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GOP Voter Registration Fraud Scandal 2012...
VA GOP VOTER REG FRAUDSTER OFF HOOK
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Criminal GOP Voter Registration Fraud Probe Expanding in VA
State investigators widening criminal probe of man arrested destroying registration forms, said now looking at violations of law by Nathan Sproul's RNC-hired firm...

DOJ PROBE SOUGHT AFTER VA ARREST
Arrest of RNC/Sproul man caught destroying registration forms brings official calls for wider criminal probe from compromised VA AG Cuccinelli and U.S. AG Holder...

Arrest in VA: GOP Voter Reg Scandal Widens
'RNC official' charged on 13 counts, for allegely trashing voter registration forms in a dumpster, worked for Romney consultant, 'fired' GOP operative Nathan Sproul...

ALL TOGETHER: ROVE, SPROUL, KOCHS, RNC
His Super-PAC, his voter registration (fraud) firm & their 'Americans for Prosperity' are all based out of same top RNC legal office in Virginia...

LATimes: RNC's 'Fired' Sproul Working for Repubs in 'as Many as 30 States'
So much for the RNC's 'zero tolerance' policy, as discredited Republican registration fraud operative still hiring for dozens of GOP 'Get Out The Vote' campaigns...

'Fired' Sproul Group 'Cloned', Still Working for Republicans in At Least 10 States
The other companies of Romney's GOP operative Nathan Sproul, at center of Voter Registration Fraud Scandal, still at it; Congressional Dems seek answers...

FINALLY: FOX ON GOP REG FRAUD SCANDAL
The belated and begrudging coverage by Fox' Eric Shawn includes two different video reports featuring an interview with The BRAD BLOG's Brad Friedman...

COLORADO FOLLOWS FLORIDA WITH GOP CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION
Repub Sec. of State Gessler ignores expanding GOP Voter Registration Fraud Scandal, rants about evidence-free 'Dem Voter Fraud' at Tea Party event...

CRIMINAL PROBE LAUNCHED INTO GOP VOTER REGISTRATION FRAUD SCANDAL IN FL
FL Dept. of Law Enforcement confirms 'enough evidence to warrant full-blown investigation'; Election officials told fraudulent forms 'may become evidence in court'...

Brad Breaks PA Photo ID & GOP Registration Fraud Scandal News on Hartmann TV
Another visit on Thom Hartmann's Big Picture with new news on several developing Election Integrity stories...

CAUGHT ON TAPE: COORDINATED NATIONWIDE GOP VOTER REG SCAM
The GOP Voter Registration Fraud Scandal reveals insidious nationwide registration scheme to keep Obama supporters from even registering to vote...

CRIMINAL ELECTION FRAUD COMPLAINT FILED AGAINST GOP 'FRAUD' FIRM
Scandal spreads to 11 FL counties, other states; RNC, Romney try to contain damage, split from GOP operative...

RICK SCOTT GETS ROLLED IN GOP REGISTRATION FRAUD SCANDAL
Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL) sends blistering letter to Gov. Rick Scott (R) demanding bi-partisan reg fraud probe in FL; Slams 'shocking and hypocritical' silence, lack of action...

VIDEO: Brad Breaks GOP Reg Fraud Scandal on Hartmann TV
Breaking coverage as the RNC fires their Romney-tied voter registration firm, Strategic Allied Consulting...

RNC FIRES NATIONAL VOTER REGISTRATION FIRM FOR FRAUD
After FL & NC GOP fire Romney-tied group, RNC does same; Dead people found reg'd as new voters; RNC paid firm over $3m over 2 months in 5 battleground states...

EXCLUSIVE: Intvw w/ FL Official Who First Discovered GOP Reg Fraud
After fraudulent registration forms from Romney-tied GOP firm found in Palm Beach, Election Supe says state's 'fraud'-obsessed top election official failed to return call...

GOP REGISTRATION FRAUD FOUND IN FL
State GOP fires Romney-tied registration firm after fraudulent forms found in Palm Beach; Firm hired 'at request of RNC' in FL, NC, VA, NV & CO...
The Secret Koch Brothers Tapes...

