t like this guy do you Rich?
- phocion - Friday, Aug 29, 14 @ 11:22 am:
Roland, thanks for the link. But nowhere on there does it say Grimm is pro-life. It looks like it’s just another right wing website that wants to encourage their followers to vote for a fringe candidate tank a Republican who doesn’t share their extreme views, so they can put up a “true” conservative in 4 years. Circular firing squad losers. IMHO.
- 47th Ward - Friday, Aug 29, 14 @ 11:24 am:
OLK 73, are you defending the knucklehead who brought a gun to a petition challenge? Do you think armed intimidation is A-OK?
If you don’t know that Rich calls them as he sees them, maybe you ought to find another blog to visit.
- Person 8 - Friday, Aug 29, 14 @ 11:34 am:
I wonder if some union group backing Quinn will throw a “few” bucks the Libertarian way to put this into some ads.
- CircularFiringSquad - Friday, Aug 29, 14 @ 11:35 am:
Could be a problem?
It is a B.I.G. big problem….especially since Bungler Bruce cannot seem to grasp the concept that when he bankrolls the Armed Ballot Security Team he is the El Commando. Perhaps someone could nuzzle up to CommandoMakeItUp Kirk for a quick whadda ya think about this mope? Were your crack top strategists in on this?
Meanwhile can someone call over the ditzes at the Trib Editorial Board and ask about “oodles” they know used armed security agents to check forged signatures
some determined Bungler Bruce submitted about 240K phony signatures for doomed term limits scam and no one was armed
Looks like Bungler Bruce is ready to take his place in our little group
Repeat after us…
“Fire, Aim, Ready”
- Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner - Friday, Aug 29, 14 @ 11:36 am:
OLK73: Ditto to what 47th Ward said. Rich has been equally hard, if not harder, on PQ. If you don’t know that, you haven’t been paying attention.
- VanillaMan - Friday, Aug 29, 14 @ 11:36 am:
OK Bruce - lets see how well you handle something like this…
Now, if it was the incumbent we know. We’ve been watching him on TV with the “Dancing With IDOT” patronage scandals, the “$54,500,000 Question”, the “Real Friends of Rod Blagojevich” reality show, and the “Who’s The Boss” with Michael J. Madigan and “Who’s Mowing My Lawn?” sitcoms.
You wanted this gig. Lets see how well you dance!
- Formerly Known As... - Friday, Aug 29, 14 @ 11:37 am:
Way to go Libertarians.
This type of behavior has no place in politics or decent society.
- Mason born - Friday, Aug 29, 14 @ 11:40 am:
Phocion
Mostly it depends on when the Libertarian believes a baby becomes alive. Once the fetus becomes a live citizen then it has rights and liberties to be protected. Ironically I have seen libertarians all over the map on this issue.
- Formerly Known As... - Friday, Aug 29, 14 @ 11:43 am:
Since Mr Rauner and the Republicans both agree this was outrageous and possible “intimidation”,
Who sent the guy with the gun?
- too obvious - Friday, Aug 29, 14 @ 11:44 am:
The Libertarians could get 5% on this issue alone if they worked it right.
Hopefully the U.S. Department of Justice will be their next stop.
- train111 - Friday, Aug 29, 14 @ 11:45 am:
Remember a few years back (2010) and all the uproar over the Democratic challenges to Cedra Crenshaw’s petitions. The African American tea party houswife who took on the Democratic machine, complete with interviews on FOX’s national newscast.
Good to know the Illinois GOP would never stoop to that same level and display the absolute hypocrisy needed to oppose one challenge, but hire gun toting PI’s to enact another.
(snark off now)
- Wensicia - Friday, Aug 29, 14 @ 12:07 pm:
Apparently, Rauner is running his campaign like he runs his businesses. Including the denial of any wrongdoing or involvement when called out on questionable or possibly criminal actions.
- William j Kelly - Friday, Aug 29, 14 @ 12:18 pm:
Luckily for rauner there are no ties between Morrison security and the Illinois Republican Party, because if that were the case that would be devastating!
- Leprechaun - Friday, Aug 29, 14 @ 12:21 pm:
1000 percent agree Rich has been more than fair and has hit PQ much harder………..
