Agents of the federal government are conspiring to politically damage Republican Gov. Paul R. LePage by coordinating with his Democratic opponents and leaking sensitive information to Maine’s newspapers.
Sound like far-flung conspiracy theory?
It’s not.
According to documents obtained by The Maine Wire, employees of the federal government have on two occasions supplied communications intended for the Governor to his Democratic opponents or to the press, instead. The leaked information has not only benefited the media outlets, but has also disrupted the Governor’s ability to govern in the face of an increasingly over-reaching federal government.
The first leak occurred in November and came from the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) in response to Maine Department of Labor Commissioner Jeanne Paquette’s Oct. 18 request for a waiver that would allow the Governor to restructure Maine’s State and Local Workforce Investment Boards. USDOL Assistant Secretary Jane Oates responded to the Governor’s request in a letter dated Nov. 14.
That letter, however, was never mailed to the Governor and instead arrived at the office of a local workforce investment board member. The letter, which contained numerous factual inaccuracies and was not supposed to be sent at all, eventually wound up in the pages of Maine’s newspapers.
In a second letter dated Dec. 6, Oates followed up with the Governor’s office. “Before following up on recent correspondence and conversations with you and your staff, I want to apologize for the inadvertent distribution of a letter in response to [Commissioner Paquette’s] October 18, 2012, request.”
Oates said that the Nov. 14 letter was “out of date” and that USDOL had determined it “would not be sent.” “However, it was not removed from our electronic correspondence system and was mistakenly distributed in response to a Congressional inquiry on the status of Maine’s State Plan.”
It is unclear at this time where the Congressional inquiry originated.
The second leak occurred in February and came from the U.S. Department of Agriculture in response to the Governor’s request for permission to require photo identification for transactions involving Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards and funds supplied via the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
According to a copy of an email obtained by The Maine Wire, a USDA employee confirmed that the Department’s determination on LePage’s request was transmitted to Democratic Reps. Chellie Pingree and Mike Michaud before it was delivered to the Governor’s office.
The email from a director at the Maine Department of Health and Human Services to a high-ranking official in the LePage administration contained the following:
“Bonnie Brathwaite, the FNS SNAP Director for the Northeast Region, confirmed to me that the letter of denial on the photo ID waiver was sent on Friday to Representatives Pingree and Michaud. It was sent that same day to the Regional Office, where the SOP is to call us with a heads-up. However, because neither Bonnie nor her boss, James Arena-DeRosa was in the office, the call didn’t get made…. Thorough apologies have been made by all.”
In a happy confluence of events, the Portland Press Herald, a newspaper owned by Pingree and her billionaire husband S. Donald Sussman, somehow obtained a copy of the USDA’s letter of denial. As a result of the leaked information, LePage first read about USDA’s decision in the pages of the Press Herald.
After twice seeing his efforts to govern undermined by bureaucrats in the federal government, LePage decided to push back.
Responding to the USDA’s letter of denial in a Feb. 21 letter to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, the Governor wrote, “I am very concerned that both my office and the Maine Department of Health and Human Services received a copy of this letter from the Portland Press Herald before we received it through official channels. This is becoming a pattern for the Federal Government.”
“The USDOL sent a letter to a congressional office before it was released to the State and that congressional office sent it out to media outlets and other groups, still all before the State was notified,” wrote LePage.
“While the United States Postal Service may be in financial trouble, they will still deliver the mail if Washington would be kind enough to send us these letters before sharing with everyone else,” wrote LePage.
Pingree’s lawyer on Friday denied a Freedom of Information Act request submitted by The Maine Wire for communications between the congresswoman’s office and the newspaper she owns, writing that such congressional records are shielded from FOIA inquiries. “Accordingly, Representative Pingree is not subject to FOIA and will not be producing the documents requested,” her lawyer wrote.
The Maine Wire has submitted a similar request to the USDA and will be following up on the result.
S.E. Robinson
Maine Wire Reporter
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The government will make no law for the citizens that doesn’t pertain to them. FOIA!!
It was just a matter of time before Pingree and her buddies would use the power of their press to undermine our Governor’s efforts.
Lots of questions, but no real answers.
