Home / SC Politics / Tompkins Floods State With Illegal Robo-Calls

Tompkins Floods State With Illegal Robo-Calls

CALLS BASH GOVERNOR, VIOLATE MULTIPLE ETHICS LAWS

FITSNews - May 29, 2008 - Status quo S.C. political consultant Warren Tompkins and his underlings are flooding the state with thousands of illegal, automated phone calls bashing Gov. Mark Sanford and decrying the influence of “out-of-state” money in Palmetto political races.

The automated “robo” calls, which attack several State House challengers in an effort to protect incumbents in the S.C. General Assembly, have been traced back to Tompkins’ firm on several fronts - most notably the fact that they were voiced by Becky Fleming, an employee of Tompkins’ First Tuesday Strategies firm.

In addition to failing to disclose who paid for them - a big campaign no-no - the calls are also violating a state law that specifically forbids robotic calls to live recipients. While it’s perfectly legal to leave a recorded political message on people’s answering machines, the moment a live person picks up the call is required to immediately disconnect. That isn’t happening with these calls, according to multiple sources who have received them, and the company allegedly responsible for making them has already had numerous complaints stemming from previous violations.

But there could be even more shadiness associated with Tompkins latest “incumbent protection” plan …

At the same time the robotic calls attacking certain State House challengers went out, another call voiced by the same Tompkins’ employee went out on behalf of the South Carolina Senate Republican Caucus - only this call was praising incumbent politicians.

Sources are already telling FITSNews that there has been “extensive illegal coordination” between the incumbents benefiting from these calls, and reportedly e-mails exist in which Tompkins’ sidekick, Terry Sullivan, explains the strategy behind the incumbent protection plan to them.

Tompkins’ firm has been retained by the Caucus to manage its “general election efforts,” according to Caucus spokeswoman Lisa Sox, but it now appears that those efforts are devoted almost exclusively to protecting vulnerable incumbents in the June 10 Republican primary election.

According to numerous recipients of these illegal phone calls, they originated from “Maritz Research,” and used the phone number 1-800-836-1565.

Maritz Research is the same firm which reportedly produced recorded calls on behalf of former presidential candidate Mitt Romney, whose campaign in South Carolina was managed by Tompkins.

Two incumbents, State Senators Jim Ritchie and Catherine Ceips, have been confirmed as beneficiaries of the automated calls by the Caucus, although Ceips went on the record this morning with the Beaufort Gazette denying any knowledge of Caucus efforts on her behalf.

“While I am honored to have the support of the Republicans in the Senate — and many other Republican groups — state laws do not allow me to know the details of that support,” she said in an e-mail sent out by her campaign consultant Rod Shealy.

That doesn’t jive with statements made to FITSNews by Mount Pleasant ad buyer, Jane Murray, who told us earlier this month that the advertising buy she made on behalf of the Caucus was actually directed by an employee of Ceips’ political consultant, Rod Shealy, not the Caucus itself.

“She told me to place the ads on (Ceips)’ behalf,” Murray told us, adding that she does not purchase ad time for the Caucus, just Sen. Ceips.

Comments

Trackbacks

• Company Denies Involvement In Tompkins Phone Scam | FITSNews For Now