On the morning of election day 2002, repeated hang-up calls assaulted six phone lines tied to the New Hampshire Democratic Party. Three Republican operatives, including consultant Allen Raymond, eventually ended up in jail for their involvement in the phone jamming scheme. A fourth, former RNC offical James Tobin, will begin a second trial in February.

In his new book, Raymond alleges that the scandal goes “to the top of the Republican Party” because “the Bush White House had complete control of the RNC” and there was no way such a risky tactic wouldn’t have been “vetted by” Tobin’s “high-ups”:

“The Bush White House had complete control of the RNC, and there was no way someone like Tobin was going to try what he was proposing without first getting it vetted by his high-ups,” Raymond wrote in How To Rig an Election, a book set for publication next month. “That’s if Tobin, rather than one of his bosses, had even thought of the ploy himself – which seemed unlikely.”

Phone records obtained in a civil suit brought against the NH GOP by the NH Democratic Party show that “Tobin made 22 calls to the White House political office in the 24 hours before and after the jamming” while the Republican National Committee has paid over $6 million in legal fees for Tobin.

Yesterday, McClatchy reported that “senior Justice Department officials” delayed prosecuting Tobin “until after the 2004 election” as part of an effort to protect the GOP “from the scandal until the voting was over“:

However, the official, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, told McClatchy that senior Justice Department officials slowed the inquiry. The official didn’t know whether top department officials ordered the delays or what motivated those decisions.

The official said that Terry O’Donnell, a former Pentagon general counsel who was representing Tobin, was in contact with senior department officials before Tobin was indicted.

Marcy Wheeler notes that Tobin’s lawyer, Terry O’Donnell, is also “Dick Cheney’s long-time personal attorney.”

House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) wrote to Attorney General Michael Mukasey today, requesting documents and answers about the case.

Paul Kiel has more here.

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In a public approval poll of federal agencies, FEMA came in last, followed by the IRS. Two years after the disastrous response to Hurricane Katrina, FEMA’s distribution of toxic trailers was labeled one of the top ten worst ethics scandals of 2007, and the agency’s staged press conference ranked as the year’s top PR blunder.

On Tuesday, Sen. Gordon Smith (R-OR) took to the Senate floor and defended Trent Lott’s controversial comments on former senator Strom Thurmond, despite claiming in 2002 that he was “deeply dismayed” by them. Today, Smith’s home state paper, the Oregonian, sharply criticized the senator:

It’s true that speakers at retirement tributes are under no oath to tell the whole truth; if they were, such events might be a little less warm but a lot more interesting. And nobody thinks that Smith’s remarks on Lott’s remarks on Thurmond somehow make Smith a racist twice removed.

But on issues carrying as much emotional freight as race — and there aren’t many — a U.S. senator needs to speak with care and consistency.

Otherwise, he could find people speaking at his own retirement tribute.

(HT: The Crypt)

Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO) “abandoned his long-shot bid for the Republican presidential nomination Thursday afternoon.” One of the congressman’s most recent presidential ads claimed that immigrants coming into the United States are “pushing drugs, raping kids, and destroying lives.”

Earlier this week, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas spoke at Chapman University, revealing that he doesn’t even really “like” being a Supreme Court justice:

“There’s not much that entices about the job,” Thomas said, answering questions from the public that provided a rare glimpse of the man behind the office. “There’s no money in it, no privacy, no big houses, and from an ego standpoint, it does nothing for me.”

Thomas, 59, said the position is satisfying because he feels he’s serving the public, and he’s honored by it, “but I wouldn’t say I like it.”

“I like sports,” Thomas said. “I like to drive a motor home.”

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