Diebold $10,000 (legal?)bribe of GOP Franklin County(Ohio) BOE uncovered

[farmbo]

http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2005/07/16/20050716-A1-00.html&rfr=nwsl

A contractor who represents Diebold Election Systems arrived at the office of Franklin County Board of Elections Director Matthew Damschroder with an open checkbook on the same day the county was opening bids for voter-registration software.

<snip>
Gallina wrote the check, and Damschroder says he took it on Jan. 9, 2004. That weekend, Damschroder said, he mailed the check to the county party. Damschroder had been executive director of the party until June 2003, when he was appointed director of the elections board.

Then Gallina tells me that he then wrote a check for $50,000 to Blackwell’s political interests." Carlo LoParo, Blackwell’s spokesman, called Damschroder’s assertions "wild accusations" and said, "You can’t point me to anything that substantiates what he says."
<snip>

On edit: It looks like Blackwell took the bribe all right...probably for the State Issue 1 (Anti Gay Marriage Amendment) 527 group that used Blackwell as their spokesperson.

[MeDeMax]

1. awesome, story in plain dealer too

thanks !

[rocktivity]

2. Is this the story the Cleveland Plain Dealer too chicken to print

claiming that the leaked documents were stolen property?

:headbang:
rocknation

[MeDeMax]

3. Plain Dealer DID print it today

<http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/112150624541561.xml&coll=2>

DU thread on PD article:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1632050

[Algorem]

15. Heard that's the subject of an NPR show today-On the Media,with creep/

editor of Plain Dealer itself:

http://www.onthemedia.org/

Cold Snap
Ever since the prosecutor in the Valerie Plame leak investigation started targeting journalists, many have worried about a resulting chilling effect that shackled investigative reporters and gagged would-be whistleblowers. Two weeks ago, it appeared the chill had arrived, in the form of a column by the editor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. It said his newspaper would hold two stories, fearing legal ramifications for several anonymous sources. Bob talks to the editor, Doug Clifton, about the decision. And Brooke recaps the week's developments in the search for the leaker.

[MeDeMax]

4. link requires paid registration

anyone have a dispatch authorized free alternative ?

[YOY]

8. A Spreading Secret

www.bugmenot.com

Gives you access to various media pages that would require pay. May or may not work depending on the publication.

[MeDeMax]

10. didn't work.

thnx though.

I would think the dispatch would have liked the exposure on a day like this, many leading paid-to-read publications watch page requests and ocassionally "free" a report or two to pick up advertising dollars over subscription dollars.

[Botany]

5. Now let see if they prosocute Blackwell & Damnschroder?

I live in Franklin County .... Damnschroder despite long lines had 62
extra voting machines and would not send them out.

Maybe he can have cell w/ Rove.

[SharonRB]

6. Maybe by the time this is all over

they'll need to build a dorm of cells for all of the crooks and liars.

[Botany]

7. At a hearing at which I testified about the fraud I saw first hand ......

..... Damnschroder was 5 feet from me talking to a reporter ..... i wanted to
call him a c*** s***er to his face and beat him on camera. The man met w/
Rove, bush, and Blackwell on election day ...... "they" must have given W some
coloring books while the big boys talked.

In Republican in Franklin County precincts the recorded turn out was 65% + in democratic precincts the turn out was 50% ....... despite 2 to 10 hour waits.

[meganmonkey]

11. Lol!

I couldn't help but crack up at your post.

If you had done that on camera... :rofl:

Either it would have just given the RW more ammunition about the loony 'conspiracy theorists' or it would have scared the shit out of them and made them realize that we have hit the breaking point - beware, the right to bear arms extends to all citizens, not just republicans!!!

Anyway, I probably would have felt the same way you did...

:patriot:

[Botany]

13. No the local media tried it's best not to cover the hearings....

..... the one I went to made pg 6 of the metro section of the Columbus
Dispatch ........ and then only on line about "I voted for Kerry but the
light went on for bush."

