Danny Tarkanian: Angle Broke the Law
World’s worst surrogate (again) hits airwaves to say something unhelpful to embattled Angle campaign, literally admits Angle directed illegal coordination with her campaign
It didn’t take Danny Tarkanian, the MVP of Sharron Angle surrogates, 24 hours from the time Nevada Democrats asked the feds to probe his illegal coordination with Sharron Angle for him to literally admit in public that Angle has been directing his surrogate activities on behalf of her campaign.
The Nevada State Democratic Party on Wednesday filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission charging that Sharron Angle and her DC handlers are illegally coordinating with Tarkanian and his political committee, and as a result of that coordination Angle has accepted in-kind donations well in excess of the $5,000 contribution limit. These illegal activities by Angle and her campaign are punishable by serious civil and criminal penalties, including fines.
Mere hours later, Tarkanian pulled out of a candidate forum where he was scheduled to speak at Angle’s behest, citing an abundance of caution. Also known as: admission of guilt #1.
Then this morning Tark hit the airwaves, this time on conservative talker Heidi Harris’ radio program. Also known as: admission of guilt #2.
“The part that is a little in the gray area that we’re going to be cautious on until we get a response back from the FEC on is: Sharron’s campaign had asked me to speak on her behalf at an event last night. And there’s was another one coming up. But we’re not going to do that until we get a response from the FEC to see if it’s ok if I am her actually her spokesperson. That’s the gray area.”
Well, Danny and Sharron… not really. In fact, federal law is black and white on this one. See, the FEC prohibits coordination between candidates (that’s you, Sharron) and independent expenditures (that’s you, Danny). In other words, when Sharron asked Danny to “speak on her behalf” it was illegal.
But then, Sharron Angle knows that. She’s said so half a dozen times, including once in May. “Federal law forbids us from having any contact with them (independent expenditures like Tarkanian’s) because it says you cannot coordinate those efforts,” Angle told KLAS Channel 8 in Las Vegas. How quickly we forget when our campaign is circling the drain.
Back in Tark land, not satisfied with pointing out Angle’s illegal behavior just once during a public appearance, Danny went on to describe why the coordination between his political committee and Angle and her campaign is illegal.
“The PAC itself cannot coordinate its activities with the campaign and the campaign cannot coordinate its activities with the PAC,” Tarkanian said, accurately describing federal law, but then going on to repeat his “man of many hats” analogy. “Our contention is that if Sharron Angle’s campaign asks me to speak on her behalf because I’m a former candidate in the race and a supporter of her I can do that as a former candidate. I’m not doing it as the spokesperson for the PAC… But I can see the other argument that you can’t take one hat off and put another hat on so quickly.”
Then, for anyone who missed the part where he said Angle was guilty of violating federal law, Tarkanian made sure to repeat the message. Also known as: admission of guilt #3. “Thanks to Heidi Harris for having me on this morning to discuss the Dems filing an FEC Complaint. They don't want me talking for Angle.”
Frankly, we’re still wondering why Angle wants Tarkanian “talking for Angle.”
After all, there was the time he highlighted her extreme and dangerous positions on “Second Amendment remedies.” Then there was the time he mentioned her plan to kill Social Security. Oh, and yesterday when he attacked one of Angle’s major supporters, the Tea Party Express, as overpriced California consultants rather than the organic, folksy movement it portrays itself as.
Tarkanian even admitted on Jon Ralston’s Face to Face that he was colluding with Angle to break the law by wearing “many hats” in his roles as both an “independent” operator and an agent of the Angle campaign.
Yet inexplicably, Angle has reached out to Tarkanian to campaign for her illegally at The Gun Store and other events anyway.
“Sharron Angle is so desperate to distract from her extreme and dangerous agenda, she’s resorted to illegal coordination with world’s worst surrogate, Danny Tarkanian," said Phoebe Sweet, communications director for the Nevada State Democratic Party. “But there’s just no covering up either Angle’s record or her illegal activity. Her DC handlers might think she’s above the law, but Nevada voters know better – and deserve better.”
