The News Journal is out with a story by Jonathan Starkey and James Fisher concerning Eric Bodenweiser’s continued absence from the campaign trail and the confirmed existence of a criminal investigation into Bodenweiser personally. Here are the relevant details from the story about that investigation:
The focus of the criminal investigation remains unclear, according to those questioned by state police, including Bodenweiser’s brother. But some Sussex County Republican leaders say they are concerned that Bodenweiser has skipped out on campaign events after hosting a high-profile fundraiser that featured an appearance by O’Donnell, the 2010 GOP Senate candidate. Some have called his recent behavior “bizarre.”
Bodenweiser’s brother, Paul, who lives in Kingsport, Tenn., said he was questioned at length last week by a Delaware State Police detective seeking information on his brother. He would not disclose the nature of the conversation, but said that “there is absolutely nothing concerning my brother that would surprise me.”
The brothers’ relationship has soured to the point that Paul Bodenweiser maintains a website to campaign against Eric Bodenweiser’s 2010 and 2012 state Senate campaigns. Paul Bodenweiser had disclosed on his website that he was questioned by police about his brother, but removed the item in recent days.
The News Journal spoke to others familiar with the investigation, including another person questioned by state police. They asked not to be identified.
Bodenweiser has not returned telephone messages left by The News Journal since late last week. He said in a telephone interview earlier last week that he was not aware of allegations that would warrant a police investigation.
Delaware State Police does not discuss whether they are conducting criminal investigations “as to not compromise the integrity of any interviews or investigative measures utilized to thoroughly and comprehensively investigate any crime,” spokesman Sgt. Paul Shavack said Thursday.
Over the past few weeks we have alluded to a big secret about Eric Bodenweiser that would upend his race in the 19th Senate District. And when we alluded to it, we warned though that we did not want it discussed explicitly. And shockingly, most of our wonderful commenters, especially those downstate, already knew about the secret (it is a pretty well known open secret downstate in whispers here and there) and agreed that the details were too horrible to mention publicly if we did not have confirmation of anything. And back when we heard this rumor, we did not have confirmation that there was an actual police investigation.
Now we do. And we have two weeks of “bizzare” actions by Eric Bodenweiser. As a candidate, if rumors and accusations of certain horrible actions were swirling against you so frantically that even an upstate liberal blog hears of it, and you as the candidate knew it was untrue, what would be your response? Would you play the conservative victim and angrily hold a press conference denying the rumors and lambasting the evil liberal blog and evil liberal media with their disgusting smears? Or would you simply go to ground never to be seen or heard of again?
Eric did the latter. In fact, the only person it seems that Mr. Bodenweiser has talked to over the last three weeks in WGMD conservative talk show host Bill Colley, who afterwards noted on his Facebook page, “After speaking with Eric Bodenweiser I get the impression he may withdraw from his Senate race.” And now we have David Anderson of the radical right’s Delaware Politics blog saying that Bodenweiser has effectively suspended his campaign, and thus, in response Mr. Anderson is wholeheartedly and enthusiastically endorsing former Georgetown Mayor Brian Pettyjohn. Indeed, the last second write in Plan B candidacy of Mr. Pettyjohn is further confirmation that all is not right in Bodieville.
So, what is this open secret and/or rumor that has driven Eric Bodenweiser from the race and the public eye? I was ready to post the rumors today because in my mind we have enough confirmation that the rumors are at least now a story, so long as we published with the vehement disclaimers that we had no idea if the rumors were true or not, much as we did with the Vance Phillips story when an anonymous person sent a letter detailing Vance’s alleged actions with an underaged (at the time) intern. But the overwhelming (i.e. everyone but me) majority of my colleagues here at DL want us to be as careful as the News Journal, which did not even sniff at what the rumor could be. So it will remain an open secret for now. Please commenters, continue to not post any explicit or detailed information as to what the allegations might be.
Even though Eric Bodenweiser is as odious a politician as I can imagine in that he represents everything I cannot stand about the radical religious right that has consumed the Republican Party and destroyed our politics, I would not post on these rumors unless I had something more that indicated these rumors are true. As I said, I was ready to post on it today, but my colleagues want to follow the News Journal’s example of caution. For these are the type of rumors that are so horrible that even the mere mention of them can destroy a man’s political career. But Mr. Bodenweiser seems to have ended his political career himself. We now we have confirmation of the police investigation via the News Journal article, and the subsequent bizarre behavior of Mr. Bodenweiser, Mr. Pettyjohn, Mr. Colley and Mr. Anderson, all of which would not happen if this rumor were completely false. There is something there. But we will have to wait for something more.
Hopefully these rumors are false. My God, I pray that it is not true. And if it is not true, then Mr. Bodenweiser must deny these rumors and resume his campaign. If he is not in the position to do that, then he should do the right thing and resign the nomination and withdraw from the race so that he can deal with the expected charges should they be filed.