By David Edwards on 12/9/2005 11:51am PT  

Guest blogged by David Edwards

Senator Joe Lieberman said he had breakfast with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and General Pace. Lieberman denied rumors that he has plans to replace Rumsfeld as the Secretary of Defense.

According to an AP report, the Pentagon claims that the breakfast meeting was called so that Lieberman could share his impressions of Iraq with Rumsfeld and General Pace.

CBS Video in Windows Media format...
CBS Video in QuickTime format...




By David Edwards on 12/9/2005 6:02am PT  

Guest blogged by David Edwards

Stephen Colbert of The Colbert Report continued his role as a warrior against the "secular cabal" that is trying to destroy Christmas. On an earlier show, Colbert had followed the lead of Bill O'Reilly, speaking out against the silent discrimination of Christmas.

Colbert starts a new battlefront against the "War on Christmas" by declaring his "Campaign Against Humbuggery"...

-- Video in Windows Media forat...
-- Video in QuickTime format...

ALSO: Check out The Daily Show's response to Bill O'Reilly's attack and don't miss The BRAD BLOG's exclusive full report on O'Reilly's phony and misleading "war on Christmas".




Did Bush Quash Italy's Attempt to Extradite CIA Officials?
The White House Ducks Questions On Matter...
By Eric Brewer on 12/8/2005 7:53pm PT  

Special to BRAD BLOG by BTC News White House Correspondent Eric Brewer

There have been some interesting recent developments in the CIA's Italian kidnapping caper...

--- Click here for REST OF STORY!... ---




By Brad Friedman on 12/8/2005 6:58pm PT  

Less than 16 hours after Bob Harris posted about Bill O'Reilly's disingenuousness on his own website, his crew made the obligatory attempt to send yet more evidence of their own hypocrisy down the memory hole...Harris made sure that didn't happen...

(Previously, the Fox "News" website was caught off guard as well, and had to scramble to change the ads for "Holiday Ornaments" in the Fox "Holiday Store" in order to meet the new stringent requirements for their hilarious-were-it-not-so-pathetically-transparent "War on Christmas". Nah, on second though, it is simply hilarious! Happy Holidays!)




By John Gideon on 12/8/2005 5:17pm PT  

Guest Blogged by John Gideon of VotersUnite.org

Today it was announced that a suit is being brought in North Carolina against the certification of three voting systems in apparent violation of state law. Also, Diebold may be sued in a securities fraud law suit. In Florida a friend of the family and Bush donor has joined the long list of cronies to be given jobs; this time Secretary of State. And on the national scene, Rep. Rush Holt has introduced a bill to stop voter intimidation....

--- Click here for REST OF STORY!... ---




'Rule of Law' Seems to Elude State Elections Board, Former Diebold Official Who Approved Companies Without Required Source Code Escrow
By John Gideon on 12/8/2005 4:01pm PT  

Guest Blogged by John Gideon of VotersUnite.org and VoteTrustUSA.org

We are on the verge of seeing just how "Immaculate" was the https://bradblog.com/archives/00002105.htm\"> "Immaculate Certification" of Diebold, and other voting systems, in North Carolina.

Just as a reminder, the courts found that Diebold would have to follow state law and provide their source code for inspection just like the rest of the vendors. Diebold then said that they would not comply so they were going to go home and not be a part of the selection process in the state.

Then, the North Carolina State Board of Elections decided that they would treat all of the vendors the same and they decided they would let them all ignore state elections laws. The advisor to the State Board is Keith Long, who until recently was an employee of Diebold. Of course that made Diebold happy and they accepted the invitation to be certified by the state.

Thus, the "Immaculate Certification".

Now, in steps the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) who today announced that they were filing suit against the North Carolina Board of Elections and the North Carolina Office of Information Technology Services on behalf of voting integrity advocate and occassional BRAD BLOG commenter Joyce McCloy, asking that the Superior Court void the recent illegal certification of three electronic voting systems.

