Dino Rossi was deposed this afternoon as a witness in a lawsuit filed by Faith Ireland and Robert Utter, two former Washington State Supreme Court justices, and Chris Gregoire supporters.
The lawsuit alleges that the Business Industry Association of Washington broke campaign finance rules by coordinating its fundraising efforts with Rossi. Independent groups like the BIAW, that raise money for candidates, are not allowed to coordinate those efforts with the candidates they are supporting because groups like the BIAW are not limited in how much money they can raise from donors. Candidates are. The BIAW has raised $7.2 million for Rossi.
Attorney Knoll Lowney, who questioned Rossi, says today’s deposition was successful because Rossi’s testimony showed that Rossi’s involvement in the BIAW’s fundraising was “much deeper” than they originally believed. The testimony shows that Rossi made phone calls and held a lunch meeting with members of the Master Builders Association—an affiliate of the BIAW. The MBA minutes identify these phone calls and the lunch as fund raising meetings for BIAW-friendly candidates.
The lunch meeting, while noted in the original complaint, may constitute today’s “smoking gun.” Ireland and Utter’s original complaint simply speculated about the lunch. Today, Rossi confirmed that he took MBA members out to lunch in Bellevue in June, shortly after the apparent fundraising phone calls. And while Rossi refuses to acknowledge that the lunch was a fundraising lunch, his answer contradicts MBA meeting notes about the lunch which do link it to fundraising. (The lunch is discussed beginning on page 155 of the deposition.)
Rossi says what he did was proper because he was not an official candidate at the time of the calls and the lunch, May and June 2007. Rossi did not declare until October 2007.
Lowney’s colleague, attorney Mike Withey, belittled that defense during a press conference with reporters after the deposition, saying Rossi’s logic made a “mockery” of Washington state’s campaign finance laws. His point: If someone can line up hundreds and thousands of dollars from a group (that’s going to spend it on that someone’s behalf) by simply doing it before officially becoming a candidate, then the law is meaningless.
Withey also said there are several additional litmus tests for when someone becomes a candidate in the eyes of the state, including—knowledge and consent that someone is raising money on your behalf. (You’ll find the definitions of a candidate here.)
Withey identified Rossi’s performance as “the most obstructive” he’d ever seen in over 30 years. Lowney and Withey say they are filing a complaint with the judge about Rossi’s performance.
I’d like to report Rossi’s side of the story, but I was escorted out of his press conference.
I sure hope when Dino get’s elected come this next Tuesday that he goes after the unions where the real corruption lies.
@1
There’s your classic clinical deflection reaction, absolutely expected from the foil cappers, and it really deserves treatment, not a blog reaction. Too bad his Veterinary insurance doesn’t cover medical conditions.
Rossi’s pre-deposition statement, and then his bi-partisan insecurity at the post game wrap up has the smell of a guilty man. Why react that way if armed with the truth?
Thanks Josh =).
BREAKING NEWS — The Phillies just won the World Series.
“For now, my goal is to do everything I can to prepare (Rossi) for successful flight” in 2008, said Luke Esser, the state Republican Party chairman, a good friend and former state Senate colleague of Rossi’s. – Luke Esser, March 2007
Clear evidence that Rossi was a clear candidate per the RCW as early as March 2007?
This is what the statute says:
“42.17.020
(9) ‘Candidate’ means any individual who seeks nomination for election or election to public office. An individual seeks nomination or election when he or she first:
(a) Receives contributions or makes expenditures or reserves space or facilities with intent to promote his or her candidacy for office;
(b) Announces publicly or files for office;
(c) Purchases commercial advertising space or broadcast time to promote his or her candidacy; or
(d) Gives his or her consent to another person to take on behalf of the individual any of the actions in (a) or (c) of this subsection.”
Under this definition, there are 4 different ways Rossi could have become a candidate. The date he declared his candidacy is not necessarily controlling, because he could have become a candidate at an earlier date if one of the other conditions existed. Consenting to fundraising on his behalf would be sufficient to make him a “candidate.” Proving this may be difficult, because that requires establishing not only that he helped BIAW’s fundraising efforts but also did so with “intent” the funds would be used to promote his own candidacy; however, absent an admission from Rossi that was his intent, direct proof of his intent isn’t possible, so his intent may be inferred from the surrounding circumstances, and a trier of fact may make a finding of such intent even if Rossi denies that was his intent.
Did I get that right, Mr. Withey?
@2 I believe the correct statement would be, “Too bad his veterinary insurance doesn’t cover pre-existing conditions,” because Balogh’s dog has suffered from mental defects from a long time — probably since hatching.
@5 No. Esser’s intentions don’t matter. The intent that matters is Rossi’s. Even if his friends wanted him to run for governor again, he wasn’t a candidate until he intentionally sought support for another run.
@8: Yeah, I thought it out after I posted it and realized that our questions are answered in this post re: the lunch date.
Did Rossi drink the BIAW’s milkshake?
@7
You really need the mental health rider in your policy when your political party sanctions Joe the Plumber as an official spokesman.
First Palin, then the butt cracker, the socialist, the communist…..holy hell, I’m glad I’m not a Republican.
The election committee of Judge Paris Kallas, who ordered that Rossi be deposed today, received a contribution from Faith Ireland, one of the plaintiffs in the case, in 2001, according to a document at the PDC. Doesn’t this appear to be a conflict of interest? Shouldn’t Judge Kallas have recused herself?
Josh Feit is a spent force, all used up. His wad is shot. He’s like a pornstar who has been in the business for greater than two years.
Josh, it was an obvious farce:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.c.....rossi.html
I love Rossi for closing down a ‘press conference” a la McCain/Quaylin style in which both camps will not tolerate leading questions. We already know Rossi’s side of the story–he lied.
Eat your f’n heart out – the Seattle Times even saw through the F’n farce
http://seattletimes.nwsource.c.....rossi.html
@13
The key take away there is “editorial”. E-d-i-t-o-r-i-a-l.
@11
Political contributions are a legal form of free speech in the United States.
15: “the Seattle Times even saw through the F’n farce”
Uh, dimwit, the Times is a rightwing rag that has endorsed Rossi. What do you expect from the Blethens?
By the way, Mike Patterson, Rossi’s attorney, who does insurance defense for a living, is notoriously slippery. I mean, in my opinion, he is notoriously slippery.
Man, the wingnuts won’t recognize any honest concept even if it hits them in the face. If Rossi wants to come clean, come clean. He said he would, but he did not. But obviously he has way too much to hide.
As to Patterson- remember he has spent much of the last several years representing sexual deviants passing as priests on behalf of the Church when they were hiding and defending these sexual predators. Now, Dino hired him, to do the same kind of obstruction of the truth.
Reading this depo, all I can say is what a jerk! The idea of discovery is, aahhh, discovery. Patterson wants to hide the truth because Dino wants to hide the truth.
As to the Sea. Times, the less said, the better, What a pathetic rag they have become.
Man, you wingnuts will defend anything, won’t you?
“What do you expect from the Blethens?”
How sad. The Times was once a damn good paper. Frank seems willing to lick not only the boots but the body parts of any politician who pledges protection from estate taxes. Maybe if he’d done a better job of running his rag, he and his kids wouldn’t be on such shaky ground that they need “special protection” to retain control.
It’s too bad Rossi did not have missle
guidance technology to sell to the Chinese
because that is an accepted form of fundraising.
Farley @14
Oh, you know, like Biden every time he’s asked something that aren’t in the questions the Obama campaign gives to reporters to ask.
Now read the Seattle Times account and come to your own conclusion about the quality of information from both sources.
I really think nobody on this thread actually read the entire deposition.
Sorry, it really doesn’t matter any more what Rossi says or not in his own defense. ‘Cause I’m just fed up to here with how he looks down his nose at me!
And you!
And everybody!
Such a self-important twit!
Anyone taking bets on the day and hour Dino files his first election result contention law suit?