Tuesday, May 3, 2011
9:55 AM
Recall Dave Hansen Committee seeks restraining order over Dem phone calls
The Recall Dave Hansen Committee this morning requested a restraining order against the Dem Party of Wisconsin for calling people who signed its petitions.
The filing alleges harassment and intimidation on the part of the Dem Party in calling those who signed the recall petitions to see if they knew what they were signing. Dems have alleged the recalls used fraudulent tactics to trick people into signing.
Recall organizer David Vander Leest said some have reported receiving more than 10 phone calls in what he said was an attempt to harass and intimidate those who support the effort.
"I can understand one phone call, but we can’t understand 10. We can’t understand 20," Vander Leest said. "Something is going on here that’s not quite right."
Dem Party spokesman Graeme Zielinski called the filing a "joke." He said the party hired a firm to call those who signed the petitions because of concerns signatures were collected fraudulently, and the calls cease once someone answers to respond.
He said there was no harassment and those complaining were partisan Republicans.
"This is a PR stunt. It has no legal merit. It will fail," Zielinksi said. "It only draws more attention to the fraudulence of their recall efforts."
Vander Leest said the request for a restraining order accuses the Dem Party of intimidating, harassing and causing fear by use of the phone. The recall committee wants to subpoena Hansen, Dem Chair Mike Tate and Brown County Dem Chair Tom Sieber.
A hearing is scheduled for May 16.
-- By JR Ross
Labels: 2011 recall elections
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