Someone issued a paid press release with a misleading headline that made it appear that The FBI
MAY investigate Kent Carper. In fact, what they were doing was
asking The FBI to investigate him. Which anyone can do to just about anyone, and then pay to distribute a press release about it.
See this thread (which was locked, because it wasn't LBN-worthy):
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=3207417&mesg_id=3207417Also, please note that The Original Poster in the above mentioned thread is also the person who paid to publish the Press Release.
Some disclosure to that effect in the original message would have been nice.
And also:
BLOGGED BY John Gideon ON 4/28/2006 11:20AM
BREAKING - ES&S MELTDOWN CONTINUES: Legal Actions Filed in Indiana and West Virginia
WV County Withholds $1.2 Million Payment to Electronic Voting Machine Company
'They Are Hiding Out,' Says County Commissioner About Previous Company Promises to Service the County
Guest Blogged by John Gideon
The ES&S Meltdown around the country which The BRAD BLOG exclusively covered yesterday, as the Texas Sec. of State's office informed Election Officials to "create emergency paper ballots", now continues to widen to other states around the country.
<snip>
In West Virginia, where the County Commissioners Association announced today they will be filing legal action against ES&S, the Charleston Daily Mail reports that Kanawha County, Commission President Kent Carper has locked up a check made out for $1.2M, which represents payment for the county's ES&S voting machines, in his desk drawer.Carper and other commissioners are deeply upset at the service from ES&S, or lack thereof...
"(The company) has embarrassed themselves," Carper said. "I got a feeling this will get their attention."
...
County Commissioner Dave Hardy noted with the May 9 primary election less than two weeks away, getting the machines online is critical.
"I can't think of anything more important right now," Hardy said. "The whole credibility of our election process is riding on this."
Last September, company officials promised commissioners the machines would be available and compliant by the Jan. 1, 2006 deadline required by the Help America Vote Act.
"They sat there and told us that they would be very careful with Kanawha County, that they would have a presence here," Carper said. "Now they are hiding out."
It appears that a lot of the money that ES&S is raking in will be paid back out to attorneys who will have to go to court to try to defend the poor work of the company that counts (or is supposed to) more American votes than any other.
More:
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=2750