Gillespie might replace Bartlett

[babylonsister]

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0607/4289.html

Gillespie might replace Bartlett

By: Jonathan Martin
Jun 3, 2007 08:49 AM EST

RICHMOND, Va. – Former Republican national chairman Ed Gillespie has emerged as a potential replacement to Dan Bartlett as counselor to President Bush, friends say.

Questioned about the prospect Saturday night at a fundraising dinner for the Virginia GOP, which he now chairs, Gillespie said he was “flattered at the notion.”

“It’s not for me to rule it in or out,” he added. “You’ll have to ask the president.”

Gillespie, a veteran GOP operative, now splits his time between a Washington lobbying practice and his role in Virginia as the leader of a party seeking to climb its way back after a succession of electoral losses.

After taking the reins of the national party in 2003, Gillespie was part of the Bush-Cheney inner circle in the 2004 campaign. He also served a key role for the White House in shepherding Supreme Court justices Samuel Alito and John Roberts through the Senate confirmation process after Bush’s reelection.

more...

[hlthe2b]

1. Oh, Lordy....

:eyes: What to say... What to say...

[jcrew2001]

2. does 'bachelor' mehlman still work for the RNC

nt

[Nitrogenica]

3. Wow, go figure one of their most talented liars is a top pick.

[Old and In the Way]

4. One incestuous political family.

Can't risk letting new blood in to see all the secrets that that these criminals are covering up.

[grasswire]

5. he's not part of the argonauts...

...or whatever they called themselves. Oh, vulcans. That was it. I don't know if they could allow an outsider all the secrets.

[grasswire]

6. whatever happened to Marc Racicot?

He has totally disappeared.

[MidwestTransplant]

7. That guy is about a swarmy as they get.

[skiddlybop]

8. FABULOUS! They pick another Kerik-style criminal to a high post!

http://select.nytimes.com/search/restricted/article?res=FA0C15FC3C5E0C768DDDA90994DC404482

Here's what he was doing in 2004:

First, the GOP, using what appear to qualify as illegal methods, has attempted to mislead thousands of Democratic-leaning voters in Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and elsewhere, into thinking they'd be registered but are not. (And Ed Gillespie, whose own outfit is funding these efforts via Sproul & Associates and God knows what other firms and consultants, is alleging Democratic fraud in precisely those states! Black is white. Up is down.) Consequently, those thousands of people are going to show up at polls and probably run into a lot of confusion and paperwork and problems. At the same time, Republican secretaries of state and election officials in Ohio, Florida, and elsewhere are pushing interpretations of election statutes that further muddy the waters for those who do get to vote.

Gillespie is right in the middle of voter suppression and the Attorneygate scandal:

Today, according to the Union-Leader, the former chairman of the Republican National Committee, Ed Gillespie, "remembers telling someone at the White House that he had decided to have the RNC pay the legal defense bills for convicted phone-jamming conspirator James Tobin, but he can't remember who." Gillespie said "he decided to authorize the payments before telling the White House and actually authorized the payments after telling the White House," giving the White House an opportunity to stop such payments. In addition, court records indicate that Tobin made about two dozen calls to the White House political affairs office on the day before and the day of the phone-jamming incident. The calls were made to the Bush White House's office of political affairs, which was then headed by the current RNC Chairman, Ken Mehlman.

"RNC Chairman Mehlman and former RNC Chairman Gillespie should end the stonewalling that has become a trademark of Republicans in Washington and answer the many questions that remain regarding the involvement of the White House staff and the RNC in this shameful and illegal activity," said Democratic National Committee Communications Director Karen Finney.

"Chairman Mehlman still refuses to discuss what involvement, if any, the RNC and the White House had in the illegal scheme to disenfranchise voters on Election Day. While Mehlman claims there was no contact between the Bush White House and the New Hampshire GOP, he has not detailed what conversations, if any, occurred between the White House and the RNC about the scheme. It's a simple question, what did they know and when did they know it?"

Today's story again raises questions about links between the New Hampshire Republican Party, the Republican National Committee and the Bush White House regarding the illegal, Election Day phone-jamming scheme:

Did the White House and the RNC discuss the phone-jamming scheme prior to its implementation?

After the scheme came to light, who did then-Chairman Gillespie talk to at the Bush White House when informed them that the RNC would be paying Tobin's legal bills?

What did the White House staffer(s) say? Did the White House approve or disapprove of the payments?