Big gov undermining the people and their direction they choose to run this country. Last I checked We The people run things, not big gov or Obama and his cronies. FOIA does not apply to information to be exposed that would negat private citizens privacy from those that would misuse the information, such as late night phone calls, random packages or other harassment. Get informed and find the real monster that Obama is.
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http://www.MaineCarry.com
The cliché, “What goes around, comes around,” is the American definition for Karma. Karma is the means by which you become the architect of your own destiny. Every human action–in thought, word, or deed– inevitably leads to results or consequences, positive or negative, depending upon the quality of the action.
The governor’s style is a tough, in your face, get out of my way, and tell it like it is kind of guy. No holds barred when dismissing the health dangers of BPA “So the worst case is some women may have little beards”; or to the NAACP “Tell them to kiss my butt” regarding his decision to decline several invitations from their organization, including a breakfast on Martin Luther King, Jr. day; and his threat to tell President Obama to “go to hell” if he is elected governor; among a growing list of other quotes.
Whether the conspiracy is true or not is immaterial. Does the governor think that he would never experience direct or subtle responses to his tough guy persona? I don’t believe in Karma, but I do believe people remember when they’ve been demeaned, condescended to, and had their noses rubbed in it.
The cliché, “What goes around, comes around,” is the American definition for Karma. Karma is the means by which you become the architect of your own destiny. Every human action–in thought, word, or deed– inevitably leads to results or consequences, positive or negative, depending upon the quality of the action.
The governor’s style is a tough, in your face, get out of my way, and tell it like it is kind of guy. No holds barred when dismissing the health dangers of BPA “So the worst case is some women may have little beards”; or to the NAACP “Tell them to kiss my butt” regarding his decision to decline several invitations from their organization, including a breakfast on Martin Luther King, Jr. day; and his threat to tell President Obama to “go to hell” if he is elected governor; among a growing list of other quotes.
Whether the conspiracy is true or not is immaterial. Does the governor think that he would never experience direct or subtle responses to his tough guy persona? I don’t believe in Karma, but I do believe people remember when they’ve been demeaned, condescended to, and had their noses rubbed in it.
The logic here is flawed. So all a political opponent has to do is be nice and the opposing side won’t break the law to gain a political advantage.
This has nothing to do with being a nice guy. If the governor is going to play the tough guy he shouldn’t complain when things don’t go his way. If he has rubbed someone’s nose in it, he should not be surprised to receive the same in return. He is in a high stakes poker game with some high rollers, and he will lose a few hands. Rather than complain, he should be planning how this won’t happen again, how he might see it coming. His persona may be tough, but his thinking is soft.
” Inaccurate facts should never be written down in the first place “.
Rules have been and always will be different for billionaires and Washington fat cats.
but I do believe people remember when they’ve been demeaned, condescended to, and had their noses rubbed in it.
You could have been talking about the WH press Corps. speaking of tough talk, when exactly are the WH janators getting laid off? And the teachers and the cops and the air traffic controllers, et. al. Now, that’s tough talk.
Placing the blame on Vilsack is misdirected. When the White House tells Vilsack to jump his only reply is “how high”. Never in my 73 years have I seen such a ruthless destructive President. I can remember when Pingree actually represented the people of Maine in a responsible way. That was way back before she was consumed by power and wealth. She has surrendered herself to become an Obama puppet. A sad and pathetic shadow of her former self. Yet the people still vote he back in. Can you explain that one to me?
Dirty dirty dirty politics, I am canceling my subscription to the Pingree Press Herald!
It is easy to do when all you have to do is quote him.
If there were nothing wrong or inappropriate Chellis would have released and documents. This just confirms what we really knew already I guess.
Pingree, Sussman, Obama and all of his cronies are all dirtbags.
Another example of what goes around, comes around; this time for Jon McKane. This as reported by the Bangor Daily News, not PPH.
http://bangordailynews.com/2013/03/05/politics/lawmakers-to-consider-long-time-dirigo-health-critic-for-spot-on-programs-board/
Thomas Sweeney What ?
Good post however , I was wondering if you could write a litte more on this subject? I’d be very thankful if you could elaborate a little bit further. Many thanks!