New trouble for ex-Romney aide

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Salon

A damning report sheds light on the shady relationship between a former Romney advisor and an NLRB member
By Josh Eidelson

Last week, the Romney campaign finally broke its silence on an advisor’s role in a growing scandal. A report released last night shows why it had to.

In September, Mitt Romney named former National Labor Relations Board Chairman Peter Schaumber as the co-chair of his campaign’s Labor Policy Advisory Committee. Then in March, the NLRB’s inspector general named Schaumber as the recipient of leaked confidential info from current NLRB member Terence Flynn – and the Romney campaign avoided comment for a month.

Last Thursday, Rep. Elijah Cummings announced that the IG would be releasing a follow-up report, and was referring his findings to the Office of Special Counsel “for potential Hatch Act violations due to Mr. Schaumber’s role as a senior advisor” to Romney. (The Hatch Act bans public officials from using government access to advance political campaigns.) The new report, released last night by the House Education and Workforce Committee Democrats, is a sequel that truly outdoes the original.

The same day Cummings announced the forthcoming report, Romney Etch-A-Sketched Schaumber – sort of. The campaign issued no statement, but a “Romney campaign aide” told the Hill that Schaumber had already stepped down from his campaign role sometime in December. That’s the same month that Flynn learned he was being investigated by the IG. (The Romney campaign did not respond to a request for comment.)

FULL story at link.


Read more: http://www.salon.com/2012/05/03/new_trouble_for_ex_romney_aide/singleton/

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Peter Schaumber (Credit: AP/J. Scott Applewhite)

[get the red out]

1. If the news would report the crap on Romney

The election would be a cake-walk.

Shady asshole.

[PatSeg]

2. "Romney Etch-A-Sketched Schaumber"

And the English language has a new verb - "Etch-A-Sketched"! Love it.

[Kingofalldems]

3. He looks like a great friend to working people

Not.

[wordpix]

8. my first rxn, too: old, white & rich

Of course, that's what the repukes are, except also dangerous morons.

[Odin2005]

4. ACK, I read that as "Romney Sex Aide"

[maddezmom]

5. kick

[gratuitous]

6. Using the Hilary Rosen Rule

I fully expect to see the popular media hounding the Romney campaign for comment about Mr. Schaumber and his ethical problems, and a full repudiation of Mr. Schaumber and everything he's ever done. Right?

[Lasher]

7. So help me see if I've got this right:

Flynn was recess appointed by Obama in January this year. This was while he was under investigation by the IG for Hatch Act violations. And these illegal acts were allegedly committed by Flynn while acting as a mole for Schaumber (his former boss at the NLRB), who had been working at the time for the Romney campaign.

Do I understand this correctly?

[Igel]

9. Can't tell.

The article doesn't make the timeline cystal clear. It tries to link Romney with impropriety a bit to strongly and the timeline might weaken that link.

It appears in 2010/11 documents were leaked while he was counsel to an NLRB person.

They were leaked to (at the time?) former NLRB folk, one of whom was (at the time he received the information?) working for the Romney campaign.

After the leak happened he was appointed to the Romney campaign.

Months after that he was recess-appointed to the NLRB.

[Lasher]

10. Well we know Flynn was recess appointed by Obama in January this year.

And we know Flynn was under investigation at the time.

Schaumber became a member of the Romney campaign committee in September last year. Then in December, Schaumber apparently stepped down from his campaign role. That same month Flynn learned he was being investigated by the IG.

It is apparent that Flynn disclosed confidential NLRB information to Schaumber, and there appears to have been a Quid Pro Quo. So far there is no evidence that any of these disclosures did or did not occur while Schaumber was serving as a member of the Romney campaign committee (From September to December last year).