Buch campaigner sent to jail for vote suppression
Former Bush campaign official sentenced to prisonMore ...
By Jason SzepCONCORD, New Hampshire (Reuters) - A senior official in U.S. President George W. Bush's re-election campaign was sentenced to 10 months in prison on Wednesday for his role in suppressing votes in a key U.S. Senate race, a scandal that Democrats charge may involve the White House.
James Tobin, 45, one of three Republican campaign operatives convicted in a phone-jamming scheme designed to keep New Hampshire Democrats from voting in a 2002 election, was convicted in December of two telephone harassment charges.
Prosecutors had asked for a two-year sentence.
U.S. District Judge Steven McAuliffe described the crime as "extremely serious" and a threat to the U.S. political tradition of free and fair elections.
"People in your position need to know they cannot do these things and if they do the consequences are very, very serious," he said in handing down a sentence harsher than the six months home detention and community service sought by Tobin's lawyer.
Democrats want an investigation into 22 telephone calls made by Tobin and New Hampshire Republican Party officials to the White House on November 5 and 6, 2002, and say they believe national Republican officials may be involved in the scheme.
"I don't consider this sentencing to be the end of the matter. I consider this to be one more step in the process of uncovering exactly who knew about this," said Kathleen Sullivan, the New Hampshire Democratic Party chair.
"There are still unanswered questions," she said.
A head's up to my North Texas hometeam -- if you think this is appalling, you should read about The Mighty Texas Strike Force that worked in Ohio for the Bush/Cheney '04 campaign. A certain well-known somebody in Denton County headed up that team. Any guesses as to who? Think real hard ...
