In response to Matt Dunne's attempt to make an issue of Lt. Governor Brian Dubie's schedule in the waning days of the election, Team Dubie attempted a classic Rovian turn-the-issue-on-its-head maneuver by demanding Dunne release his schedule in an attempt to make an issue of Dunne's absences.
Dunne has responded with the information, and in doing so quickly, has taken the wind out of Dubie's counter-attack (I'm glad somebody in Vermont besides Bernie appreciates the value of rapid response!).
Still, like any political issue, there's always a trail of breadcrumbs to the next issue if you know where to look - and thankfully, an astute GMD reader knew exactly where to look and sent me an email. From the AP (emphasis mine):
"My schedule as a part-time legislator is an open book as all of the records are public, including when I paid back the state for any day that I missed," Dunne said in a written statement. "However, in the interest of transparency, we are compiling those public records for anyone who wants to see them."
The request for Dunne's schedule came from Brady Toensing, a Washington, D.C.-based lawyer who is handling Dubie's schedule request issues.
The part of this report to keep an eye on is that name: Brady Toensing. Toensing isn't just some local attorney with a shingle on his door - he is a Washington GOP insider.
So the question is, if Dubie is so confident about his re-election (and is such an upstanding guy), why is he turning to a high powered member of the GOP beltway sleaze machine to go after Dunne?
Background: Digenova & Toensing, Mr. Toensing's Washington firm is a big-name Republican lobbying outfit. And by "Republican," I don't simply mean that they favor Republican clients, I mean these are people on a mission that goes back many years... sordid details on the flip...
[Victoria] Toensing, a former federal prosecutor, and [Joe] diGenova, a former U.S. attorney here, wear a number of hats. The law partners are the outside counsel for a House committee's investigation of the Teamsters union and its ties to the Democrats. The couple also represent the committee's Republican chairman, Dan Burton of Indiana, in a probe of whether he improperly demanded campaign donations from a lobbyist for Pakistan. Toensing represents Gingrich's wife, Marianne, on ethics matters.
More recently, Media Matters fleshes out the family firm's history in the context of their unchallenged "analysis" on CNN and ABC of the Valerie Plame Scandal, and Karl Rove's unindicted role in the affair:
Toensing was President Reagan's deputy assistant attorney general and chief counsel to former Sen. Barry Goldwater (R-AZ). DiGenova has been described as a "confidant" of independent counsel Kenneth Starr during the Monica Lewinsky investigation [The Baltimore Sun, 9/21/00] and as "a former federal prosecutor now working for House Republicans" [The Washington Post, 2/23/98]. In 1998, Toensing and DiGenova angered House Democrats by repeatedly discussing the Lewinsky investigation in the media while under contract with the House Committee on Education and the Workforce to investigate the Teamsters union [The Washington Post, 2/13/98].
That's right. Ken Starr. Monica Lewinsky. The Clinton impeachment. Dubie is running with that crowd. It doesn't get much ickier, folks.
Now lest you think that the apple may have fallen across the park from the tree (although since he is, in fact, working for his parents' business, I don't know why one would assume he isn't part and parcel to the sleaze), here's Brady himself on CNN in 2002 discussing the rights of Bush-labeled "enemy combatants" who may happen to be US Citizens:
BRADY TOENSING, ATTORNEY: Well, if the judge follows Supreme Court precedent, I think that they'll have to find that a United States citizen, once they're designated as an enemy combatant, can be held.
NEVILLE: And that's OK by you -- his rights are not being violated?
TOENSING: Well, I don't know if they're being violated. The judge is going to look at that under a habeas corpus motion.
But the Supreme Court has said that United States citizens can be held by military tribunal if they are designated as enemy combatants. And, in fact, they can be executed.
In fact, rumor is that he was involved in the ethics attacks on Elizabeth Ready that caused her to lose her post as State Auditor to Randy Brock.
If so, that's two high-profile races over two cycles - which would leave little doubt that Toensing is a living, breathing straight line of connection between the Vermont GOP and the Washington GOP slime machine.
But the question remains unanswered; why is Dubie getting his hands dirty with this guy?
Maybe he's scared. Dunne is looking dangerous in the waning days. Perhaps his internal polling has him looking for options.
Or maybe Dubie's just not the boy scout he presents himself as.
