"If laws were broken in the Cortes affair, should they be enforced?" I inquired of the state Senate president.
"If laws were broke, I'm a believer in the rule of law," he said.
"Even if it involves members of your own family?" I wondered.
"My family didn't break any laws," he replied.
Pearce, his brother, his nieces, and his Tea Party allies probably believe this Cortes business will blow over. After all, Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne has endorsed Pearce's re-election bid, and Horne so far has refused to look into Cortes-gate.
Yet the Arizona Secretary of State's Office dutifully is investigating the provenance of Cortes' mysterious campaign signs, and if evidence of wrongdoing is discovered, it will turn the matter over to the AG, who, you can anticipate, will sit on it 'til Judgment Day.
This is the many-tentacled octopus of corruption that is Arizona. And it is the reason such obvious election fraud is countenanced.
Recently, when I phoned Petition Pros owner Diane Burns to ask who paid her for her signature-soliciting services in the Cortes campaign, she seemed shocked.
"It's all over with, isn't it?" she asked.
Still, she declined to tell me who paid her, and she denied Querard was involved, though she had dropped the name "Constantin" when I confronted her in early September as she gathered signatures for Cortes outside the Mesa Public Library.
Tom Ryan had subpoenaed her to appear at a second hearing in Maricopa County Superior Court, but the hearing was canceled after Cortes dropped out. That is, he had tried to subpoena her. Burns purposely evaded direct service of the subpoena, according to Ryan. (Ryan says Querard similarly evaded service.)
When I queried Burns about having dodged Ryan's private detective's attempt to hand her a subpoena, she hung up.
Other sources have suggested that Cortes, as dumb as she appeared on the stand before Judge Edward Burke, was aware that her purpose in running was to split the vote, even though she stated under oath that she was "in it to win."
Western has bragged openly of recruiting Cortes to run for Pearce's benefit, and he admitted that Cortes knew what was what, these sources say.
"Cortes maintained that this was her way of serving her country, by helping Pearce," one source remembered Western stating.
Mike Wright, Ryan's co-counsel and a Lewis supporter, recently penned an op-ed titled "Mesa's Watergate," which you can read on my Feathered Bastard blog.
He observes that the lawsuit he and Ryan brought against Cortes "served as a tool to remove a sham candidate" and that case law has held that running a diversionary candidate is in violation of the Arizona Constitution.
Moreover, Arizona Revised Statute 16-1006 makes it a class 5 felony to defraud a voter by "corrupt means or influence."
The actions of those in the Pearce camp make it plain that they knew they were doing something wrong.
"The fact that there are secret conspiring actors who are unquestionably supporters of Russell Pearce," Ryan's co-counsel writes, "and that they [choose] to remain anonymous, tells us that they recognize that what they have done is illegal or at least embarrassing."
Wright's the lawyer, but I think the emphasis should be on "illegal," as I don't think those in Pearce's craven crew are capable of embarrassment.
On the other hand, they might be afraid of breaking the law or, more likely, getting caught breaking the law — if Arizona's Attorney General had an inkling of doing the right thing.
Coughlin, Willems, Querard, Cortes, Russell Pearce, and the rest should be under the hot lights of a state investigation for their involvement in Cortes-gate. That they're not is something all Arizonans should be ashamed of.
October 17, 2011:SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) - Texas law enforcement officials say several Mexican drug cartels are luring youngsters as young as 11 to work in their smuggling operations.Steven McCraw, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, told Reuters the drug gangs have a chilling name for the young Texans lured into their operations.They call them 'the expendables,'" he said
Fascism at best... with a whole lotta racism.. one sided politicking for those with double standards . people need to vote out all the republican disparity and hate policies . big govt comes from red state governing. the ppl get it.
Letter writing campaign to seek a state investigation? Who do we send the letters to?
Let us resolve this issue once and for all by doing what is right.Should immigrants who chose to go through the normal immigration process and those who cross the border illegally be treated the same? How is that fair and just to one and all?
Let us resolve this issue once and for all by doing what is right.Should Coughlin, Willems, Querard, Cortes, Russell Pearce, and the rest, be under the hot lights of a state investigation for their involvement in Cortes-gate? That they're not is something all Arizonans should be ashamed of.
Its just not about migrants, its about all Americans the Cancerous Conservatism hate and racist policies are effecting. In fact, it is why the economy is still tanked, thank midterm republicrap majority congress, a fine example for americans to know whats coming if they are elected to deny the rest of America anything equal in profits not just sharing their debts due to their failed corporate favored kickback policies and deregulation. we must fight them with our votes and where we spend. end of story.
If there were a "line" or "process" they could go through, perhaps. But there is no line. US policy is simply awful. Employers need workers, Mexicans need jobs, but still, not line ....
You need to learn more about the UD immigration policy. There is a "line" and there is a quota system. We do not have the means to support an unlimited number of people entering the US without going through the legal entry process. You people can't seem to comprehend that.
What is the quota for unskilled, un-related, non-refugee Mexicans to enter the US and work?
You must not know that the number is -0- (that's zero, as in nada, zilch, none) or you wouldn't post such absurdities. Or maybe you do, and are attempting to fool others for your ideological purposes.
You do know that's called "lying" as in "Liar, liar, pants on fire."
