{news} Rell Campaign Under Fire

[clifford thornton]

What does all this mean in the broader context???


http://www.courant.com/news/politics/hc-ctrellfundraising0207.artfeb07,0,4377441.story?coll=hc-headlines-politics-state<http://www.courant.com/news/politics/hc-ctrellfundraising0207.artfeb07,0,4377441.story?coll=hc-headlines-politics-state>


      POLITICS 

Rell Campaign Under Fire
 Auditors, Blumenthal Urged To Probe Whether Lists Misused For Fundraising
February 7, 2007 
By JON LENDER, Courant Staff Writer 

      State auditors and the attorney general Tuesday received a request to look into whether Gov. M. Jodi Rell's office improperly used state resources last year to obtain addresses for use by Rell's campaign in soliciting financial contributions by mail.

      An investigation appeared imminent after Democratic State Chairwoman Nancy DiNardo faxed a letter to State Auditors Robert G. Jaekle and Kevin P. Johnson, asking that they "investigate the use of state employees' time and state resources for the sole purpose of raising campaign funds for Gov. Rell's political campaign."

                 
                 
           

                 
                 
           
      DiNardo based Tuesday's letter on what she said were troubling disclosures in Sunday's Courant by columnist Kevin Rennie. Even though DiNardo released a copy of her letter to The Courant, Jaekle said he could not confirm that the auditors had received it because of restrictions in the state's "whistleblower's law," under which the auditors and attorney general investigate allegations of waste, fraud and abuse in state government.

      But he did say, without reference to DiNardo, that if the bipartisan auditors receive a letter alleging misuse of state resources, then "we have an obligation to investigate it" under the whistleblower's law. The auditors then would submit a report on their investigation to the attorney general, who can conduct his own probe.

      DiNardo sent a copy of the letter to Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, who said he already was reviewing the matter - and, "if there's a letter alleging some misuse of state resources or other impropriety, we might well have to regard it as a whistleblower complaint and consult with the auditors."

      Rennie wrote in his column Sunday that last August, a lawyer in Rell's office, Philip L. Dukes, asked the state's Commission on Culture and Tourism for the lists it maintains for mailing announcements to people in arts and tourism groups. After the agency sent Dukes the lists, Dukes turned them over to Rell's chief of staff, M. Lisa Moody, and not long after that, people on the lists received letters from the Rell campaign soliciting contributions up to $2,500, Rennie wrote.

      Rell's office said it had no knowledge of any campaign activities involving the mailing lists - which, it said, were used for "official business" to inform the arts committee of a new $10-million-a-year "Cultural Treasures" program Rell announced Aug. 16.

      Rell and Moody, Republicans, spent much of 2006 in a scandal over a Dec. 7, 2005, Rell fund-raising event at the Marco Polo Restaurant in East Hartford - a scandal that led to months of investigation as well as $500 fines for 16 top Rell-administration appointees who obeyed Moody's instructions to hand out fundraiser invitations to subordinates. Rell suspended Moody for two weeks, saying she insisted that her staff maintain high ethical standards. 

      Contact Jon Lender at jlender at courant.com.  



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