- Mason born - Friday, Aug 29, 14 @ 12:31 pm:
Bruce has rightly been blasting PQ for not dealing with the patronage mess. Now he needs to show how he will deal with scandals. Fire anyone and everyone associated with this mess openly.
- Responsa - Friday, Aug 29, 14 @ 12:35 pm:
I want to know what went on here. It’s important to find out. Then I want it to take its proper and legitimate role or importance–whether that’s large or small– in a governor’s race which has many moving parts and is already weighed down by the exposure of some very creaky ethics on both sides.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Aug 29, 14 @ 12:41 pm:
- OLK 73 -,
There is one thing you know when you visit here or know how Rich runs this place;
One commenter will say “Boy Rich likes the Republicans”
Another commenter, another completely different post, “Rich likes those Democrats”
Read it, read it on the same day often too.
You get a fair shake here, it’s up to those in government and in the campaigns how they are seen, not as they hope to be seen.
To the Post,
Will we ever know specifically who got the law firm to roll out the muscle, or does the law firm just take the political hit and take their chances with the AG’s Office and the state’s attorney’s office too?
I hear the bus running(?)
- wordslinger - Friday, Aug 29, 14 @ 12:48 pm:
– “One person did but that person as far as I know was not involved in the specific issue that was raised. That person who we paid for a specific project that was done, it was a discreet project, it had nothing to do with this other work that the state party had to do. That was completely disconnected. Our campaign has had nothing to do with the issues.”–
Read those sentences closely. They’re incoherent, gibberish.
The guy is really bad off-script.
- Kurt in Springfield - Friday, Aug 29, 14 @ 12:48 pm:
@William j Kelly 12:18 P.M.: “there are no ties between Morrison security and the Illinois Republican Party”
I realize your comment may be snark, but wanted to be sure you and others reading this blog know the owner of Morrison Security is Palos Township GOP Committeeman Sean Morrison.
- phocion - Friday, Aug 29, 14 @ 12:49 pm:
==I wonder if some union group backing Quinn will throw a “few” bucks the Libertarian way to put this into some ads.==
Watch Local 150 for that action.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Aug 29, 14 @ 12:54 pm:
Unless it’s $2-4 million, given the spending Rauner and Quinn together are spending, a Scott Lee Cohen effect will never transpire.
$100K is what both Quinn and Rauner give to their media buyers monthly (exaggerated snark to make the point)
- William j Kelly - Friday, Aug 29, 14 @ 12:55 pm:
Kurt, really????? Well at least it’s not like Morrison is on the state central committee! Because that would really be a conflict for him to get a contract from the Illinois Republican Party to go out and use state party funds to intimidate voters on behalf of the republican party’s nominee for governor.
- Kurt in Springfield - Friday, Aug 29, 14 @ 1:06 pm:
I still can’t tell if your response is snark or not. If not, I don’t know how you can claim the GOP at the state level is not involved in this. Sean Morrison is part of the GOP machine. His company was hired by the IL Republican Party through their lawyer to investigate the libertarian petitions which, by the way, is the responsibility of the IL Board of Elections not a private security firm. “state party funds”, as you put it, were used to pay the security firm.
- wordslinger - Friday, Aug 29, 14 @ 1:10 pm:
Bruce Rauner IS the Illinois GOP now. He bought it, lock, stock and barrel. There were no other interested buyers.
- William j Kelly - Friday, Aug 29, 14 @ 1:17 pm:
Kurt, I think your comments are over the line! Can you prove any of these claims you are making? What do you have against this ‘Sean Morrison’ character? Rauner says he knows nothing about any ‘Sean Morrison.’ Can you prove that rauner has ever met Morrison? You better get your facts straight before you find yourself banned for life!
- Colossus - Friday, Aug 29, 14 @ 1:19 pm:
“Bruce Rauner IS the Illinois GOP now. He bought it, lock, stock and GUN barrel.”
Fixed that for you.
- Colossus - Friday, Aug 29, 14 @ 1:20 pm:
William and Kurt are making this thread for me. I’m learning exactly how to explain this to my “anyone but a Dimmycrap” neighbor.
- Anonymous - Friday, Aug 29, 14 @ 1:28 pm:
Election Changer!
- Formerly Known As... - Friday, Aug 29, 14 @ 1:38 pm:
== a conflict for him to get a contract from the Illinois Republican Party to go out and use state party funds ==
Plot twist, courtesy of William J Kelly.
