News Journal hides exculpatory Markell campaign facts under sensational headline
It is clear that E. Norman Veasey is on witch-hunt, and the News Journal’s Maureen Milford is happy to play along. If you doubt that there are axes being ground, those doubts should be dispelled when you get to this….
But Markell’s 2008 campaign distributed a memo to Zimmerman and other donors specifically detailing how to use LLCs when making contributions, including pointing out that the contributions would be counted against their individual $1,200 limit if they owned 50 percent or more of the LLC.
“If someone owns 50 percent or more of an entity, then a contribution from that entity is attributed against the individual’s limit on a pro-rata basis based upon that individual’s ownership interest in the entity,” Quinn said in the memo. “If someone owns less than 50 percent of a entity, then the entity may give up to $1,200 AND the individual may separately give $1,200.”
This is the smoking gun that turns this story into pure bullshit. Criminal enterprises don’t send out memos telling supporters how to stay on the right side of the law and E. Norman Veasey knows it. Otherwise this wouldn’t be shoved to the bottom of the story. It would be upfront and it would be marked “Exhibit A”
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How much has this investigation cost so far?
Special prosecutors have a cognitive bias in favor of finding some sort of criminal shit. This is a classic example of a prosecutor trying to sound like he is doing something.
The only criticism I could offer is that you give too much credit to the News Journal having control over anything taking place inside their four walls. They are all over the place on Jack Markell. They support him destroying the Coastal Zone Act, (Yay, Destroy Environmental Regulations!), they support him destroying the public educational system, (Yay, Destroy Public Education!) they support his dispensation of future tax credits for the flimsey corporate promise of creating jobs (Yay, Destroy Delaware’s Financial Security!) and yet they castigate him here now, five years after the fact, that his campaign accepted at that time, what was thought to be legal money from a known buffoon?
It sounds like the News Journal is neither for or against the man. It just likes to find the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, … then flat out lie against it…
How many months has this investigation been going on? How many billable hours is the state on the hook for already with this? How many more months will it continue to add cost? Is any of that public info?
@Kavips. Excellent points. The Headline: “Illegal donations to Markell discovered” was probably just a shot at a couple more grocery checkout sales.
@Nuttingham Right. The usual “wasteful” government voices are silent on this one.
Sounds like the News-Journal is turning into an arm of CRI (Caesar Rodney Institute, Delaware’s arm of the wingnut think tank machine).
Person A sending a memo opposing a practice does not mean that Person B didn’t condone it.
I’m not saying it happened, just that the document you cite isn’t definitive proof of innocence.
I think that Veasey has found something — and that is how the LLC loophole gets exploited. So far all they’ve found is wrongdoing by Zimmerman and some of his compatriots, but not by Markell of his campaign. If Veasey is going to make some recommendations for changing the campaign finance law — I hope that the change would be:
1. Reporting of LLC contributions now need to be accompanied by LLC ownership disclosure, or
2. Make LLC ownership public so campaigns can check, or
3. Limit LLC contributions to something nominal, like $25.00 per candidate and rely on the ownership to max out their personal contributions.
4. You’d also have to do something about PACs too — because I’m guessing you can use those to do an end run around the limits.
And if I were the head of the DoE, I’d also ask for an audit of all of the campaign reports from 2012 at least. Get documentation from all of the campaigns as to the ownership of LLCs.
Veasey has testimony from Zimmerman that Markell campaign went beyond the memo and instructed donors on how to cheat. After all, at the big fundraising party Zimmy held for Markell in Dover, if most of those who showed up were also in the development industry, they’d have had numerous LLCs from which to cheat this way – practically undetected. Three separate cases were factually established here for the same campaign.
Markell staffers laughed off Zimmerman’s testimony but the he said – he said is nonetheless something that has to be investigated. It isn’t funny at all.
The money will have been well spent ONLY if we all take this very seriously and push the General Assembly to enact the appropriate legislation to make sure the loopholes are closed. That leadership should be coming from the Markell camp. The Denn camp. The Biden camp. Etc.
And it also should be noted that the Republicans are correct in complaining that these ill-gotten funds should be returned to the persons-entities who wrote the checks as per the Del. Code and not to some charities of choice of the campaign.