In a Media Release EFF attorney, Matt Zimmerman says, "This is about the rule of law. The Board of Elections has simply ignored its mandatory obligations under North Carolina election law. This statute was enacted to require election officials to investigate the quality and security of voting systems before approval, and only approve those that are safe and secure. By certifying without a full review of all relevant code, the Board of Elections has now opened the door for North Carolina counties to purchase untested and potentially insecure voting equipment."




By David Edwards on 12/7/2005 8:29pm PT  

Guest blogged by David Edwards

As BRAD BLOG reported earlier, The Daily Show's Jon Stewart slammed Fox News and Bill O'Reilly for hyping the divisive myth that Christians in the U.S. are being persecuted. O'Reilly is just one of the Fox anchors claiming that the Christmas holiday is under seige by an evil secular conspiracy --- but he may be the lyin'ist!

Stewart asked Samantha Bee to help fact-check O'Reilly's "reporting"...

-- Video in Windows Media format...
-- Video in QuickTime format...

UPDATE FROM BRAD: Here's our original report in which we discovered the true meaning of Christmas: Lying about comedy shows to prop up yourself, your sad little agenda, and your phony little "War on Christmas"...Oh, and find a Jew to make stuff up about America while you're at it.




By John Gideon on 12/7/2005 5:21pm PT  

Guest Blogged by John Gideon of VotersUnite.org

Though there were articles a couple of months ago about a potential securities fraud lawsuit against Diebold, http://www.velvetrevolution.us\">VelvetRevolution has assisted in bringing the suit along. Today there was a renewed and expanded announcement about the status of the suit. Two court cases that have been ongoing for a year or more are back in the news again. The Congressman Wexler suit in Florida and the case brought by Linda Soubirous in Riverside Co., CA. are back in court. ...

--- Click here for REST OF STORY!... ---




Documents and comments provided by Company Insiders suggest Diebold could be the next Enron as All-New Legal Troubles Mount for Voting Machine Giant...
Additional Individual, Union Owners of Diebold Stock, Mutual Funds Sought for Addition to Plaintiff Class
By Brad Friedman on 12/7/2005 12:28pm PT  

The BRAD BLOG has received exclusive detailed information about a developing potential class action securities litigation against Diebold, Inc. (stock symbol: DBD). The class for the suit will involve shareholders who purchased or owned stock in the Ohio-based company any time from October 22, 2003 through September 21, 2005.

Though we are not at liberty at this time to discuss the specifics of the potential litigation and the causes of action in the complaint being compiled, The BRAD BLOG has learned that the class action lawsuit, currently being drawn up, will involve securities fraud violations and other troubling matters for the controversial company, its CEO as well as current and former members of its Board of Directors.

VelvetRevolution.us (an organization co-founded by BRAD BLOG managing editor, Brad Friedman) is seeking additional individuals and groups who may qualify as plaintiffs in the specified class. Those who owned or purchased Diebold stock, or mutual funds which carried Diebold during the period mentioned, are asked to contact LawSuit@VelvetRevolution.us where information submitted may be turned over to attorneys for possible addition to the plaintiff class.

Union groups who own or owned shares of Diebold or mutual funds which invest in the company are specifically urged to contact VR about joining the class action.

The mutual funds which are most heavily invested in Diebold are listed here. Information on "Insider Transactions" is listed here.

Diebold, Inc. is the controversial Voting Machine and ATM manufacturer who was recently compared to Enron by an anonymous company insider The BRAD BLOG dubbed "DIEB-THROAT" in a series of exclusive reports. The Internet news site, RAW STORY ran a new exclusive interview with DIEB-THROAT yesterday revealing additional details on the inner-workings of the company and potential legal issues they may face.

Shortly after our first report on DIEB-THROAT, Diebold's stock price plummeted some 15.5%. The company attributed their troubles at the time to shortfalls in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and on the same day announced the resignation of their chief operating officer (COO) and President, Eric C. Evans. Our source, DIEB-THROAT, challenged the company's response to the falling stock prices in the wake of lower than expected earnings by suggestion that "Using Hurricane Katrina is a poor excuse for bad products - the last time this kind of deception occurred it was called Enron."