So, which is it, a liar or a fool?
Your "this issue" is just a straw man since illegal immigrants aren't treated the same as people who have immigrated legally. It's also utterly irrelevant with respect to the criminal acts that were likely committed by those who tried to deceive Arizona voters with a sham candidate.
Stephen, thanks for adding so much more dimension to your already outstanding investigative reporting. The Diane Burns behavior of secrecy is particularly interesting, as his her denial of the Constantin connection when she herself asked the other guy something about whether he would be seeing Constantin in your presence in front of the library on Sept. 8, as they were so busily getting Cortes' signatures.
These people have destroyed the credibility of our State. They will be the downfall of everything here.Please people look for leaders with integrity and honesty. Not just who hates the most or loudest.
Is there a legal basis for the U.S. Department of Justice to undertake a federal voter fraud investigation?
Russell Pearce is nothing more than a sleazy old man for his role in the Cortes "campaign."
As for state Attorney General Tom Horne, when hell freezes over, Horne will "investigate" his good buddy Pearce. Horne is as mentally sick as Pearce. Horne is supporting Pearce in the recall election.
Then, there is Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery. I read somewhere that Monty is a Desert Storm veteran. But when it comes to actually growing a pair and doing his job, Monty runs and hides, probably for fear of the MCSO shurf.
Pearce is REALLY scared. And he rightly should be. The people of LD18 desperately want and need representation in the state Senate. And Jerry Lewis is the man for the job. Pearce is being fired yet again from a job, this time by the voters of his own LD. Vote Lewis on November 8.
Watching the Hendy testimony today at the disbarment hearing, I'm amazed how much Hendy reminds me of pearce. They spew, spin, spit, and sputter and never can remember the 'truth'...
I couldn't be there, I have to work until 6 tonight. Is Blimpie babbling incoherently about the grand conspiracy between the four judges, the MCBOS, senior county management, Tom Irvine and Wade Swanson?
Or is he babbling about how he made the decision to arrest Stapley outside the statute of limitations?
Employees contribute to their pension, as well as the employer. Once the pension is 100% 'vested' it belongs to the employee... regardless of where they work in the future, or even if they are convicted of a felony and sent to prison. Hendershott, however, is a really good example of what should be illegal 'double dipping'...
I can't understand how this doesn't anger "fiscal conservatives"..
..oh wait, conservatives tend to be a walking contradiction, don't they..
Of course you are correct. The more insane the idea in Arizona, the more likely it is to be implemented, especially if they have been told to do it by ALEC and the Koch Brothers. If it was Warrren Buffetts idea, its bad. Maybe Horne will do something, if he assigns it to his international extredition expert.
Should immigrants who chose to go through the normal immigration process and those who cross the boreder illegally be treated the same? How is that fair and just to one and all?
You must really like hearing yourself talk, don't you?
We need tighter and tougher border security, and that's what Obama is doing. So STFU, will ya?
Dumbo: You asked the same question at AZ Central on the page with Hendershott testifying. Are you capable of having only one thought per day, or what?
Hopefully Pearcer will be a gonner in early November! Otherwise, Cortes-gate worked like the charm Pearce lacks.
The reason why all these underhanded shenanigans go on is that there is no political entity with the will or desire to stop it. The AG's office is in the hands of a right-wing nutjob who gets his jollies playing Cato ("Carthage must be destroyed") when discussing TUSD's MAS curriculum, a wimp county attorney in the pocket of fat cats, a governor's office that serves as a revolving door for corporate lobbyists, a state legislature that displays all the characteristics of a behavioral health group home and a sleazy, egotistical sheriff who more than likely masturbates while looking at a mirror. Such is the state of politics here in the state of Insanity. Our state motto should be, instead of God Enriches, "God Enriches All the Sleazy Sons of Bitches." Anyone care to tackle that one in Latin?
Now we need a redesigned state seal - instead of honest but drunken George Warren it should have one of Jan Brewer's senior staffers taking a bag of money from a CCA lobbyist. Or RuSSell Pearce taking a dump on a copy of the constitution.
No doubt Tom Horn will at least wait for the results of the election next month to evencomment on this.
Kinda like those you might see hanging from the rear of a pickup truck in cowboy country, eh Mike?
Now is the time where we will see if Tom Horne has a pair or if we need to take up a collection so he can got to "Fantasies" and buy a strap on!
Turn it all over to the Justice Department and give them three years to investigate.
["He said he confronted his nieces, who circulated Cortes petitions, and they broke down in tears.']
I suppose it's possible the girls broke down in tears of joy when Uncle Russell handed each of them large amounts of cash for their time and efforts. That would explain why they might break down in tears. Otherwise, if they were doing nothing wrong, why would (1) he confront them, and (2) why would it bother them enough to cry about it?
It's just another product of the pearce spin machine..
Intimidation could have been a factor Tommy...was he wearing his wife beater t-shirt during the "confrontation", [the red dyed ones... very intimidating!]? Instead of the word "CONFRONTED" perhaps "talked with" would have been a more appropriate reply. To "Confront" someone ... a method that often leans towards harsh outcomes. I'm not saying or implying that Russell Pearce would beat a woman but...several people have including his wives!.
"Not until I read it in the paper"
They all went to the same deny/deflect seminar, didn't they?
