Yesterday, McHenry County Blog published a press release from 8th congressional district Republican challenger Steve Greenberg to Democrat incumbent Melissa Bean.
Greenberg pointed out that it was illegal for foreign nationals to contribute to congressional (or, for that matter, presidential—remember the Chinese donations to President Bill Clinton in 1996?) campaigns. Greenberg even sent a copy of the $1,000 invitation, which was published her yesterday.
Today, Greenberg issued a press release reporting that Bean had realized the error of her ways.
She is no long holding her $1,000 fund raiser from at the home of Chicago’s Serbia’s Chicago Consul General Desko Nikitović.
She’s moved it.
Here is the press release:
Bean Acknowledges
Ethical Mis-step;
Moves Questionable
Serbian Fundraiser
Ethical questions raised by independent
reformer Steve Greenberg forced venue changeLAKE ZURICH 3/18/08— Melissa Bean was forced Monday night to relocate her unethical fundraiser from the home of the Serbian Consul General Desko Nikitović.
The event was billed as a dinner with a minimum of a $1,000 per plate price, a highly questionable move in light of Bean’s sponsorship of H. Res 445. The legislation shares the same position as Vladimir Putin against America’s recognition of an independent Kosovo.
As a reward for sponsoring this legislation, her campaign was given the opportunity to have fundraising events at the home of the Serbian Consul General, but Bean changed the event venue her after she was questioned by the press on this highly dubious activity.
“We need reform in Washington, not members of Congress like Melissa Bean who raise campaign cash in unethical ways from foreign interests and then lobby for those interests on the floor of Congress. This is a perfect example of why voters have no confidence in the Congress,” said independent reform candidate Steve Greenberg, the GOP nominee in Illinois’ 8th district.
Greenberg Campaign Manager Brad Goodman added,
“Steve Greenberg has repeatedly asked Melissa Bean to withdraw her resolution that stands against America and return the over $24,000 she has received from the Serbian Unity Congress, which has denounced America and denies genocide in the Balkans.
“Additionally Ms. Bean planning a fundraiser at the home of the Consul General of a nation who stood by and did nothing when extremists set ablaze the American embassy and who removed their ambassador to our nation to protest our recognition of Kosovo as an independent nation, smacks of the type of arrogance that voters are sick of. The American people have had enough of this type of unethical, Jack Abramoff-type behavior in Washington.”
Is it ok to post someone’s personal information on a blog or in a press release? Is that legal or ethical? I am uncomfortable with the personal information of these people being posted by people whom they did not intend to receive the invitation. That seems wrong to me, especially to use it for what seems like dirty campaigning. I don’t know much about that issue, but I do know I wouldn’t like anyone to post my address on the web without my permission.
You are not being specific enough for me to address whatever your complaint is.
What I am sure that kitty socks is referring to is that you have posted Ryann Whalen Nikitovic’s home address on your blog when you posted that invitation.
An interesting side note, when I started doing some homework on the Greenberg allegations against Melissa Bean — including the earliest post of this fundraiser invitation, they all track back to Albanian anti-Serb websites. The first mention of this fundraiser and copy of the invitation is on this Albanian website posted by someone who identifies himself as “a Macedonian national” before Greenberg’s press release. And Greenberg’s mistake in the original claim called her contributor, “The Serbian Unity Conference”, not the “Serbian Unity Congress” — a mistake common on all the Albanian blogs and nowhere else.
In short, Steve Greenberg’s campaign is actually trolling the Albanian Serb-hating blogs for anything that he can turn into “dirt on Melissa Bean”.
Can you spell “playing dirty?”
New to blogging. Sorry I was unclear. Mr. or Ms. Chuckles, I am not sure what you are talking about as I am not educated on this issue, but I was just wondering about the ethics and legality of publishing the home address of a private citizen? It was a private invitation, I thought… I just felt like a voyeur or a peeping tom. I think exposing public info about politicians is fair game but not private information about others that could cause nutso people to go to their homes if they disagree with them… Cal, what’s your home address? That was my point!!! The issues don’t concern me … just my right as a citizen to privacy and security and safety of my family. Really, Cal, What IS your address? I’d like to read it here.
My home address is readily available. Our number and address has been in the phone book for 50 years in Crystal Lake.
If the consul wants me to take it down, however, I shall do so.
I don’t know these people – never even heard of them – so I can’t say what they would or wouldn’t want, but it just sat wrong with me. I respect you and wanted to start a dialogue about ethics. I am so sick of dirty campaigning. I will admit my bias… Greenberg, I read, has a GED and never finished college. It worries me that someone without that “stick-to-it” attitude, would want to be a Republican Congressman.
I know nothing of this issue so I did some research and found this from a Capital Hill Blog by the most Conservative man in America. Don’t know if you ever heard of him. Just thought I’d share. http://pundits.thehill.com/2008/03/18/blowing-it/
Julia Gorin also slammed Steve Greenberg and demanded that the Republican Jewish Coalition withdraw their support of him in today’s Jewish World Review, based on his tactics.
Would that be the same Julia Gorin who’s day job is a comedian? Because that article made me laugh. She’s also the lovely individual who smeared Tom Lantos after he died (http://news.serbianunity.net/2008/02/13/5956/)
If you’re going to try and simulate a popular outrage over Greenberg’s tactics maybe you shouldn’t use that nutcase.
(c/p from Illinoize)
Mr. Skinner,
The Consul General’s wife is American… What’s the problem with an American hosting a fundraising event for a United States Congresswoman?
Perhaps instead of buying into your Republican comrade’s tirades lock, stock and barrel you ought to do an few seconds of research first. Just a thought.
PS: Mr. Greenberg is challenging Rep. Bean for a seat in the United States House of Representatives, not the Kosovar House of Representatives.
I understand based on recent campaign tactics that the Republican Party is very clearly anti-immigrant, but Mr. Greenberg’s demonizing of Serbian-Americans is clearly backfiring given the number of donations now flowing from that loyal American community to Melissa Bean’s campaign.