Diebold CEO Walden O'Dell has come under harsh criticism for his statement to Republican fundraisers that Diebold he (see explanation for correction below) was committed to delivering the electoral vote of the state of Ohio to George W. Bush prior to the 2004 Presidential Election. O'Dell was part of Bush's "Rangers and Pioneers," a group of individuals who had raised at least $100,000 each for Bush/Cheney's 2004 re-election campaign.

As well, the company has been facing other mounting troubles, legal and in the court of public opinion, over their implementation of software, hardware and various Elections Systems contracts around the United States as has been reported in have charged the company may be in violation of a court order stemming from that agreement. In North Carolina, Diebold recently lost an attempt in the court system to receive exemption from parts of a state law requiring the escrow of their voting system's software source code. They were certified anyway the next day in North Carolina, and some activists have questioned whether or not the certification was done according to state law and whether or not new legal proceedings may be launched there. And in California, a debate rages on concerning the possible re-certification of Diebold's touch-screen voting machines here after some 20% of their machines failed in a recent mock election test.

According to internal "Privileged and Confidential" documents of "Attorney Work Product" originally obtained and reported by Ian Hoffman of The Oakland Tribune in 2004, an estimate of legal costs in California for the Voting Machine giant was pegged by their attorneys at $535,000 - $925,000 for just a single two month period in order to fight mounting legal troubles in the state. Diebold's law firm, Jones Day fought in Los Angeles County Superior Court to keep those leaked memos from being further circulated.

The document estimating legal expenses [PDF] lists costs in regard to the Qui Tam Action filed (and eventually settled) by election watchdogs at BlackBoxVoting.org, the costs for fighting "Criminal Exposure" such as "legal analysis of potential criminal violations" and "White collar criminal law attorney pre-grand jury investigative advice" and even costs to the firm to "Monitor selected Web sites to gain key intelligence."

Concerning the potential of a new lawsuit against the company, DIEB-THROAT is not surprised, and expressed hopes to The BRAD BLOG in a recent email that some good may come from the possibilities of upcoming litigation:

"The denial of every documented problem with Diebold's voting system was bound to unravel sooner or later. I am not surprised that such a lawsuit has developed [as] the company consistently offered Wall Street deceptive information. Perhaps with the help of few patriotic plaintiffs our nation will be saved from Diebold's corporate takeover of our right to vote - and have that vote counted free from corporate and political influence."

The BRAD BLOG will, of course, continue to follow this story as it develops...

UPDATE 12/12/05: Diebold CEO, Walden O'Dell resigns in wake of imminent fraud litigation! MUCH MORE...

CORRECTION: A reader correctly pointed out that O'Dell promised that he, not necessarily his company, Diebold, as we originally reported, was committed to delivering the state of Ohio to George W. Bush in the 2004 election in his now-infamous fundraising letter to Republicans. More details here on that letter, here....

More on our DIEB-THROAT reports can be found here. Please help us to continue reporting on such stories with a donation to The BRAD BLOG! Our work is almost solely financed by your support and any help is much appreciated!



By Brad Friedman on 12/7/2005 11:59am PT  

Sources tell The BRAD BLOG that The Daily Show on Comedy Central will be running an item tonight on self-proclaimed satirical journalist Bill O'Reilly's use of a year-old video clip to support his phony "War on Christmas" as originally reported here on Sunday.

Our report was picked up by MediaMatters.org yesterday. We had reported on O'Reilly's use of the clip in his "Talking Points Memo" segment on Fox "News'" The O'Reilly Factor program last Friday and Media Matters added that O'Reilly had also run the same clip by Daily Show "correspondent" Samantha Bee audio-only on his Radio Factor show earlier that day where he misleadingly introduced it as "what happenened there last night" on Comedy Central.

BRAD BLOG's original report has the video and discusses O'Reilly's phony use of the clip to shore up momentum in his imaginery "War on Christmas". The video clip clearly shows a calendar for 2004 behind Bee who is also currently very pregnant --- which she wasn't in the clip. As well, Media Matters confirmed our report that the segment had not been played on The Daily Show at any time during the previous week contrary to O'Reilly's assertion.

