Go To Jail. Do Not Pass Go. Do Not Collect $200.

It's May which means it's time for primary candidates to start trying to get their opponents sent to prison!

VCAP tells us about the "intense criminal investigation" going on against Mark Tate who faces a primary with Jill Holtzman Vogel for the seat currently held by Russ Potts.

Across the state Patricia Stall is asking for Marty Williams to be disqualified from the ballot for "voter fraud".  Bearing Drift has more here.

UPDATE:  SOURCES TELL ME ED GILLESPIE, KEN CUCCINELLI AND MIKE FARRIS HAVE ALL CALLED MARK TATE AND ASKED HIM TO WITHDRAW.

UPDATE #2-  I just spoke with Mark Tate.  He said neither Ken nor Mike has called him.  Ed Gillespie did call yesterday and told him that if there were problems he shouldn't run.  The key word there is IF and there is no proof that there is any criminal intent here rather than just filing an incorrect report. 

It's also important to remember that the State Board of Elections (SBE) has no staff or juristiction to investigate themselves so any complaint that is lodged (and this one came from a Vogel supporter, which is public record) is automatically referred to the local Commonwealth's Attorney.

Developing...

Comments

You forgot to mention that Kopko and Gill may soon be under a similar intense investigation in the next week or two.

[Not Larry Sabato]

Hadn't heard that one.

[gold_h2o]

The laws in VA in regards to campaign finance and disclosure are...let's say....rather lenient when compared to other states.....in other words, bad math is not that severe of a penalty.

However,"intense criminal investigation" implies something like money laundering, etc.

It will be interesting to see what exactly, "intense criminal investigation" is implying.

[George Templeton]

Ah the firing squad isn't just a democratic thing, it is a republican one too. Whatever happened to just slugging it out on issues instead of this stuff (although if people are breaking the law they need to be called to account). I hope there isn't any of this kind of thing doesn't go in the Stosch-Blackburn primary where I live.

This candidate is paying fines:

http://www.styleweekly.com/article.asp?idarticle=14232

[Mike K]

Someone show me some fire before this smoke blows away.

Nobody has revealed any of the details around Tate's supposed indiscretions, and the place that's breaking the story -- VCAP -- has Tate's opponent on the board.

Surely you guys are smarter than this...

[Mike Farris Rules]

Now that the kingmaker Mike Farris has spoken, surely the masses will follow.

[Phil Chroniger]

But VCAP did respond to allegations of favoring Vogel b/c she's on the board by stating that you can go to the VPAP website and look at Tate's finance reports for yourself and look.

I haven't taken the opportunity to look, myself, but I will once I get the time. I'm interested to see if there is anything there.

I do support Vogel over Tate, but I'm withholding judgment until something more concrete is reported.

[Not Emeril Lagasse]

About half of Vogel's campaign literature mentions Gillespie by name as having hired her at RNC, ... wonder how Chairman Mr. Ed ever got the notion to call Tate.

Sheesh, ... this is sleazy.

Who are your sources Ben? More VCAP-ers?

[Phil Chroniger]

I looked at Tate's finance report at VPAP...I put up a blog about what I found. I don't know if what I saw was much to go on, so take it for what it's worth.

[Ben's Fact Checker]

Ben, you are being swindled by the Holtzman Vogel campaign.

[Agent Zeer-O]

In case anyone is wondering- it is spelled like this;

B-A-C-K F-I-R-E

[Agent Zeer-O]

Ben's Fact Checker-

Ben isn't the only one being misled- think how dumb Gillespie is going to sound......

"um, yeah, Mr. Tate, yeah, uh- its Ed, Ed Gillespie. Um about that conversation we had a couple days ago........"

[Ghost of Johnny Cochran]

Have you been injured in an accident?

Has your child been born with mesothelioma?

Been wrongfully accused in 'an intense criminal investigation'?

Then you need a lawyer!

[James Young]

A trail blazed by the late Harry Parrish, his primary campaign manager AWCheney, and Kenny Klinge!

They must be so proud.

[t]

Vogel must now step aside. Tate is a great man, with genuine pro-life convictions.

t speaks

[Phil Chroniger]

Well, given that there were some inaccuracies found, I can understand why there is an investigation.

However, "intense criminal investigation" is pretty harsh terminology at this stage of the game. If something other than a poorly-drawn report occurred here, then I can see the sense in an "intense criminal investigation".

Until then, it's simply an inquiry about some inconsistencies.

[Fly on the Wall]

How many consecutive finance reports does Tate have to screw up before it officially starts to look like he's hiding something? If three are not enough, will we take the questions seriously when he hits four after the primary?

[Agent Zeer-O]

This is really a 'win-win' scenario for Mrs. Vogel.

Scenario A; Tate goes down and she walks to the finish line in June, winning the nomination with 80+%.

Scenario B; This whole things backfires on her campaign, she goes down, and then hires her husband as her attorney/consultant paying him the millions she has raised for her election. The World of Hope method. There's nothing like big donations and consulting fees benefiting ones political ambitions- right Fly, you hypocrite you.

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/121805F.shtml

[Mambo]

Forget Tate, I hear that Vogel's sorority (Chi Omega) down at W&M adopted the cry "Toss the Salad" as their motto. Such cute little young Conservatives, aren't they?

...at least Tate eats.

[Fly on the Wall]

Lots of sexism on the blog today...

[Letourneau]

If this backfires on Vogel, ... which I think it might, ... it sure blows a hole in the good ship VCAP too.

[Jamie Radtke]

In an effort to keep this story about the facts and upon requests by many, you can go to the VCAP blog to see the alleged problems, in detail, with Mark Tate's campaign finance report. Of course, any of this can be verified at www.vpap.org

http://blog.vcap.org/2007/05/02/problems-with-mark-tates-campaign-finance-reports/

[Letourneau]

FACTS?!?! HA HA HA

"Intense criminal investigation" ???

Vogel is a campaign lawyer, isn't she. Doesn't she defend people who do "campaign fraud"?

If the pays her rents getting people who do this stuff off the hook, what does she care about one more case?

Who told NLS about Ed Gillespie calling?

Who at SBE told Jamie Radtke about the CA's "intense criminal investigation"?

Straight answers would be some welcome facts.

This is sleeze.