MN: Republicans Pursue Charges Against Rep. Rebecca Otto (D-52b)

[goobergunch]

Republican House Majority Leader Steve Sviggum said Monday that Washington County Attorney Doug Johnson would press charges against Representative Rebecca Otto, who was elected to the post in a special election in January. Johnson announced indictments against Otto, and her husband Shawn - who served as her campaign director - for distributing false political campaign material, a gross misdemeanor.

"I think that is absolutely imperative that we be allowed to make sure campaigns are run upon facts," said Republican House Speaker Steve Sviggum, who brought the complaint. According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the Ottos said that the fact that Sviggum, not Dean, made the complaint, indicates that the charges are politically motivated.

The Star Tribune also quoted the Otto couple as saying that "they had 'solid information to back up the statement made in the flyer' and denied that they knowingly made a false claim." The charges center around a statement made in a flyer during Otto's campaign that her opponent Matt Dean had his children in private schools. In fact, Dean had one child in a public school at the time and one that was enrolled for kindergarten the following year. It is believed that Dean's eldest child had been in private school the previous year.

Republicans in District 52b are not strangers to making false campaign statements. In his 2000 campaign for re-election, Mark Holsten (whose appointment by Gov. Tim Pawlenty to Deputy Commissioner of the DNR led to the special elections from which these campaign charges arise) claimed in his very last piece of campaign literature that he was a teacher. In fact, Holsten's teaching license had expired some time before and he had not been in a classroom for years, something he was surely aware of (while it can be argued that Otto could have easily made this mistake). Democrats at the time chose not to pursue charges against Holsten.

more...http://www.polstate.com/archives/003788.html#003788

edit: This is News.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

1. Much ado about nothing.

Just more repuke attempts to abrogate the electoral process.

[preciousdove]

2. Who gave her the misinformation?

Was it a mistake or a set up? Would the MN DFL know a set up if they saw it? Enquiring minds want to know.

[zekeson]

3. Repuke distraction

Hey, look over there, ignore Pawlenty's credibility issues....

[VoteClark]

4. I am for it

Because if we got rid of all the politicians that lied the Democrats would have majority control of the White House, the Senate, and the House of Representatives.

:kick:
J4Clark