UPDATE: The Daily did, in fact, run a piece on this as we predicted. A very funny one. The clip is now available right here...

Please help support The BRAD BLOG! Unlike FOX and O'Reilly, we're just one guy and a few tireless volunteers helping out when they can. Your donations mean the world!



By John Gideon on 12/6/2005 5:07pm PT  

Guest Blogged by John Gideon of VotersUnite.org

In New York, civic groups are shouting loudly about how the board of elections is ignoring the will of the voters. Elections officials in New Mexico counties have barricaded their doors against the voters and are ignoring the voters wishes as they agree to buy Sequoia Edge DREs. Speaking of Sequoia, Alfie Charles has quietly left the company. I wonder where he will end up next? And in Ohio the state legislature is pushing a bill that will be signed by the Governor and that has many repressive attributes....

--- Click here for REST OF STORY!... ---




Diebold Insider --- First Reported by BRAD BLOG --- Offers Additional Revelations in New Interview...
By Brad Friedman on 12/6/2005 12:03pm PT  

RAW STORY's Miriam Raftery unleashes a terrific new piece today based on an interview with the Diebold Insider, dubbed as "DIEB-THROAT", who we originally introduced in our BRAD BLOG EXCLUSIVE back in September.

Raftery previously delivered the terrific San Diego CityBeat story in October on all manners of electile dysfunction since the November 2004 election mess, right on up to the recent Mayoral boondoggle on Diebold machinery in San Diego. She's covered the Election Reform and Diebold beat in various outlets for some time.

Amongst the revelations reported by Raftery for RAW from her exclusive interview with the anonymous whistleblower who has chosen to keep their identity undisclosed for the time being due to "a continuing sensitive relationship with the company":

  • DIEB-THROAT blasts "the dishonesty" of the Diebold company and their CEO Walden O'Dell who has come under much fire since announcing his intention to "deliver the state of Ohio" to George W. Bush in a Republican fundraiser."
  • Says Diebold CEO Walden O'Dell is "the number one culprit" in putting pressure on employees to "make the numbers."
  • More quickly disproved statements from Diebold spokesperson David Bear who describes the company as having "a sterling reputation in the industry." Denies (at first) that paper trail rolls in Ohio's '05 election came in completely blank.
  • DIEB-THROAT blasts the "corporate takeover of elections" as a "very dangerous precedent that needs to be stopped"
  • DIEB-THROAT compares the massive new wave of Electronic Voting Machines to a Civil Rights-era "denial of rights"
  • New details on the Georgia 2002 gubernatorial election where Diebold installed patches to the software described as "never certified by the state." DIEB-THROAT was involved in some of those allegedly illegal and apparently malfunctioning patches. Heavy Democratic counties ended up electing Republicans.
  • The source says Diebold has installed such patches "many times," it's just that they "got caught in Georgia and California."
  • Uproar from the public for paper ballots was the reason Diebold finally conceded to add "paper trails" to their touch-screen machines for jurisdictions who specifically requested them.
  • Details on a failed Cook County, IL test of the Diebold touch-screen machines.
  • Details on several convicted criminals (for "computer-aided embezzlement" and "cocaine traffick[ing]") who were key to Diebold's software development and deployment, one of whom may still be working to program Diebold ballots around the country.
  • Refers to the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), which DIEB-THROAT once, but longer supports, as "a big money grab."
  • Describes Diebold machines as "purposely complex and poorly designed."
  • Much more and full details in RAW's complete article here...




    By David Edwards on 12/6/2005 8:13am PT  

    Guest blogged by David Edwards

    Stephen Colbert, host of The Comedy Channel's Colbert Report, spoofed Fox New's top rated Bill O'Reilly. Colbert regularly mocks O'Reilly's "Talking Points" segment with his own version call "The Word".

    Colbert's latest rant, pokes fun at Bill O'Reilly's much-hyped "War on Christmas". O'Reilly has previously attacked the The Comedy Channel, calling it "The Secular Channel". (Check out this BRAD BLOG report for the full scoop.)

