House members want criminal investigation into Ohio?s Blackwell

By John Byrne | RAW STORY Editor   14 January 2005

Four Democratic members of the House Judiciary Committee asked the Department of Justice to begin a criminal investigation into Ohio?s Republican Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell today, RAW STORY has learned.

The members?Robert Scott, John Conyers, Jr., Sheila Jackson Lee, and Jerrold Nadler?filed a criminal referral with Attorney General John Ashcroft.

Among other matters, the referral is to request an investigation into voter intimidation, improper voter purging, perjury, possible misuse of Help America Vote Act funds, tampering with voting machines during Ohio?s recount and Blackwell?s misuse of the Great Seal of the United States in a campaign letter.

In the matter of misusing the Great Seal in violation of federal law, which was reported first by the Brad Blog earlier this week, the congressmen and women are seeking a special prosecutor.

Blackwell used an imitation of the seal on a letter soliciting donations for his gubernatorial campaign, which also illegally asked for corporate contributions. RAW STORY was first to report on the letter, which was used by Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) to illustrate Blackwell?s partisanship on the Senate floor during the challenge to Ohio?s electoral votes last week. In the letter, Blackwell also brags about ?delivering? Ohio for President Bush.

In a terse retort to ranking Judiciary Democrat John Conyers? staff?s Ohio voting irregularity report (seen here), a Blackwell spokesman said Thursday, ?I think Rep. Conyers? inquiry and motivation speaks for itself.?

Rep. Conyers responded later in the day in an email to RAW STORY.

?I?m amazed that the chief elections official of the state that faced the most irregularities and the first state wide electoral challenge in history wouldn?t even bother to try to set the record straight on a single irregularity,? Conyers wrote.

?There is no more significant issue facing congress than making sure our democracy works,? the congressman added. ?We saw unprecedented irregularities in Ohio last November, and I think while the Secretary of State may not think he owes
  
  any one congressperson an answer, he certainly owes the nation and the state of Ohio a response.?

Blackwell came under fire in Conyers? Judiciary staff report, which cited myriad examples of voter disenfranchisement. Among them were long voting lines in minority districts, possible tampering with voting machines during the statewide recount and the delegation of voting machines away from minority areas to suburban precincts.

Under Department guidelines, if the Attorney General gets credible information of criminal wrongdoing and has a conflict in investigating the perpetrator(s), the Attorney General must appoint a special counsel.

Ashcroft has not appointed a special counsel during his tenure.