If you haven't heard the news yet, don't worry you aren't alone. This broke online late on a Friday (which happened to be the Friday after the debate). dKos12 candidate
Ginny Schrader had her campaign hacked. The firewall "caught" Campaign Solutions, internet firm to Bush, the RNC, the NRCC and about a third of the Republican caucus. Then the lying began:
Denying hacking Ginny
Donatelli said she believes it is impossible for someone in her company to hack into Schrader's campaign computer without Donatelli's knowledge. She said no one associated with her firm has ever been accused of hacking in the past.
CNN July 22, 1999 - Donatelli denies hacking HRC
Hockaday Donatelli Campaign Solutions, the firm that maintains the Hillaryno.com site, denied any involvement in hacking the rival site and said it was unaware of the maneuver until contacted by a reporter. "This is not a good thing," said Becky Donatelli, cochair of the Virginia-based consulting firm that has built Web sites for a large number of Republican candidates."
same story:
She [Donatelli] said she had never heard of the nationally watched race between Fitzpatrick and Schrader or even knew who retiring U.S. Rep. James C. Greenwood was despite her decades of Republican involvement in campaigns dating back to Ronald Reagan's first run for president in the mid-1970s.
Visit Campaign Solutions' client list and you'll see they consult for the National Republican Congressional Committee. Yet they have never heard of the race the Democrats are targeting as one of the top 13 in the country?
This whole thing stinks
Chris Bowers has started a great discussion on leveraging the blogosphere to google the rest of this story since the press is as involved as Bush was in the National Guard:
Now that it is out of the bag, as shown
here,
here, and as Jerome wrote earlier today, it is time for all the Googling Monkeys out there to help the Schrader campaign. Someone is trying to hack Ginny's computers, and that someone is apparently connected to Republican consulting firm, Campaign Solutions. This firm, whose clients include Bush-Cheney 2004, the Republican National Committee, the National Republican Congressional Committee, the Pennsylvania House Republican Campaign Committee, and Representative Pat Toomey (PA), has been involved with
several hacking incidents in the past. Campaign Solutions has denied involvement.
The Fitzpatrick campaign denies any connection to the incident and Campaign Solutions:
Jim Cawley, Fitzpatrick's campaign manager, said his campaign knew nothing about the incident.
"This is, by no means, anything that we would (condone)," he said.
He also said that Fitzpatrick's campaign had had no contact with Campaign Solutions.
Proving otherwise would be very important, and might permanently change the dynamics of this campaign. Dig up whatever you can.
See the discussion:
Make it a local story
Go to Campaign Solutions Client List and see who their candidates are in your area.
Then push local media and make an issue out of these candidates dealing with people like this. Remember when the freepers complained to Kos advertisers? Now it is our turn. We can't let candidates hire people like this without taking a hit in the press.
In case they pull their client list off their website, here it is:
National and Statewide Elected Officials and Campaigns
Bush-Cheney 2004
McCain for President
U.S. Senator Wayne Allard (CO)
U.S. Senator John Ashcroft (MO)
U.S. Senator Conrad Burns (MT)
U.S. Senator Susan Collins (ME)
U.S. Senator Pete Domenici (NM)
U.S. Senator Slade Gorton (WA)
U.S. Senator Tim Hutchinson (AR)
U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe (OK)
U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (KY)
U.S. Senator John Warner (VA)
Governor Paul Cellucci (MA)
Governor George E. Pataki (NY)
Governor John Rowland (CT)
Governor Christine Todd Whitman (NJ)
Dick Ackerman for Attorney General (CA)
Peter Cianchette for Governor (ME)
David Dewhurst for Lieutenant Governor (TX)
Mark Earley for Governor (VA)
Doug Gross for Governor (IA)
Jay Katzen for Lieutenant Governor (VA)
Bret Schundler for Governor (NJ)
Bob Vander Platts for Governor (IA)
Matt Blunt for Governor (MO)
Patrick Ballantine for Governor (NC)
Jim DeMint for Senate (SC)
Johnny Isakson for Senate (GA)
John Cooksey for Senate (LA)
Doug Forrester for Senate (NJ)
Bob Franks for U.S. Senate (NJ)
Friends of Giuliani (NY)
Gordon Humphrey for Governor (NH)
Bill McCollum for U.S. Senate (FL)
Bob Peeler for Governor (SC)
