Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

Gothmog

(143,999 posts)
Fri Aug 31, 2018, 05:30 PM Aug 2018

Democratic House candidate Abigail Spanberger suffers the kind of election year smear John McCain wo

Democratic House candidate Abigail Spanberger suffers the kind of election year smear John McCain would recognize https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/31/democrat-suffers-the-kind-of-smear-john-mccain-would-recognize.html

Among the distinctions of John McCain's political life was being targeted by one of the ugliest smear campaigns in memory.

Now, courtesy of Republican operatives tied to House Speaker Paul Ryan, a Democratic House candidate is giving the late Arizona senator competition even as the nation mourns him.

For McCain, it was flyers and phone calls to South Carolina voters suggesting he fathered a dark-skinned child whom he and his wife Cindy actually adopted from Bangladesh after she was orphaned. For Abigail Spanberger, it is a groundless suggestion of ties to terrorism when actually she spent eight years as a CIA counterterrorism agent.

The attack on Spanberger, now challenging GOP Rep. Dave Brat in Virginia's 7th District, involved three extraordinary steps.

The first appeared to start with routine opposition research. A Republican consulting firm asked the government for Spanberger's personnel records under the Freedom of Information Act.

Paul Ryan and D. Brat are each pond scum for engaging in this tactic
4 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Democratic House candidate Abigail Spanberger suffers the kind of election year smear John McCain wo (Original Post) Gothmog Aug 2018 OP
Help Abigail any way you can RandySF Aug 2018 #1
Dem Says GOP Groups 'Continue To Circulate' Her Security Clearance App Info Gothmog Aug 2018 #2
So, Paul Ryan, Speaker of the House, is breaking the law. Control-Z Aug 2018 #3
Dear Goddess! sheshe2 Aug 2018 #4

Gothmog

(143,999 posts)
2. Dem Says GOP Groups 'Continue To Circulate' Her Security Clearance App Info
Fri Aug 31, 2018, 05:47 PM
Aug 2018

The two pieces of pond scum, Paul Ryan and Dave Brat, are continuing to break the law and use this information https://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/spanberger-gop-still-circulating-security-clearance

Democratic congressional candidate and former CIA officer Abigail Spanberger said Thursday that conservative groups America Rising and the Congressional Leadership Fund were still circulating personal information from a security clearance application of hers, after the United States Postal Service acknowledged the application had been improperly released. Read her full statement below, and read our report here.

When I served as a federal agent with the US Postal Inspection Service and as a case officer with the Central Intelligence Agency, I did so to serve my country and protect my fellow citizens – including those who work at the Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF) and America Rising.

The Postal Service has confirmed that they gave information to America Rising and CLF that they never should have provided. I remain profoundly disappointed by CLF’s politically-motivated choice to circulate my unredacted National Security Questionnaire, a document that could not have been legally provided to them. Despite our repeated cease and desist letters, they continue to circulate my private information, including my Social Security number and medical history.

I have read the press release from the US Postal Service (USPS) and have spoken with the Chief Postal Inspector regarding this disturbing issue, and many unanswered questions remain. I am awaiting confirmation as to whether my National Security Questionnaire was indeed among the Official Personnel File (“OPF”) documents released to America Rising and CLF.

It is my sincere hope that USPS will provide significantly more detail as to how this major failure occurred, and that CLF and America Rising will put decency and country before politics and comply with USPS’s request that they return all documents received. I also expect that CLF will comply with our original cease and desist and stop sharing my personal identifying information, including my Social Security Number.”

I am continuing to review potential legal remedies against USPS, America Rising and CLF to get answers to unanswered questions and right this wrong.
Latest Discussions»General Discussion»Democratic House candidat...