The guns in this crazy story are so shiny that this second disturbing revelation has not registered or even been addressed yet.
This may be the one and only time these words are written on CapFax, so someone has to say it: Kudos to you, WJK. Kudos to you. No snark.
- William j Kelly - Friday, Aug 29, 14 @ 1:40 pm:
Kurt, next thing you will try to tell me is that this article and picture some how suggest that rauner and Morrison actually have met and know each other, right? If you look closely at the picture you will see that Morrison is far OUT of Rauner’s peripheral vision and THUS perfectly capable of claiming he never met Morrison, ok? http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-rahm-emanuel-bruce-rauner-20140829-story.html#page=1
- MrJM - Friday, Aug 29, 14 @ 1:49 pm:
Rauner: “I can’t believe my hired goons acted like hired goons!”
– MrJM
- Formerly Known As... - Friday, Aug 29, 14 @ 1:54 pm:
Is it normal for state parties to give contracts to their own executive committee members?
You would think there might be rules against that sort of thing.
- William j Kelly - Friday, Aug 29, 14 @ 2:03 pm:
Btw, Kurt of course I am joking with you, I just wanted to give you a little taste of what it is like to be me!;)
- Percival - Friday, Aug 29, 14 @ 2:12 pm:
I would have a good laugh if the Rauner Campaign denied knowledge of the details of the effort to knock out the Libertarian slate, or any claim that they don’t know Sean Morrison. There is very little in the ILGOP these days that is not monitored, directed or controlled by the Rauner Campaign. Morrison was heavily involved in the Rauner Campaign’s successful effort to obtain the Cook GOP endorsement in the Prinary, right down to counting the votes. But I very much doubt that they knew in advance about the guns, either.
- Anon - Friday, Aug 29, 14 @ 2:32 pm:
Rauner uses the Sgt. Schultz defense. The same one Quinn uses on IDOT patronage.
- Yellow Dog Democrat - Friday, Aug 29, 14 @ 3:40 pm:
With all due respect, OLK, I was the one who first pointed out that voter intimidation is actually a felony.
As for whether or not this is an election changer, that depends on many factors.
It may or may not change the narrative.
To me, the disturbing thing is that we are all here, generally good, thoughtful honest people who although we may disagree on policy, care deeply about public policy.
And yet, we are more interested in keeping political score than building consensus that citizens shouldn’t be harassed on their own porches for signing or circulating petitions or supporting candidates of their choice.
What the heck is wrong with us?
If Quinn wins or Rauner, it will not be the end of life as we know it. But the cancer on the body politic in Illinois is killing us slowly.
Capitol Fax is supposed to be an antidote to that cancer, at least when it is at its best, and I hope we can rise to that challenge.
- Percival - Friday, Aug 29, 14 @ 3:53 pm:
Anon, “Sgt. Schultz” is about all he’s got. There is a reason why he can’t just throw Morrison under the bus. But I can’t edify, editorialize or educate on why.
- Anonymous - Friday, Aug 29, 14 @ 3:58 pm:
will the lib`s be at the debates or shut out?
- Downstate Libertarian - Friday, Aug 29, 14 @ 4:24 pm:
@Anonymous - Looks like the LP will be shut out of the debates.
However, according to Rauner spokesman Mike Schrimpf, “Bruce wants as many people engaged in the political process as possible.” With that being the case, Rauner should DEMAND that the LP be included in the debates.
That would align his words and actions in a right and just way.
- ProfShade - Friday, Aug 29, 14 @ 4:26 pm:
Since the Libs are running a U.S. Senate candidate, wouldn’t there be applicable Federal charges as well? Read the whole Trib article, the Dems don’t have clean hands on this issue either. Also, since the LP heavily supports the 2nd Amendment, I’d be pretty leery of flashing any C&C their way…
- Yellow Dog Democrat - Friday, Aug 29, 14 @ 4:27 pm:
ANON:
Pat Quinn will undoubtedly argue for the
Libertarian to be included in the debate.
That press release is probably coming on Tuesday.
I don’t see much choice for Rauner but to agree now, but ultimately that is up to the sponsors.
The Tribune, BTW, almost certainly has to include the
Libertarian after today’s editorial, I think.
But I am not sure how much that actually hurts Rauner, and it might help.
Does that help?