Dems include West social security number in flier, call it 'oversight'

[Sandra]

Dems include West social security number in flier, call it 'oversight'
Source: palmbeachpost.com
URL Source: http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/s ... ity-number-in-flier-927371.htm
Published: Sep 21, 2010
Author: By George Bennett

The Florida Democratic Party today said it made an "oversight" when it included Republican congressional challenger Allen West's Social Security number in an attack mailer.

West, who is challenging U.S. Rep. Ron Klein, D-Boca Raton, in a nationally watched race, called the mailer "an unprecedented new low in
American politics."

The Democratic mailer, echoing TV ads Klein's campaign has run, blasts West for an $11,081 tax lien from 2005 that was paid off four months later.

The lien notice was pulled from public records in Indiana and is reproduced in the mailer with West's wife's name removed and his address blacked out. But his Social
Security number is visible in a column that says "Identifying Number."

The nine-digit number is not specifically labeled a Social Security number in the document. But West campaign manager Josh Grodin says
there's no mistaking what it is.

Although the mailing came from the Florida Democratic Party, West and Grodin blamed Klein for it.

"I understand politics is a tough business. I expect to be challenged about my ideas, my beliefs," West said in a fund-raising e-mail to
supporters. "But Ron Klein has clearly crossed a line. I'm not yet sure
the potential damage that might come to my wife and me, and it makes me
sick to think of what could happen to my daughters. My entire family is
at risk of identity theft."

Said Klein spokeswoman Melissa Silverman: "This was a Florida Democratic Party mailer, and they have made clear that they will take appropriate action to rectify the
situation."

Silverman didn't answer an e-mailed question about whether Klein's campaign consulted on or knew in advance about the mailer.

Florida Democratic Party spokesman Eric Jotkoff called the inclusion of West's Social Security number an "oversight" in a statement that
included a barbed apology to West.

"After making every effort to remove all of Allen West's private information, unlike West who refuses to apologize to Florida's taxpayers for not paying his taxes and his
bills, we apologize for the oversight of not redacting this information
from the public record included in the mailer," Jotkoff said. "To end,
while this mail piece does not explicitly identify any Social Security
number, in order to stop the crazy West accusations, we will pay for
identify theft monitoring for the next two years."

Grodin said late today that West has been talking to lawyers about the possibility of legal action over the mailer.

Comments below;

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The Florida Democratic Party today said it made an "oversight" when it included Republican congressional challenger Allen West's Social Security number in an
attack mailer.

But his Social Security number is visible in a column that says "Identifying Number."

This could be something very damaging to the democrat party. They could be liable for any and all damages plus pain and suffering. We could be
talking about bankrupting the democrat party! LOL

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I live in the district next to Klein's.
Saying that this typical is not unusual. I hope that West sues him and
the party hacks that issued this political mailer as well as file
criminal charges. In the unlikely event West loses Klein will have to
face
criminal charges and be barred from office.

The Democrat Party is showing its true face. They are power-mad scum!

[Sandra]

Just another dirty under handed move for the commie and the dems! I hope he sues them... Absolutely inexcusable... I still amazes me how people can be suckered every election with the dumb ads and they know if is a game of lies and still they fall for it... This was a dirty underhanded move on Col West!