Using LexisNexis as a political weapon

["Richard M. Smith" <rms () computerbytesman com>]

http://postgazette.com/pg/08202/898222-178.stm

 

Democrats used state funds to research foes

Sunday, July 20, 2008

By Dennis B. Roddy and Tracie Mauriello, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

HARRISBURG -- As the pivotal 2006 legislative election season began, top
Democratic House aides, using state resources, undertook a wide-ranging
opposition research campaign into both Democratic and Republican office
seekers, e-mails show.

The project was spearheaded by Eric Webb, director of the Democratic Office
of Member Services, who, on Jan. 31, sent e-mails to state employees
advising them to begin digging up information on 35 declared and potential
candidates for the state House.

"We are mainly looking for bad things: liens, bankruptcies, homicides ...
you get the picture," Mr. Webb advised a dozen House colleagues via their
state e-mail accounts. Employees were asked to use LexisNexis, an online
search service that makes use of thousands of databases. The state had
several LexisNexis accounts that a grand jury later said were used for
opposition research.

Mr. Webb told staffers to send results from the searches to Dan Wiedemer,
executive director of the Pennsylvania House Democratic Campaign Committee,
at Mr. Wiedemer's political campaign address.

Many of those targeted in the project were sponsored by PACleanSweep, a
group formed to oust lawmakers who had voted for an unpopular legislative
pay raise.

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