Lieutenant Governor Corinne Wood (IL)
National Political and Grassroots Organizations, State GOP Organizations and Statewide Organizations
Republican National Committee
National Republican Congressional Committee
National Republican Senatorial Committee
Arizona Republican Party
Connecticut Republican Party
District of Columbia Republican Party
Illinois Republican Party
Indiana Republican Party
Maine Republican Party
Maryland Republican Party
Massachusetts Republican Party
Montana Republican Party
New Hampshire Republican Party
New Mexico Republican Party
New York Republican Party
North Carolina Republican Party
Republican Party of Virginia
Rhode Island Republican Party
South Carolina Republican Party
Texas Republican Party
Washington State Republican Party
West Virginia Republican Party
Indiana House Republican Campaign Committee
Indiana Senate Majority Campaign Committee
Mainline Republicans
Maryland Republican Legislators Committee
Pennsylvania House Republican Campaign Committee
Roll-it-Back Committee (MA)
South Carolina Senate Republican Caucus
Washington State Senate Republican Campaign Committee
Republican Attorneys General Association
Alliance for the West - U.S. Senator Larry Craig
American Dream PAC - U.S. Representative Henry Bonilla
American Renewal PAC - U.S. Representative J.C. Watts
Citizens for a Sound Economy
Committee for New American Leadership
Committee for Justice
Global Aviation Improvement Network (GAIN)
GOPAC
Hillary-No.com
Independent Women's Action Project
Michigan Federation of Young Republicans
Straight Talk America - U.S. Senator John McCain
The Ridge Leadership Fund - Governor Tom Ridge
Yes on Proposition 105 Committee
Members of U.S. House of Representatives and Campaigns
Representative Cass Ballenger (NC)
Representative Bob Barr (GA)
Representative Judy Biggert (IL)
Representative Mike Bilirakis (FL)
Representative Mary Bono (CA)
Representative Max Burns (GA)
Representative Shelley Moore Capito (WV)
Representative Christopher Cox (CA)
Representative Tom Davis (VA)
Representative Tom DeLay (TX)
Representative Mark Foley (FL)
Representative Rodney Frelinghuysen (NJ)
Representative Elton Gallegly (CA)
Representative Gil Gutknecht (MN)
Representative J.D. Hayworth (AZ)
Representative Amo Houghton (NY)
Representative Mark Kirk (IL)
Representative Frank Lucas (OK)
Representative Anne Northup (KY)
Representative George Nethercutt (WA)
Representative Bob Schaffer (CO)
Representative John Shimkus (IL)
Representative Rob Simmons (CT)
Representative Mike Simpson (ID)
Representative Joe Skeen (NM)
Representative Todd Tiahrt (KS)
Representative Pat Toomey (PA)
Representative J.C. Watts (OK)
Representative Ed Whitfield (KY)
Representative Heather Wilson (NM)
Representative Gresham Barrett (SC)
Representative Tom Cole (OK)
Representative Tom Feeney (FL)
Representative Katherine Harris (FL)
Representative Candice Miller (MI)
Vernon Robinson for Congress (NC)
Paul DeWeese for Congress (MI)
Friends of Greg Parke(VT)
Bill Federer for Congress (MO)
Joe Rothbauer for Congress (WI)
Dave Rogers for Congress (RI)
Stan Thompson for Congress (IA)
Mark Baker for Congress (IL)
Joan Johnson for Congress (NY)
Buck Limehouse for Congress (SC)
Jon Porter for Congress (NV)
Phil Sudan for Congress (TX)
Tom Liddy for Congress (AZ)
Teresa Loar for Congress (MO)
Noble Willingham for Congress (TX)
Chuck Yob for Congress (MI)
Non-Profit Organizations and Trade Associations
American Conservative Union
Americans of Faith
American Medical Association
American Society of Interior Designers
All Lacrosse America
Alexandria Chamber of Commerce
Association of the Miraculous Medal
Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association
Christian Children's Fund
Citizens for Long Term Care
Defenders of Wildlife
George Mason University
Homeownership Alliance
National Defense PAC
National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund
National Organization on Disability
National Pork Producers Association
National Realtors Association
Northern Virginia Urban League
Oregon Restaurant Association
Saint Luke's Hospital
Small Business Survival Committee
United Cerebral Palsy Association
U.S.O.
Virginians for Death Tax Repeal
West Virginia Breeders Classics
WISH List
Corporations
American Viewpoint
Stevens Reed Curcio and Company
Craig Shirley and Associates
DataOne Direct
Mullings.com
The Stevens and Schriefer Group
The Strategy Group
The Tarrance Group
If you're supporting Democrats in any of these races, this is a great story you can make happen tonight.