5. If you are running for something be very wary of ANY & ALL money from well known douche bags like Zimmerman.
About the headline–Geezer can correct me on this if I am wrong–but I have been told repeatedly by WNJ staffers that when they write the stories they do not write the headlines themselves. I have spoken with many who were embarrassed about what got put atop different pieces they had written.
The headline and the article are pretty close in tone.
Either Zimmerman was lying to the judge when he said he acted alone, or he’s lying to others when he said the campaign was complicit.
Zimmerman’s argument rests on his belief that he was so important that a campaign that was up by thirty points or more in the polls and by more than seven figures in fundraising would encourage him to break the law.
This delightful Br’er Rabbit memo is NOT proof of innocence. It is nothing less than a wink and a nod in the world of politics. They were clearly seeking artfully packaged donations that skirted the limitations. Unfortunately, they relied on wannabe fathead Delaware stooges to execute it. At least three got caught. How many others figured out how to not get caught?
I don’t blame any Democrat for seeking whatever edge they can legally find. Their opponents (in most elections) are Republicans who are wholly unconstrained by ethics and morals.
Spent many years in newsrooms, and there are very few times a reporter will write the headline. Despite the fact that Gannett has cut TNJ to the bone, I’m certain they have people whose job description includes headlines.
And to answer these: How many months has this investigation been going on? How many billable hours is the state on the hook for already with this? How many more months will it continue to add cost? Is any of that public info?
The state can answer how long it has been going on, and somewhere, they have records of how much this has cost so far. Whether they will give that to you before the investigation is complete is a mystery, but virtually everything related to state business is public information unless specifically excluded. There is an assumption of inclusion. Just go to the website of whatever department you need and fill out a Freedom of Information Act request, and have as many specifics as possible.
Jason, How quickly we forget.
In 2008, Markell was raising money at a furious clip to finance his primary against John Carney.
His Republican candidate, Bill Lee, had to be dragged out of his beach house to accept the nomination and do some campaigning. Lee was the good soldier the GOP recruited because they had to put a name on the ballot.
So, if you’re saying Jack was looking for whatever edge he could legally gain over John Carney, I’ll agree with you.
But Bill Lee was a threat in name only. He might have had access to the checkbooks of the Greenville GOP, but he didn’t put up much of a fight.
That’s the best ya got, Jason?
Seriously?
Nancy, the testimony you stated was one from someone convicted of crimes who, by turning state’s evidence, could minimized or lighten his sentence. I have to agree with Markell on this one… The only Zimmerman worth listening to, is the one who used the name Dylan whenever in public.
mediawatch, You play like you practice and you general like you primary. So I don’t blame any Democrat for seeking whatever edge they can legally find. I just don’t. I know that makes Republicans sad because they are used to Democrats losing, then complaining to the refs – but fuck those guys.
I understand there’s still one copy editor left in the Delaware newsroom. Don’t know if she wrote the hedline.
Maureen Milford clearly has a source inside the investigation, and given the level of detail, it would not surprise me if the leaks were coming with the express consent of Veasey. His investigation team cannot be so large as to allow a rogue leaker to hide for long.
As for getting details on cost, hours, etc. – good luck. You’ll be buried under a flood of personnel and investigatory exemption citations and be lucky to get one time card in 50.
I was wondering about that leak point. Is the memo itself something that gives you that impression. If so, how does it possibly benefit E. Norman Veasey to tip his hand about what a weak case he’s got?
Well, Jason, if you would like to embarrass someone but don’t have enough evidence to secure a guilty verdict or plea in court, what better place to lay out your case than in a newspaper, where the standards of proof are much lower than in a courtroom?
“I was wondering about that leak point. Is the memo itself something that gives you that impression. If so, how does it possibly benefit E. Norman Veasey to tip his hand about what a weak case he’s got?”
What gives me that impression is that Ms. Milford’s reporting has been so closely tied to the investigation. She’s had reports about pending court actions and the like the day before they occur or are filed, citing the same vague “sources close to” or “sources with knowledge of.” This latest story is just the latest example. Either Veasey’s team or a prosecutor is leaking.
I assume the memo was provided by the campaign as a CYA move.
Milford’s doing a good job. So is Veasey, by ripping the scab off this operation.