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Tuesday, March 08, 2011

Ind. Gov't. - "White Accused Of Looking Into Case Before Indictment" [Updated]

More on our indicted Secretary of State, Charlie White: Norm Cox of 6NEWS writes:

Two special prosecutors have asked the Indiana inspector general to investigate whether indicted Secretary of State Charlie White improperly accessed a report detailing evidence of alleged voter fraud against him.

Special prosecutor John Dowd said Tuesday he and another prosecutor had asked the inspector general to investigate whether White broke any ethics laws when he accessed the report after taking office.

The report was prepared for the state recount commission, which dismissed a Democratic challenge to White's victory in the Nov. 2 election along party lines.

Cox also "has been trying to find White, visiting his office each day, but White's spokesman, Jason Thomas, told Cox that he doesn't know where White is."

[More] Well, it turns out Robert Annis of the Star posted a story on this earlier this afternoon, headed "Charlie White's handling of report on his case questioned." Some quotes:

Already facing multiple felony counts in Hamilton County, Secretary of State Charlie White is facing yet another investigation.

At the heart of the matter is a massive 265-report compiled under then-Secretary of State Todd Rokita allegedly detailing evidence against White. Special prosecutors John Dowd and Dan Sigler called for the Indiana Inspector General's office to investigate whether or not White improperly accessed the file after he took over the office in January. * * *

The secretary of state's report was created for the members of the Indiana Recount Commission, which decided 2-1 in December that White was eligible to run for office even though he wasn't properly registered to vote at the time. A Marion Circuit Court judge will hear the Democratic Party's appeal April 6.

The report was later given to Sigler and Dowd, who presented much of the information to a Hamilton County grand jury. That grand jury indicted White on seven felony counts of voter fraud, perjury and theft last week. * * *

Despite the bulk of the taxpayer-funded report consisting of public documents, both Rokita and White have refused to release it. Indiana Public Access Counselor Andrew J. Kossack ruled last year that because the report was "deliberative material . . . and communicated for the purpose of decision making," it was exempt from the state's open records laws.

Although they can release the report as well, Sigler and Dowd have thus far refused.

Here is the PAC ruling on the request for the Rokita report:
10-FC-266; Alleged Violation of the Access to Public Records Act by the Indiana Secretary of State -- This is the Nov. 29, 2010 response of the PAC to the Secretary of State's denial of an Oct. 26, 2010 request by Gregory A. Purvis for the Charlie White report.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on March 8, 2011 04:19 PM
Posted to Indiana Government