Gigantic shitstorm in MN Senate trial

[FKA MNChimpH8R]

Normie's lawyers had to fess up to trying to hide a witness and other insanity:

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/2/27/14015/7813/86/702663

[monmouth]

1. They should call this fiasco to a screeching halt and just say Franken won and be done with it...n/t

[Warpy]

2. Yes, Normie's had three frigging months

and all he's done is obfuscate and now cheat.

Some judge needs to grow a backbone and say the case is finished and he LOST.

And yes, I'd say the same thing if Franken had been the one pulling all this shit.

Enough, already.

[alfredo]

3. Were laws broken by team Asshole?

[wroberts189]

4. I love good news...judges must be getting a little irritated by now..more..

SECRET COLEMAN-LAYWER E-MAILS REVEAL INTENTIONAL HIDING OF WITNESS - FRANKEN CAMP WANTS DOUBLE-COUNT CLAIM THROWN OUT COMPLETELY

"All hell just broke loose in the Minnesota courtroom, with Al Franken's lawyers catching Team Coleman in the act of yet more concealing of evidence -- and they've now made a motion to totally strike the Coleman camp's claims about double-counting of ballots, which the Coleman camp has hoped to use to subtract over 100 votes from Franken's lead.

You might remember that on Wednesday, the Coleman team was caught having withheld notes given to them in early January by Pamela Howell, a Republican election worker in Minneapolis. (Note: Minnesota precinct workers are selected by partisan identification, and then buddied up across party lines to keep it running smoothly and honestly.) The court then struck the witness' testimony, relating to double-counting of votes -- but then turned around yesterday and reversed themselves, after the Coleman team said it had been an honest oversight -- that there was no bad faith involved. . . .

This morning, Franken lawyer David Lillehaug was restarting his cross-examination of Howell, and inquired as to whether there had been any further communications between herself and Coleman. The answer was yes -- and Coleman lawyer Tony Trimble then had to cough up some private e-mails he'd sent to Howell in early January.

"Pam, the legal team and campaign have made a strategic litigation decision to hold off from having you sign and us file your affidavit at this time," Trimble (or possibly his assistant, Matt Hapooja) wrote on January 6, "to avoid tying you down to any particular testimony and to avoid having to disclose your name and statement."

[Peace Patriot]

7. How could a lawyer be that stupid--to put this in an email?

"Pam, the legal team and campaign have made a strategic litigation decision to hold off from having you sign and us file your affidavit at this time," Trimble (or possibly his assistant, Matt Hapooja) wrote on January 6, "to avoid tying you down to any particular testimony and to avoid having to disclose your name and statement."

------


:wow:

[Towlie]

5. As an attempt to win it's a dismal failure. As an attempt to delay Franken, it's a smashing success.

[Still Sensible]

6. Obviously another good turn of events for Al, but

in the scheme of things, if this had approached real shitstorm status from a legal standpoint there would have been contempt citations issued... and that didn't happen. We'll call this another fartstorm in the Coleman saga.

[pleah]

8. K&R I almost missed this post!

I can't hide the cheese sandwich threads fast enough.


Go Al! So, will they end this farce soon?

[struggle4progress]

9. Recount trial: Election official out, in, and out again

... Coleman's key witness for his claim of double voting, election worker Pamela Howell was removed from the stand earlier this week when Coleman's legal team failed to provide all of the notes to Al Franken's lawyers. The three-judge panel decided it was an honest mistake and put her back on the stand. Oops.

Turns out there is even more to this story and she was taken off the witness stand again. Give us a break ...

In the latest Coleman effort to get more votes, his team wants to reconsider all 287,000 absentee votes from the 2008 election. Wait, are you serious? ... http://blogs.citypages.com/blotter/2009/02/recount_trial_e.php

[struggle4progress]

10. Eventful day ends week 5 of Minn. Senate trial

By BRIAN BAKST , Associated Press

Week five of the Minnesota Senate trial closed Friday with the judges pondering whether to wipe out one part of Republican Norm Coleman's case and dramatically broaden his lawsuit elsewhere.

The testimony of a poll worker — struck and then reinstated in successive days this week — was thrown in doubt again after disclosures about additional written contacts she had with Coleman's lawyers that were withheld from attorneys for Al Franken. The Democrat's legal team asked the court to disqualify her and the entire Coleman claim of double-counted votes as a result.

Later, the campaigns argued over a Coleman motion to reconsider all 287,000 absentee ballots cast last year. His lawyers say thousands of accepted ballots would be illegal under the standards the three-judge panel set forth in a Feb. 13 ruling.

The maneuvering obscured a simple reality: Minnesota has officially gone a full eight weeks with a single senator. And it will go several more before either Franken or Coleman land the election certificate needed to fill the second seat ...

http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/senate/40427852.html?elr=KArks:DCiU1OiP:DiiUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU