Romney aide accused of impersonating cop
Mitt Romney's campaign is facing a fairly serious and embarrassing problem. Seems one of Romney's top aides is accused of pretending to be a cop:
It's sadly amusing sometimes how puffed up Republican operatives can get. If you ever worked in politics you know the sort -- they live in the fantasy world most often inhabited by 12 year old boys. They seem to have mistaken democratic elections for Cold War spy novels or something.
While it's fun to play at cloak and dagger, and sunglasses and flashing lights are definitely cool and awesome, if the accusations turn out to be true, having someone so seriously disturbed in a key campaign position doesn't reflect well on Romney.
As TPM put it:
Let's hope the Romney campaign is careful with the computers.
State Police are investigating one of Mitt Romney's top campaign aides for allegedly impersonating a trooper by calling a Wilmington company and threatening to cite the driver of a company van for erratic driving, according to two law enforcement sources familiar with the probe.The full article notes that the New York Times reporter is standing by his account.
Jay Garrity, who is director of operations on Romney's presidential campaign and a constant presence at his side, became the primary target of the investigation, according to one of the sources, after authorities traced the cellphone used to make the call back to him. The investigation comes three years after Garrity, while working for Romney in the State House, was cited for having flashing lights and other police equipment in his car without proper permits.
The New Hampshire attorney general, according to the Associated Press, has also opened an investigation into a report that a Romney aide, later identified as Garrity, pulled over a New York Times reporter in New Hampshire and said he had run his license plate.
New Hampshire law prohibits private citizens from accessing license plate databases or pulling over fellow citizens.
It's sadly amusing sometimes how puffed up Republican operatives can get. If you ever worked in politics you know the sort -- they live in the fantasy world most often inhabited by 12 year old boys. They seem to have mistaken democratic elections for Cold War spy novels or something.
While it's fun to play at cloak and dagger, and sunglasses and flashing lights are definitely cool and awesome, if the accusations turn out to be true, having someone so seriously disturbed in a key campaign position doesn't reflect well on Romney.
As TPM put it:
I thought this sort of stuff only happened in low-budget teen movies. Anyway, fake cop, fake candidate. Of a piece.I'm getting a mental image of someone resembling a young Anthony Michael Hall running around Romney headquarters, issuing orders and lamenting how much in love he is with the girl in the mail room.
Let's hope the Romney campaign is careful with the computers.
