McGee: Others in GOP involved

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Registered: 03-24-2003
McGee: Others in GOP involved
Thu, 07-29-2004 - 8:49am
http://www.theunionleader.com/articles_showa.html?article=41491

From Staff Reports

CONCORD — The state Republican Party’s former executive director said yesterday that before an illegal Election Day 2002 scheme to jam opposition get-out-the-vote phone banks began, he discussed it with two other top GOP officials.

The admission came as Chuck McGee pleaded guilty to a federal felony conspiracy charge. His attorney, Patrick Donovan, said McGee would now help investigators in the continuing probe.

McGee, 34, of Concord, was the second GOP operative to admit conspiring to violate a federal law that prohibits the use of phone lines to “annoy or harass” the person who receives a call. Federal prosecutor Todd Hinnen told the judge McGee had discussed the plan with “a high-ranking official of the New Hampshire Republican State Committee” shortly before the election.

Hinnen said McGee “then drew a check” for $15,600 to pay GOP Marketplace, a Virginia firm then headed by Allen Raymond. Raymond found a subcontractor to make nonstop computerized calls disrupting get-out-the-vote phone banks at five Democratic Party offices and the headquarters of the Manchester Professional Fire Fighters Association.

Raymond pleaded guilty to a similar charge last month.

Hinnen did not say during his presentation to the judge, or afterward, if the high-ranking state GOP official had authorized the plan. Nor would Hinnen identify the official.

In court yesterday, Hinnen said McGee envisioned and developed the plan, “recalling a lesson learned during his military service, that the best way to disrupt the enemy” is to cut off his ability to communicate.

Hinnen said McGee tried to hire several consultants in late October 2002 to take care of the operation but was unsuccessful. Hinnen said that “an official of a national political organization” suggested GOP Marketplace and told McGee “to mention the official’s name” when contacting Raymond, a former colleague.

Raymond agreed to participate and hired a now-defunct Idaho telephone calling firm, Mylo Enterprises.

The plan was for computerized calls to jam the Democratic and firefighters’ lines throughout election day. Hinnen said that on the morning of the election, the high-ranking state GOP official directed McGee “to halt the phone jam.” The operation continued for about 90 minutes before it was stopped at 9:10 a.m.

During Raymond’s plea hearing on June 30, Hinnen was more specific, saying “the chairman of the New Hampshire Republican State Committee” ordered McGee to stop the operation because he was concerned that it was illegal.

John Dowd of North Hampton, who chaired the committee at that time, has denied approving or condoning the plan. Dowd said in a statement yesterday, “I absolutely did not authorize the phone jamming in any way, at any time. On the contrary, I ordered it stopped before it was to have started. I spoke with the United States Department of Justice more than a year ago, and told them all that I know about this incident. I have not heard from them since, although based on newspaper reports they seem to be doing a thorough job.”

Dowd added, “I want to also set the record straight in regard to recent press reports that tried to tie the phone jamming to a $6,000 bonus to Chuck in January 2003 that was approved by me. There is no connection whatsoever. The bonus was tied to the November 2002 election results. In January 2003, I believed the phone jamming had been stopped before it started. I did not learn otherwise until a month or so later, when the incident was covered in the press. I feel badly for Chuck and his family.”

By pleading guilty, McGee gave up his right to have a federal grand jury review the government’s case against him and to a trial. He was released without bail on personal recognizance.

U.S. District Court Judge Joseph DiClerico Jr., said McGee will be sentenced on Oct. 29. He faces a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for planning and playing a key role in the scheme. His prison time and fine, if any, could depend in part on how cooperative he is with investigators. Donovan said a probation report will play a role in McGee’s sentence. Prosecutor Hinnen reserved the right to seek an “enhancement” of the sentence under the guidelines of a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling.

Outside the federal court, a small group of young Democratic Party volunteers protested against McGee and the state Republicans, holding signs asking the GOP for full accountability.

The current state GOP chairman, Jayne Millerick, said in a statement that McGee’s actions were “offensive and abhorrent” and that the state committee has “fully and actively cooperated with federal investigators.”

Democratic State Committee legal counsel Finis Williams watched the proceeding. He is representing his party in a separate civil suit filed in Hillsborough County Superior Court, charging that the state GOP, McGee, Raymond and Mylo Enterprises violated their constitutional right to participate in a free election. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Aug. 13.

The 2002 election saw a hotly contested U.S. Senate race won by Republican then-U.S. Rep. John E. Sununu over then-Gov. Jeanne Shaheen. Craig Benson won a landslide victory over Democrat Mark Fernald. Ironically, the firefighters union had endorsed Benson.