A closer examination of documents released by the Pentagon which log all requests filed under the Freedom of Information Act shows that various individuals connected to the Republican party -- including at least five former staff members for the National Republican Senatorial Committee -- filed requests on Democratic congressmembers without identifying their employer.
Democrats, on the other hand, were more likely to state their affiliation: the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee made eight requests of the Pentagon by name since 2000 as RAW STORYreported last week.
Those familiar with "disguising" political Freedom of Information Act filings say that campaigns will sometimes have others sign off on the requests. Housemates or friends who are not employed by a political party at the time are sometimes called on to file. Such requestors often go on to become party officials.
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The Pentagon logs, obtained by blogger Michael Petrelis and given to RAW STORY, include requests from names who appear on the 2001 Congressional staff directory.
Those names include: Krista Cole, Josh Hartsell, Brent Lancaster, Brian Rogers and Hannah Walker. Cole, Hartsell and Lancaster made requests on the same date: June 28, 2001, as did Edward Newton, who later received payment from the Republican party.
Brent Lancaster, who received RNC reimbursements after making a filing in 2001 and was a press secretary for Rep. John Cooksey (R-LA), sought information on Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI).
Hannah Walker, hired by the National Republican Congressional Committee in 2003 and now a legislative assistant for Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL), filed to obtain information on Sens. Levin and Durbin in 2002. Walker also filed request for info on Bob Clement, a Democratic congressman and Tennessee Senate Candidate in 2002.
According to Open Secrets, a website that tracks money in U.S. elections, Cole, Rogers and Newton received payment from the Republican Party during the 2004 election cycle.
In June 2001, Cole sought information on the now-deceased Sen. Paul Wellstone (D-MN), while Hartsell went after Jean Carnahan, who was appointed to the Senate after her husband, Mel , died in a plane crash. Rogers' request for correspondence related to former Senator Robert Torricelli (D-NJ).
Some of the other "masked requests:"
Mark Drake, a then-staff member of the conservative Media Research Center who became the spokeperson for the Minnesota Republican Party, filed a request for the military records of Sen. John Kerry (D-MA).
Miriam Moore, legal analyst for the Family Research Council also employed by the Republican National Committee during the Bush/Cheney '04 campaign, requested information on Howard Dean in May of 2003. In 2004, she made inquiries about John Kerry, Governor Bill Richardson, and Democratic Senators Evan Bayh, Bob Graham, and Bill Nelson. Moore also requested correspondence between the Department of Defense and Dewey Square Group -- a massive public affairs firm that according to Roll Call, has "close ties to just about every important Democratic politician in the country."
Moore is linked to the Florida voter "caging" scandal: two e-mails connected to the so-called "caging list," part of an apparent plan to "disrupt voting in [Florida's] African-American voting districts" in the 2004 election, were sent to Moore's RNC headquarters e-mail address.
The following are the requests made by Republican staffers. The first date is the day the request was received by the Pentagon; the second date is when action was taken.
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Josh Hartsell
01-F-1956 / HARTSELL, JOSH /6/28/01
CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN THE OFFICE OF THE SENATOR JEAN CARNAHAN OF MISSOURI AND THE U. S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE FOR THE PERIOD OF JANUARY 1, 2000 TO THE PRESENT
A closer examination of documents released by the Pentagon which log all requests filed under the Freedom of Information Act shows that various individuals connected to the Republican party -- including at least five former staff members for the National Republican Senatorial Committee -- filed requests on Democratic congressmembers without identifying their employer.