Former Perry Chief of Staff Led Green Party Ballot Effort

[sonias]

Lone Star Project Press Release 6/24/10
www.lonestarproject.net

Former Perry Chief of Staff Led Green Party Ballot Effort
Witness identifies Mike Toomey as leader of Green Party ballot scam

Earlier today, a key witness testified under oath that a top member of Rick Perry’s inner circle paid him about $12,000 to convince Green Party of Texas leaders to participate in an elaborate ballot petition scam. (Source: Austin American-Statesman, June 24, 2010)

Mike Toomey, a former Rick Perry Chief of Staff, paid Garrett Mize, a 22-year-old University of Texas student, from his personal checking account, to present a formal proposal to Green Party leaders. The proposal suggests using out-of-state funds to gather signatures needed to field candidates in the upcoming Texas election. The memo notes that, “many of the donors will be people that simply do not want to see the Democratic Party win.” The proposal by Mize can be seen here.

Toomey’s direct involvement elevates the matter to a level of wrongdoing not seen since the Sharpstown scandal of the 1970s. Mike Toomey is a member of Rick Perry’s closest inner-circle and described as “close friends” (Source: Texas Monthly, February 2005). It is irrational to believe that Mike Toomey would have made such an elaborate – and likely illegal – effort to field Green Party candidates without the knowledge and approval of Rick Perry.

Holy shit! Perry crap is hitting the fan!

:wow: Perry is desperate for sure. If Toomey led the effort Perry was in on it for sure! I hope this brings him down!

:bounce::bounce::bounce:

[jobycom]

1. It's on the Statesman's web page, too. Wow.

http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/politics/entries/2010/06/24/former_perry_aide_paid_for_abo.html

We all know he's in trouble in a two-way election. He might have lost last time if it had been just him against Bell. It's a clever strategy, but it's not clever if you get caught.

Wouldn't it be nice to see Perry self-destruct, and after the primaries?

[sonias]

3. Perry self-destructing would be a dream come true

Slick rick would hit that oily spill in the campaign road and crash and burn. All by himself too - no traffic around him whatsoever. Self inflicted power drunk driving. :evilgrin:

[sonias]

2. Former Perry aide paid for aborted Green Party petition effort

Postcards from the Lege blog AAS 6/24/10
Former Perry aide paid for aborted Green Party petition effort

Mike Toomey, a lobbyist and former chief of staff to Gov. Rick Perry, personally paid for an aborted effort to qualify the Green Party of Texas for the ballot, according to court testimony Thursday morning.

The testimony came from Garrett Mize, who led the failed petition effort beginning last fall. He said Toomey paid him $2,000 a month for about six months with a personal check.

Mize was subpoenaed by the Texas Democratic Party, which has filed suit to block the Greens from certifying their candidates for the November ballot.

(snip)
Mize was approached to run the effort by a family friend, Stuart Moss, who at the time worked for a Republican political consulting and public relations firm run by former Perry communications director Eric Bearse. Bearse said Moss no longer works for him.

Mize quit the effort in April after he grew uncomfortable that Republican interests were driving the initiative and not informing the Green Party.

And Perry of course denies everything. I know nothing. Move along, nothing to see here.

:popcorn:

[jobycom]

4. Why don't you just let him git on down the road?

:D

[sonias]

5. Only if he's headed to Leavenworth

Hell we'd all pitch in and make sure we sent him first class for that trip!

:fistbump:

[hobbit709]

13. I want to see him in an orange jumpsuit

[Gman]

6. They're gonna have to get real creative to throw Toomey under the bus

but I think they'll give it a shot anyway.

[sonias]

7. Perry would throw his mother under the bus

Toomey will take the fall like a good little soldier, if he has to. (ala Scotter Libby) The corporations who have bought and paid for Rick Perry, will all kick in some retirement money (aka STFU money) so he can live out his retirement years in style.

Just saying if there's one these these guys know is how to keep their mouths shut - unless they're apologizing to BP that is. :)

[tanyev]

8. Sweeeeet.

[tammywammy]

9. Color me shocked!

SHOCKED!