A little of what I saw & heard ....
http://www.thousandreasons.org/get_article.php?article_id=13

Ohio was so dirty I still can't believe that it hasn't gotten out
and caused riots.

[meganmonkey]

14. I know what you mean

it's like there is some kind of collective denial, even among many hard-core progressives.

I talk to my friends about it - some of them believe me but there is no rage, which I can't grasp. Others, who know me well enough to know that I don't just spew inflammatory theories unless I know them to be true, still just kind of write it off as wishful thinking. But I keep talking about it and I won't give up. At least they won't be surprised when it happens again, assuming we don't get this exposed and the problems fixed by the next elections.

I have driven to Ohio 3 times since the election for different events (rallies, and the teach-in in May) and I won't hesitate to do it again. I truly thought there would be 10,000 people at the first rally and symposium in early December. Where is everybody?! It's mind-boggling.

But hey, at least our work is cut out for us - there is no question that this is a cause worth fighting for.

Peace!

[IndyOp]

19. Rove was in Ohio on election day?

I know Bush met with Blackwell in Ohio, but I thought Rove was in D.C.?

:kick:

[FreedomAngel82]

22. I've heard that

I saw video's of the election and people were saying in the primaries they had tons of machine's but in the general election they wouldn't give out the others and EVERYBODY knew this election was going to be huge. It was a scandal pure and simple. I hope this helps uncovers the election fraud and shows John Kerry really won.

[rucky]

9. Why is the Blackwell angle buried in the story?

a higher-ranking official taking a bigger "contribution"???

[meganmonkey]

12. Please please please

let this story spread and please let some major journalist connect all the dots and finally say out loud that OHIO WAS STOLEN!

Please!!!

O8)

[sunnystarr]

16. Isn't bribe and legal like in legal bribe an oxymoron? (nt)

[AtLiberty]

17. What about the legal bribes/incentives?

Expense-paid junkets, fancy dinners and such? Local election officials fawn over these vendors while treating concerned citizens like dirt. Why?

I suspect that this case is hardly isolated. I suspect it's the norm.

[NoBushSpokenHere]

18. Wonderful news..........glad the truth is being revealed n/t

[IndyOp]

20. Your post says $10K, but the article says $50K --

:kick:

[farmbo]

21. Correct...they've been caught passing the $10,000, but deny the $50,000

...so the $50K bribe to Blackwell is getting second billing.

[Algorem]

23. Damschroder suspended

Franklin County elections director suspended

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1121765705186991.xml&coll=2

Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Julie Carr Smyth
Plain Dealer Bureau

Columbus- The Franklin County elections board suspended its director Monday for his handling of a $10,000 check from a representative of voting-machine company Diebold.

Elections director Matthew Damschroder, a Republican, was suspended without pay for 30 days. He will continue to work, but he will be docked five days' pay for six two-week pay periods, said board Chairman Bill Anthony.

Damschroder has said he accepted a $10,000 check from Diebold political consultant Pasquale "Pat" Gallina on county property and later delivered it to the Franklin County Republican Party.

"Matt's done a good job for us," said Anthony, a Democrat. "And I don't believe that Matt had that guy in there in order to take the bribe in order to push Diebold. I just don't believe it. He made an error in judgment."...

[mod mom]

24. HEAD EXPLODING! OH Dem DEFENDS Bribe Recipient!!!!

Bill Anthony, Chairman of the Franklin County Dem Party, and Chair of the Franklin County BOE is quoted here:

"Matt's done a good job for us," said Anthony, a Democrat. "And I don't believe that Matt had that guy in there in order to take the bribe in order to push Diebold. I just don't believe it. He made an error in judgment."...

This is the same guy who said at a House Administration Hearing in Columbus Oh in March, called the Ohio election fair and those who said otherwise were "conspiracy theorists".

WILL SOMEONE PLEASE START QUESTIONING THESE GUY'S LOYALTY!

We just had our state party HQ broken into and sensitive info stolen NOT THROUGH FORCED ENTRY BUT THROUGH AN OPEN WINDOW !