* Apparently, a lot more happened after that Republican video tracker turned off his cam at Alexi Giannoulias’ DC fundraiser the other day. You’ll remember the story. Tracker shows up, gets harrassed, told to leave, GOP makes a big splash claiming foul play. The video…

The first guy to confront the tracker was DC lawyer Michael Kosmas, the party’s host. Politico has a story about what transpired later that evening…

An attorney for a resident of Madrigal Lofts, a condominium building in downtown Washington, D.C., is asking the Senate campaign of Democrat Alexi Giannoulias to investigate an alleged incident of “harassment, intimidation, and assault” that occurred after a recent rooftop fundraising event. […]

The tracker contended that he had been invited to the rooftop by a different resident of the condominium building. And that resident accused Kosmas and several other individuals of showing up at her door later that evening, around 11:00 pm, and confronting her “using inappropriate and threatening terms.”

The accusing resident did not open the door at the time but was later escorted by a building security guard to Kosmas’ condominium to complain, according to accounts by both parties.

According to a letter sent to the Giannoulias campaign by the woman’s attorney, Bobby Burchfield, Kosmas “would not commit to refrain from repeating the situation” and the woman was “knocked on her shoulder” as she walked past him.

The woman was not identified, but according to the article “she has worked for Republicans in the past but is not currently employed by an official GOP organization.”

* As you’d expect, the Republicans have pounced yet again. From a Mark Kirk for Senate press release, entitled: “Kirk Campaign Expresses Serious Concern over Report that Giannoulias Event Host Intimidated Young Woman after Fundraiser”…

“The news that Alexi Giannoulias’ campaign event host intimidated a young woman at her home in Washington following the campaign’s DC fundraiser raises serious concerns with regard to the integrity of the Giannoulias campaign and its associates,” Kirk spokesperson Kirsten Kukowski said. “We call on Alexi Giannoulias to immediately apologize for his campaign affiliates’ intimidation tactics, publicly identify all those involved and terminate all association with them.”

IL GOP…

“We call on Alexi Giannoulias to issue a public apology, identify those involved and cut ties to them immediately,” Chairman Brady said.

“Campaigns should not tolerate the intimidation and harassment of women.

“I hope some of Alexi Giannoulias’ supporters like Dick Durbin and Jan Schakowsky will have the courage to stand with me in condemning all acts of violence, bullying, intimidation and harassment of women by a political campaign or their supporters.”

And from the NRSC…

“Instead of demonstrating leadership by stepping up and denouncing this kind of inappropriate activity, mob banker Alexi Giannoulias simply embraced the Chicago way and condoned it. The people of Illinois deserve better than a mob banker who is willing to turn a blind eye to any type of predatory harassment, intimidation, or violence.” – Amber Marchand, National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Press Secretary.

* The Giannoulias campaign isn’t commenting, but Michael Kosmas did issue a statement. Here’s part of it…

On the evening of June 16, 2010, I hosted an event at my Washington residence for Alexi Giannoulias, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Illinois.  Despite the fact that this was a private event in a private residence building, an uninvited intruder entered the perimeter of the party and videotaped my guests.  Building security ultimately escorted him to the outside the perimeter of my private reserved party area.  This person continued to videotape the event from afar despite being told repeatedly by the security guard that he was in violation of the building rules.

Following the event I went and complained at the unit whose occupant allowed the videographer upon my roof.  She did not answer her door, but instead came to my door with the building security guard a few moments later to complain I was harassing her.  The security guard told her in no uncertain terms that if her guests violate building rules, I have an absolute right to go to her unit and complain.  Unsatisfied with the guard’s explanation, she then summoned a District of Columbia police officer, who gave her the exact same answer.

On the evening in question this woman refused to identify herself. I have since been given a copy of a letter on her behalf by a Washington attorney to the Giannoulias campaign.  Aside from containing many factual inaccuracies, it quite simply doesn’t make sense.  If she in fact feels that she was harassed, with inappropriate and potential illegal activity as she claims, where is her complaint to the police?  Where is her complaint to the building?  This is political opportunism and game playing at its worst.

Kosmas is also distributing a blistering statement by former Congresswoman Helen Delich Bentley, a Maryland Republican…

On the evening of June 16, 2010, my longtime senior Congressional aide and chief political operative, Michael S. Kosmas, hosted an event at his Washington residence for Alexi Giannoulias, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Illinois. Despite the fact that this was a private event in a private residence an uninvited intruder entered the perimeter of the party and videotaped Mr. Kosmas and his guests.

While these sorts of dirty tricks occur regularly in politics, what disturbs me is the response of the Republican Party. Rather than condemning this trespassing in a private party in a private residence, the Republican Party has lionized the trespasser, and with respect to Mr. Kosmas, the party host, have questioned who he is and his relationship to the Giannoulias campaign.

I am actually quite surprised that national Republicans have to ask this question. Six months to the day before the Giannoulias fundraiser at his home, Mr. Kosmas was an official co-host of an event at the National Republican Senatorial Committee for Rob Portman, the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Ohio, at which Senator McConnell was the guest speaker.

For the record, Mr. Kosmas spent nearly a decade as my Congressional aide, and managed many of my successful re-election races to the U.S. House. He served a four year term as elected member of the Republican Central Committee of Maryland. He has donated thousands of dollars to Republican candidates over the years, including myself, Bob Ehrlich, Michael Steele, Susan Collins, Dan Burton, Duncan Hunter and others.

I am disgusted that the reward for Mr. Kosmas efforts for so many Republicans over the years is to have political operatives trespass into his home when he does an event for a member of the other party. The Kirk for Senate campaign and the National Republican Senatorial Committee owe Mr. Kosmas an apology.

* Lawyers and political strategists are now involved, so don’t bet on any apologies being offered by anyone, which is what would normally happen if this wasn’t a campaign thing and was just a dispute between a couple of tenants.

It certainly would’ve helped the GOP’s cause if a formal complaint had been filed with the local coppers about the confrontation and the alleged shoulder-bump, but that doesn’t appear to have happened. Still, confronting a female tenant at 11 o’clock at night is more than just ungentlemanly, not to mention the alleged physical contact. She had a right to be frightened, even though she did play a role in this escapade. But she shouldn’t have allowed somebody to use her name to crash the funder and not expect at least some consequences.

Everybody really needs to calm down and act like human beings. I suppose, however, that’s too much to ask. It is DC, after all.