:eyes:

This better get some press too. Perry needs to go down.

[sonias]

10. Court rules for Dems - Greens are off the ballot in Nov

Postcards from the Lege blog AAS 6/24/10
Judge rules Green Party can be kept off November ballot
Texas Green Party candidates can be kept off the November statewide ballot because the petitions that qualified the party were paid for with an illegal corporate contribution, a judge ruled Thursday.

This was the right ruling. Way to go TDP!
:toast:

[Melissa G]

11. Woot!!!!

Sweet! :toast:

[onestepforward]

12. Great news!

:toast:

[sonias]

14. Judge rules Green Party ineligible for Texas ballot

The big story. Made the front page of the AAS.

AAS 6/24/10
Judge rules Green Party ineligible for Texas ballot
An illegal corporate contribution used by the Green Party of Texas to field statewide candidates will keep the party's nominees off the November ballot, a judge ruled Thursday.

(snip)
Political intrigue overshadowed the legal issues Thursday as the Texas Democratic Party, which brought the suit against the Green Party, sought to trace the petition effort to allies of Republican Gov. Rick Perry.

(snip)
Steve Smith , the former Republican Supreme Court justice representing the Greens, had argued that the petition drive was a normal administrative or convention expense that may be covered with corporate contributions under state law. But Democrats said the petition drive was akin to a partisan voter registration campaign, for which corporate money cannot be used.

Smith said he would appeal directly to the state Supreme Court and hoped to get a ruling by July 2 , the deadline for the party to deliver its nominees' names to the secretary of state to place them on the ballot.

(snip)
The party's treasurer, David Wager, threatened to resign if the party took the contribution once it became clear the money came from a corporation, according to a deposition.

The Republicans are the ones breaking the law, the process and maybe the soul of the Green Party. I would hope that the Greens would see this and not appeal the ruling to the Texas Supreme Court. But of course they will since the Republicans are controlling them at this point. :(

[sonias]

15. Former Perry Staffer Implicated in Green Party Drive

Texas Tribune 6/24/10
Former Perry Staffer Implicated in Green Party Drive

If today’s court ruling stands, there will be no Green Party on the November ballot in Texas.

(snip)
"We are very pleased with today’s ruling," said party spokeswoman Kirsten Gray. "Giving corporations the right to buy ballot access in Texas would be disastrous."

During the hearing, a 22-year-old University of Texas student, Garret Mize, testified that he was paid by Mike Toomey, a former chief of staff and close ally of Gov. Rick Perry's, to approach the Green Party with a proposal for a petition drive funded by outside sources. While that plan wasn't implemented, a similar one was, successfully.

Democrats say this indicates a coordinated effort with the Perry campaign. Perry's campaign staff has said repeatedly that it had nothing to do with the Green Party's efforts, and spokeswoman Catherine Frazier said this evening that if Toomey was involved, he was acting on his own. Toomey could not immediately be reached for comment.

Giving corporations the right to buy ballot access - that is the real point of this matter and the Greens should absolute abhor this move. This is not the way they should gain ballot access. The ends do not justify the means.

[sonias]

16. Circle of Perry associates grows in the Green Party scandal

Dallas Morning News 6/25/10
Circle of Perry associates grows in the Green Party scandal

The circle of Republicans close to Rick Perry who are involved in the Green Party petition scandal continues to grow. The Perry camp denies involvement. But a judge on Thursday blocked the Greens from the fall ballot, rulling that a petition drive for the party was illegally bankrolled by corporate money. Here's the story. Testimony at Thursday's hearing revealed that Perry's former chief of staff, Mike Toomey, initiative a petition effort for the Greens with thousands of dollars that the witness said apparently came from GOP donors. Moreover, the witness -- a University of Texas student enlisted for the drive -- says an aide to a former Perry speech writer was also involved.

The story keeps on going and going and going...

[sonias]

17. The DMN story this morning

DMN 6/25/10
Judge blocks Green Party candidates from Texas ballot

A state judge blocked Green Party candidates from Texas' general election ballot Thursday, ruling that illegal corporate money was used in a Republican attempt to put them there to benefit Gov. Rick Perry.

