Bluestem hadn't waded through all the depositions attached to the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board's ruling on Minnesota Common Cause's complaint about the MNGOP and Count Them All Properly, Inc. (CTAP), when a young writer drew our attention to a passage in CTAP board chair Mary Igo's statement.
The passage begins at the point when CFPDB executive director Gary Golbsmith asked the St. Paul Republican activist what she learned about CEOs on the shell corporation's listing at the Secretary of State's business records section:
Q: . . .First of all, tell me what you learned about Mr. Schroeder's being listed as CEO.
A: I don't know anything about Mr. Schroeder. And, actually, the first time I became aware of it was when
--THE WITNESS: John, I think you forwarded me the article from Blue Stream or something in Southern Minnesota that listed those two.
MR. GILMORE: Blue Stem Prairie.
THE WITNESS: Blue Stem Prairie. And I didn't know either of those names. I asked Dan if he knew those names and he didn't. I had changed the legal representative, I believe it was like December something. And at that time the Secretary of State's website had a notation on there of, how do you like our new format; you can now see the CEO and other people on the forms. I didn't realize you couldn't see it before.
The post that blogger John Gilmore--Igo's legal counsel during the deposition--forwarded to the Deponent is Sutton's secretive slush fund, Count Them All Properly, Inc., changes management.
This surprise provokes a couple of reflections. First, we are happy to have been of service and to learn that keeping an eye on the slush fund was helpful to someone. Second, that people of all political persuasions read Bluestem.
Third: was Mr. Gilmore acting as Mary Igo's friend or was he acting as her attorney (or a Count Them All Properly Inc lawyer) when he forwarded the article? If he was her/CTAP's lawyer, when did he begin working in that position?
If Bluestem recalls correctly, Gilmore has echoed Michael Brodkorb, blaming Tom Emmer for the problems surrounding the recount, as have most Progressive bloggers to varying degrees. Reading the deposits and Cyndy Brucato's Stung by fines and ruling, Minnesota GOP tries to regroup in MinnPost this morning suggests that, however one might not like Mr. Emmer's politics, failed burrito baron Tony Sutton is now far more on the hook for the party's financial woes than the unsuccessful gubernatorial candidate who ended up paying many of the party's county recount bills:
With the party’s new leadership, it’s time to move forward, [Emmer] said, because “who are you going to punish?”
“Tony Sutton,” responds a chorus of Republican activists, new and old – and the campaign finance board agreed. Although it placed some of the blame for the party’s sloppy financial reporting on its former treasurer, David Sturrock, the board named the former chair as the ultimate responsible party. Sutton alone received a personal fine.
Photoshopped : Tony Sutton's Bank of the MNGOP peso bill, by Tild.
Related posts: Sutton's secretive slush fund, Count Them All Properly, Inc., changes management
Missing at Minnpost: Why isn't Tony Sutton talking about Count Them All Properly Inc.recount fund?
Spectre of failed burrito baron haunts GOP as authorities scrutinize Count Them All Properly
That's some funny money: failed burrito baron, MNGOP, shell corp fined big time for recount
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