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A Clinton Spy Scandal?
When news of the Bush Administration's warrantless wiretapping program became public, Senator Hillary Clinton called the eavesdropping "strange" and "far-fetched." In a fundraising email she went on to blast "a secret program that spies on Americans!"
Now her chief strategist and pollster, Mark Penn, may have a spying problem of his own.
A lawsuit filed in New York by a former employee of Penn's polling firm, Penn, Schoen & Berland, alleges that when the employee left the firm and started a rival consulting business, workers at PSB hacked into his BlackBerry and illegally monitored his email. The lawsuit, filed in mid-June and reported by the AP on Wednesday, claims that Penn approved of the surveillance.
The backstory is a complicated one. Penn originally sued his former partner Mike Berland and Mitchell Markel in Manhattan court for allegedly violating a non-compete clause with PSB. In response, Markel filed a countersuit detailing the supposed improper email monitoring.
As of now, it's impossible to know who to believe. Penn, through an attorney, has denied any wrongdoing. But it should be noted that Penn sued a former close colleague of his, pollster Peter Brodnitz -- who's worked for Tim Kaine and Harold Ford Jr -- when Brodnitz left PSB in 2004. And his firm threatened legal action when former employees started a "PSB survivors" message board documenting what they perceived as personally abusive and unethical behavior in the workplace.
So the latest suit and countersuit, while juicy and contentious, is not surprising. To be continued.
Copyright © 2007 The Nation
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9 Comments so far
Show AllI just read a story about Mark Penn being hired to improve the image of Columbian president Uribe, who is looking for more U.S. taxpayer dollars to keep him in power.
Talk about having brass ones,
I guess she forgot about project Echelon, and all the secret FBI files she had in her posession when first lady.
They sound like crocodiles eating each others' young. What company Hillary keeps.
Hillary and Bill are not stupid. They just at times do some stupid things. It's fun being human and watching other humans, you ever laugh when you see someone fall on their ass.
Ouch!
I was just listening to the radio this morning and heard this pundit pundate (or whatever it is you call what pundits do if you don't want to refer to it as bs'ing) -- anyway, he was pundating that Al Gore has no real chance for another shot at the Oval Office unless one of the front runners, like Hillary, for example, implodes for some unspecified reason.
It's little things like this that can wreck a campaign if the media sharks are hungry enough.
WEll , well Ms Rodman, aka Wal-Mart hot shot got an arrow stuck in her high heel. But look out for the Clinton wagons to shore up the camp fire cuz they are really tanks under canvas. Mark Myass Penn will be let go and some new sharp set of teeth will be on board. Never forget Ms Rodman is old Chicago money and new New York money...that is power.
May the three little pigs fly higher and higher.
Bill Brown
Clinton, Rodham, whatever she goes by today.. she is a power whore. She will stop at nothing to attain power. Apparently First Lady was not good enough since the position has no real power or authority. So she bought a Senate seat in NY where they are always for sale. Now that is not enough and she is aiming at the White House despite promising New Yuorkers she would not do so, much like a former Governor of Arkansas once did. If you remember the White Water 'scandal', it was Hillary's name that kept coming up each time something ethically questionable was discovered. Republicans should have let that go, but refused, which paid off as ole' Slick Willie could not keep Little Willy at home for 8 years. He then stuck his Presidential pole into a hornets nest called Monica Lewinski. Giving the Rep's food for fodder and a free ride to 2000. Let's see what good things Hillary will bring the US? Bill brought us George, can you President Guiliani?
Hilary Rodham Klanton's gang is just showing what that Klanton dawg would be like as president. We damn well don't need her nor anybody else from that discredited administration presided over by a closet case Republican.
Enough Bush. Enough Clinton.