District Judge John Dietz said he expected his injunction would be stayed by a higher court.

(snip)
The Democratic Party had filed the suit to block the Green Party candidates and to find out who bankrolled the petition drive scheme, which was first reported by The Dallas Morning News.

(snip)
Mize said that Toomey, now an Austin lobbyist, paid him $2,000 a month but that he quit in April when it became clear that money for the effort would not be coming from environmentally sensitive wind-energy advocates as promised.

Instead, he said, all money would probably come from Republican donors and "interests that did not want Democrats to do well."

Perry can deny it all he wants and nobody is going to believe him. This has his team Perry fingerprints all over it. Go ahead Perry and take the stand and testify under oath that you had no knowledge of this effort. I dare you. :grr:

[sonias]

18. SA News Express story

San Antonio Express News 6/25/10
Green Party blocked from Texas ballot

AUSTIN – Gov. Rick Perry's close friend and former chief of staff tried to help Green Party candidates get on the general election ballot this fall as part of a larger effort by outside groups that state District Judge John Dietz declared “an unauthorized, illegal contribution” Thursday.

The judge granted the Democratic Party a temporary restraining order to block Green Party candidates from being certified for the November ballot.

Democrats contended that a petition drive to put Green candidates on the ballot was actually an effort to help Perry, a Republican, by diverting votes from his Democratic challenger Bill White.

The Green Party, represented by former Republican state Supreme Court Justice Stephen Smith, plans to appeal to the high court on Monday.

It had struggled earlier to get the required 43,991 petition signatures for its candidates to make the ballot. At a hearing Thursday, Green Party member Garrett Mize testified that Perry's former chief of staff, Mike Toomey, paid him about $12,000 to convince his party to use out-of-state contributions to help the petition drive.

I love the opening paragraph - ties it to Rick right away.

[Melissa G]

19. One More thing Perry is 'Skeeert' of....Democrats! Needs the Green

Party to protect him from a one on one mano a mano race with White. Ricky chicky chicky's friends paid lots of cash to have those big strong Greens on the ballot!

[sonias]

20. Corpus Christi newspaper story

CC Caller Times 6/24/10
Green Party blocked from November ballot
Texas Democrats try to tie allegations of potential misconduct to Gov. Rick Perry

After a judge ruled with the Texas Democratic Party by blocking Green Party candidates from the November ballot, democrats worked Thursday to tie allegations of potential misconduct to Gov. Rick Perry.

Texas Democratic Party Chairman Boyd Richie said court testimony Thursday showed that the governor's former chief of staff was linked to a push to get a Green Party candidate on the gubernatorial ballot.

Richie spoke at a news conference Thursday as the Texas Democratic Convention kicked off in Corpus Christi. Perry's spokesman said the governor was not involved in pushing for the Green Party to field a candidate.

State District Judge John Dietz in Austin issued an injunction against the Green Party saying restricted corporate money was used to support a signature drive to place Green Party candidates on the November ballot. Green Party attorneys planned a quick appeal in hopes of meeting the July 2 deadline to be on the ballot. Dietz said he expected the injunction to be stayed by a higher court.

(snip)
"It is time for Rick Perry to come clean with Texas voters," Richie said. "Some of Rick Perry's closest and most trusted political advisers played a role in the effort to funnel corporate money into the illegal Green Party petition drive, and Texas voters deserve to know the truth about the extent of their involvement in this illegal ballot scam."

If Dietz is saying he expects his order to be removed, that's not good news. :(

[sonias]

21. Adding Markos story on DailyKos

DailyKos 6/25/10
TX-Gov: GOP pays to get Green candidate on the ballot

Gov. Rick Perry and the Texas GOP know they are in serious danger of losing the governorship to Democratic nominee Bill White. If only there were some useful idiots around to help the secessionist governor keep his job ... Aha!

(snip)
Is the Texas Green Party really trying to move forward with petition signatures paid for by a shadowy outside corporatist group? That would demonstrate a shocking lack of principle, and isn't that really the only thing the Greens have going for them?

:kick: