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Baker, Cahill, RGA statements on the lawsuit

Print | Comments () Posted by Martin Finucane October 7, 2010 04:52 PM

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Independent gubernatorial candidate Timothy Cahill released a statement today on his lawsuit accusing former top strategists and aides of political dirty tricks. Republican Charles Baker's campaign and the Republican Governors Association issued brief rejoinders:

Baker campaign spokeswoman Amy Goodrich:

So far as we can tell from media reports, Tim Cahill has filed a lawsuit to prevent public disclosure of e-mails that indicate his campaign may have been illegally coordinating with state employees at the Treasury. We did not receive any written internal information regarding the Cahill campaign, period, but call on the Treasurer to come clean about improper activities in his campaign rather than trying to cover them up through a lawsuit.

RGA spokesman Chris Schrimpf

Tim Cahill will do anything to get his name in the papers, even sue his former staff. None of his frivolous stunts have worked so far and neither will this one. This is a two person race despite Cahill's attempts to distract from his failed campaign.

Timothy Cahill:

My campaign has uncovered a conspiracy between Washington Republican insiders and local Republicans to undermine my campaign for governor from within. It has come to our attention that former members of my staff - from the consulting firm Strategic National - intended to use confidential information they obtained while under my employment to benefit my Republican opponent. As a result of this discovery, today my campaign filed a lawsuit in Norfolk Superior Court against these individuals.

Recent events of this race have confirmed the very reason why I left the party system in the first place: Party leaders will go to any length to advance their own interests. Their selfish and questionable actions have resulted in nothing but disappointment from the voters of our Commonwealth time and time again.

While this particular incident implicates Republican leadership, both parties are guilty of this behavior. Last year, Governor Patrick used backroom deals to empower himself with the ability to choose a successor to the late Senator Kennedy. Now, Charlie Baker and his Republican cohorts have been plotting to undermine the integrity of this race in an attempt to mislead the voters.

I have spent the last 13 months running an honorable campaign by discussing the issues that matter most to Massachusetts families: creating jobs, lowering taxes and growing our economy. Now, I am discovering that I was not only fighting my opponents here at home but larger interests nationally.

On the campaign trail, Charlie Baker has been preaching that there are two sets of rules, one for regular people and one for people on Beacon Hill. Well it is clear now that Charlie lives by the very insider rules he so conveniently speaks out against.

Now that this has been uncovered, it is incumbent upon all of us to question everything my Republican opponent has said during this race. If this is the kind of underhanded, backroom tactics the Washington Republicans and Charlie Baker will use to get elected, we certainly can't trust him to govern.

I will not let the insider actions by former members of my campaign, the Republican Governors Association or Charlie Baker dictate the remainder of this race, and I will continue to focus on the important issues facing our state.

I think the position of governor has everything to do with character. If this is the type of character my Republican opponent will use - he's probably right in saying this is a two man race: between Deval Patrick and myself.