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"They are calling for the Democrats' version of Cruella de Vil to be
indicted of several crimes they say helped Bush stumble into the White
House...."
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Posted October 3rd, 2001 8:00 PM
villagevoice.com exclusive
Indict Katherine Harris, Democrats Urge
by Donna Ladd
Even as George W. Bush enjoys mountainous wartime popularity, one of his
election lieutenants is causing cracks in the nation's veneer of political
politeness. Within 24 hours of Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris's
announcement that she would run for U.S. Congress next year, Democrats.com
bit back with a Web site and an e-mail alert. The group, co-founded by the
Web designer of President Clinton's White House Web site and a consultant
for Geraldine Ferraro's 1998 Senate race, is not only reminding voters of
last year's election debacle. They are calling for the Democrats' version of
Cruella de Vil to be indicted of several crimes they say helped Bush stumble
into the White House.
"Katherine Harris belongs in jail, not the U.S. Congress," wrote
Democrats.com founder Bob Fertik, in the e-mail. Fertik and his partner,
David Lytel, say Harris violated a list of state and federal laws including
the Votings Rights Act, the Ballot Design Law, and the American With
Disabilities Act. They are collecting signatures (and donations) to
encourage Florida Attorney General Bob Butterworth and Leon County State
Attorney Willie Meggs to bring up charges against Harris on 14 points
associated with the 2000 presidential election. For one, Harris contracted
with a private company for a "fraudulent felon purge," costing Democrat Al
Gore thousands of votes, the group alleges. In addition, the congressional
candidate allowed Republican operatives to work inside her office, draft
speeches for her, and coordinate with Bush-Cheney attorneys on
interpretation of election laws. And she allowed county canvassing boards to
count 680 clearly illegal overseas military ballots, including some cast
after Election Day.
Fertik says that Harris's entry into the race will help erode the bipartisan
spirit that has swept the country since September 11. "Harris is such a
divisive figure because she blocked the counting of 175,000 uncounted votes.
How can we as a nation fight for 'Democracy' if our votes aren't counted?"
Fertik told the Voice. He also accuses her of trying to cash in on the
benevolent spirit of the moment, rather than waiting for a more appropriate
time. "She thinks she can personally benefit from our present national
unity, but she is doing tremendous damage to that unity instead," he said.
Citing a September 29, 2001, report in the St. Petersburg Times,
Democrats.com is also fingering Harris for five non-Bush-related
transgressions, including flying first class, making personal calls on her
government-issued cell phone, and not allowing the state's inspector general
to report directly to her, as required by Florida law. Harris recently fired
Inspector General Dwight Chastain, who had complained that, despite numerous
requests for meetings, he had almost no access to the secretary of state.
Fertik rejects any suggestion that Democrats.com is trying to use Harris to
redirect attention back to the botched election and away from a suddenly
popular Bush. "Katherine Harris chose to announce her campaign this
week--not us," he said, adding, "We did not suspend law enforcement in the
United States on September 11."
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