Subject: [big campaign] BREAKING: Van Hollen Documents Show DOJ-GOP Coordination on Health Reform Lawsuit
From: Aniello Alioto <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 27 Apr 2010 13:02:04 -0400
List-Id: <bigcampaign.googlegroups.com>

This deserves to be HUGE! Please pile on...

 <http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/m/51891b87/54bacbac/2ec73fd2/5983d41b/740405352/VEsH/>
*For Immediate Release
April 27, 2010*
 *Contact: Cody Oliphant
Phone: 608-204-0677*

Van Hollen Documents Show DOJ-GOP Coordination on Health Reform Lawsuit
*Van Hollen's Top Deputy Sought Direction from $57 Million Republican
Campaign Outfit*

Madison -- The top deputy to Wisconsin Attorney General JB Van Hollen sought
direction from a $57 million Republican campaign committee that supports
Republican attorneys general leading up to the Wisconsin Department of
Justice attempt to file a partisan lawsuit against the federal health reform
act, according to a handful of records obtained by One Wisconsin Now.

Van Hollen's office denied the full extent of records requested under the
law by One Wisconsin Now. Limited records released, however, show
communications days before Van Hollen's request to file suit between Van
Hollen's Deputy Attorney General, Ray Taffora and Ben Cannatti, the
political director of the Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC). RSLC
is a 527 political organization outside of Washington, DC, which is funded
in part by health industry corporations and has spent in excess of $57
million to elect Republican candidates since 2002.

According to its website, RSLC's "mission is to elect more Republicans at
the state level, including Attorneys General, Lieutenant Governors,
Secretaries of State, and State Legislators. The RSLC is the largest caucus
of Republican state leaders in the Country."

"This is the $57 million smoking gun," said Scot Ross, One Wisconsin Now
Executive Director. "JB Van Hollen's taxpayer-financed office sought out
advice from and was being directed in this lawsuit by Republican partisans
and the health industry corporate-funded groups that wanted to derail health
insurance reform."

The emails One Wisconsin Now obtained indicate Taffora had contacted
Cannatti looking for lawsuit information. Cannatti's response, which was
sent at 9:09 the morning immediately following passage of the health reform
bill, suggested Taffora talk to Bryan Stirling, the Deputy Attorney General
of South Carolina, who Cannatti said was "coordinating efforts" between the
Republican Attorneys General filing the lawsuit. The exchange is available
here:

http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/-/Press%20Releases/VanHollenHealthEmail.pdf<http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/m/51891b87/54bacbac/2ec73fd2/5983d41a/740405352/VEsE/>

Among the largest contributors to the RSLC is the American Justice
Partnership, created by the National Association of Manufacturers. The
American Justice Partnership has donated $2 million to RSLC since 2006 and
its website features advertisements run by Wisconsin Manufacturers and
Commerce against Kathleen Falk in 2006, Van Hollen's opponent. WMC spent an
estimated $2.5 million in Van Hollen's razor-thin victory. The page, also
featuring WMC ads for pro-corporate Supreme Court Justices Mike Gableman and
Annette Ziegler, is available at:
http://americanjusticepartnership.com/partners.php<http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/m/51891b87/54bacbac/2ec73fd2/5983d41d/740405352/VEsF/>

"Van Hollen needs to explain why instead of consulting legal experts and
constitutional scholars, he was relying on advice from political
consultants," said Ross. "It's a gross abuse of power when the Attorney
General puts politics above the law."

Van Hollen's office is refusing to release the full extent of email
communications regarding the potential lawsuit requested March 24 by One
Wisconsin Now.  The request sought documents and communications between the
Attorney General's office about the potential lawsuit dating back to January
1, 2010. Van Hollen claims the documents are protected by attorney-client
privilege, though it is clearly not the citizens of Wisconsin, his only true
clients, that Van Hollen is trying to protect.

"We know why Van Hollen was directed to file the lawsuit and why he is
continuing to deny the people of Wisconsin access to all of the public
records of the taxpayer-financed Wisconsin Department of Justice," said
Ross, "Van Hollen owes his election in 2006 to unprecedented special
interest spending by big insurance and big business and now he's paying them
back."

 Ross said One Wisconsin Now is consulting with its attorneys and will
pursue "any and all legal remedies to obtain these records."
 *#    #   #

One Wisconsin Now is a statewide communications network specializing in
effective earned media and online organizing to advance progressive
leadership and values.*

------------------------------

<http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/m/51891b87/54bacbac/2ec73fd2/5983d41b/740405352/VEsC/>

<http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/m/51891b87/54bacbac/2ec73fd2/5983d41b/740405352/VEsC/><http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/m/51891b87/54bacbac/2ec73fd2/5983d41c/740405352/VEsD/>

-- 
Aniello Alioto
National Political Director
[email-masked]
502.664.2420

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