-Caveat Lector-
Begin forwarded message:
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Date: July 20, 2007 10:20:01 AM PDT
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Republican Presidential Candidate's Idea of "Law and Order"
Romney aide’s bogus badges: Sources detail ‘illegal’ security tactic
By Casey Ross
Boston Herald, Friday, July 20, 2007
http://news.bostonherald.com/politics/view.bg?
articleid=1012402&format=text
In an apparent violation of the law, a controversial aide to
ex-Gov. Mitt Romney created phony law enforcement badges that he
and other staffers used on the campaign trail to strong-arm
reporters, avoid paying tolls, and trick security guards into
giving them immediate access to campaign venues, sources told the
Herald.
The bogus badges were part of the bizarre security tactics
allegedly employed by Jay Garrity, the director of operations for
Romney who is under investigation for impersonating a law
enforcement officer in two states. Garrity is on a leave of absence
from the campaign while the probe is ongoing.
A campaign source said Garrity directed underlings on Romney’s
presidential staff to use the badges at events nationwide to create
an image of security and to ensure that the governor’s events went
smoothly.
“They (the aides) knew the badges were fake and probably
illegal,” said a presidential campaign source who asked for
anonymity because the story could damage the individual’s career.
“But they went along with it because Jay (Garrity) pushed it on them.”
A spokesman for Romney issued an e-mailed statement. “No one on
the Mitt Romney for President campaign is authorized to use a
badge, nor has the campaign provided anyone with a badge,” the
statement reads. “Jay Garrity is not working on the campaign
because he continues to be on a leave of absence.”
Two additional sources confirmed that the badges -- described
as bright silver plates with a state seal attached -- were first
created and used by Garrity while Romney was still governor. Under
state law, it is illegal to use a badge without authority, an
offense that carries a fine of not more than $50.
A spokeswoman for Garrity referred all questions to the Romney
campaign.
The campaign source said the badges were used extensively by
Garrity and staffers on Romney’s advance team, which is responsible
for coordinating events for his presidential campaign.
Sometimes, the source said, a staffer would use a badge for
crowd control to restrict access to Romney. Other times, they were
flashed to gain quick access to emergency exits and back hallways
at campaign venues. In at least one instance, a staffer used a
badge to go through a Massachusetts Turnpike toll booth without
paying, the source said.
In addition to Garrity, other aides who used the badges
included advance staffers Mark Glanville and William Ritter, the
source said.
Garrity remains under investigation by the Suffolk District
Attorney’s Office for allegedly impersonating a law enforcement
officer in a May 13 phone call to a Wilmington plumbing company.
During the phone call, Garrity allegedly referred to himself as
“Trooper Garrity” and told the plumbing company its driver was
operating erratically. A spokesman for Suffolk District Attorney
Daniel Conley said the investigation remains “open and active.”
Garrity’s attorney has denied that he made the phone call.
Garrity is also under investigation in New Hampshire for a
separate incident in which he allegedly told a New York Times [NYT]
reporter to stop following Romney’s motorcade. He also allegedly
told the reporter his license plates had been run. Garrity has
denied through his lawyer that he checked the reporter’s license
plates.
- [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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