-Caveat Lector- http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A24094-2000Dec18.html By Jo Becker Staff Writer Washington Post Tuesday, December 19, 2000; Page A30 TALLAHASSEE, Dec. 18 -- A call was placed from the cell phone of Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris to George W. Bush's mansion in Austin at 11:50 p.m. on election night, records show. The phone call, which lasted two minutes, came more than 90 minutes after the television networks began rescinding projections that Vice President Gore had won Florida, but long before they prematurely called the race for Bush. A spokesman for Harris said today that she never made the call. Al Cardenas, chairman of the state Republican Party, borrowed Harris's cell phone at a party function and placed the call, said Harris's chief of staff, Benjamin McKay. "Al's phone died or the battery went dead and she offered to let him use her phone," McKay said. "Someone asked to use her phone and she said, 'Here you go.' " A spokesman for Bush offered a different account. Spokesman Dan Bartlett said the Florida secretary of state's Web site was down, and the Bush campaign was eager to learn official state vote tallies. Bartlett said that Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who was with his brother in Austin on Nov. 7, had phoned Harris. "My understanding is that she returned a phone call [Jeb Bush] placed to the division of elections in search of the latest returns," Bartlett said. "I know the president-elect did not talk to her." Jeb Bush has said that he phoned the division of elections twice on election night. A spokeswoman for Jeb Bush had no comment when asked whether the Florida governor spoke directly to Harris. Cardenas could not be reached to comment. Harris oversees Florida elections, but her post as George W. Bush's state campaign co-chair caused Democrats to complain for weeks that some of her actions during the post-election battle were motivated by political considerations. "This certainly raises some troubling questions," said Democratic National Committee spokeswoman Jenny Backus. "One would hope that the secretary of state would have the interests of all the voters of Florida first and foremost on election night, instead of the interests of the Republican candidate." McKay said that the Bush campaign's account is not accurate. He also said that Harris did not consider whether the phone call would become the subject of scrutiny when it became public under Florida law. "We don't live in that world," he said. © 2000 The Washington Post Company ================================================================= Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh, YHVH, TZEVAOT FROM THE DESK OF: *Michael Spitzer* <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Best Way To Destroy Enemies Is To Change Them To Friends ================================================================= <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html">Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/">ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