    Video in Windows Media format...
    Video in QuickTime format...




    By David Edwards on 12/6/2005 6:57am PT  

    Guest blogged by David Edwards

    Secretary of State Rice is in Europe this week defending the U.S. policies including the use of secret prisons and the CIA practice called "extreme rendition".

    ABC News is reporting that prior to Rice's European trip, the CIA moved quickly to relocate all secret prisoners located in Europe.

    Current and former CIA officers speaking to ABC News on the condition of confidentiality say the United States scrambled to get all the suspects off European soil before Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived there today. The officers say 11 top al Qaeda suspects have now been moved to a new CIA facility in the North African desert.

    ...
    All but one of these 11 high-value al Qaeda prisoners were subjected to the harshest interrogation techniques in the CIA's secret arsenal, the so-called "enhanced interrogation techniques" authorized for use by about 14 CIA officers and first reported by ABC News on Nov. 18.

    Rice today avoided directly answering the question of secret prisons in remarks made on her departure for Europe, where the issue of secret prisons and secret flights has caused a furor.

    ...
    Of the 12 high-value targets housed by the CIA, only one did not require water boarding before he talked. Ramzi bin al-Shibh broke down in tears after he was walked past the cell of Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the operational planner for Sept. 11. Visibly shaken, he started to cry and became as cooperative as if he had been tied down to a water board, sources said.




    PLUS: New Poll Suggest the Former GOP Majority Leader is in Trouble with Constituents
    By Brad Friedman on 12/5/2005 6:49pm PT  

    As former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay received troubling legal news today in Texas where he's been indicted on several charges related to money-laundering campaign contributions for Republican candidates, Fox "News" did their best to buck up the spirits of "The Hammer".

    The judge in the case rejected DeLay's motion to drop all charges, though he did toss out one charge for "conspiracy" which hadn't yet been against the law in Texas at the time DeLay allegedly conspired. The decision now paves the way for the criminal trial to begin and for DeLay to be permanently replaced in his House leadership position.

    But we hope you "Fair and Balanced" zombies out there will note how it was reported via several different Email Alerts today:

    From Yahoo Email Alert...

    Subject: Breaking News

    AUSTIN, Texas (AP) A Texas judge has refused to dismiss money laundering charges against Rep. Tom DeLay but threw out conspiracy charges.

    From CNN Email Alert...

    Subject: CNN Breaking News

    -- Judge tosses conspiracy charges against ex-House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, but allows money-laundering charges, according to AP.

    And finally, from "We Report, You Decide" Fox "News" Email Alert...

    Subject: FNC Alert

    TEXAS JUDGE DROPS CONSPIRACY CHARGES AGAINST REP. TOM DELAY

    Sigh...

    Meanwhile, on the tube version of the above Alert, John Gibson's plans to mislead are quashed by Judge Andrew Nepalitano who manages to sneak a bit of truth past the Fox police:
    -- Fox News Video in Windows Media format...

    And yet, despite FNC's failure to inform Americans about what's really going on in their Government (or perhaps more accurately, their demonstrated attempt to misinform them), it seems the message is getting out anyway. More bad news tonight for Tom DeLay, this time from his own home district in Houston, courtesy of Jesse at Stakeholder who also has additional info there on the battle brewing to replace DeLay permanently in the House Leadership...

    CNN/USA TODAY/GALLUP POLL (December 1-4)

    TEXAS DISTRICT 22

    QUESTION: If Tom DeLay runs for re-election in 2006, in general, are you more likely to vote for the Republican candidate Tom DeLay or for the Democratic Party's candidate for Congress?

    Democrat 49%
    Tom DeLay 36%

    Opinion of Tom DeLay

    Favorable 37%
    Unfavorable 52%
    Unfamiliar 11%

    Charges Against DeLay Are...

    Definitely true 15%
    Probably true 40%
    Probably false 26%
    Definitely false 8%

    (A well overdue hat-tip to BRAD BLOG's not-so-secret weapon David Edwards for his "News Alert" info!)




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