Company Denies Involvement In Tompkins Phone Scam
MARITZ, INC. DENIES ANY ASSOCIATION WITH TOMPKINS’ ILLEGAL AUTOMATED CALL CAMPAIGN
FITSNews - May 30, 2008 - A top attorney for the research firm accused of making illegal automated phone calls on behalf of South Carolina political consultant Warren Tompkins is denying that his company had any involvement in the brewing political scandal.
The calls, which began bombarding South Carolinians’ answering machines by the thousands earlier this week, are part of an extensively-coordinated “incumbent protection” campaign being waged jointly by Tompkins’ firm and the South Carolina Senate Republican Caucus. The latter organization is pouring tens of thousands of soft money dollars into the campaigns of vulnerable incumbents, but is prohibited by law from coordinating its efforts with third party groups.
In an e-mail sent to FITSNews this afternoon, Derek Mays, Associate General Counsel for Maritz, Inc. flatly denied that his firm had any involvement with the calls or any association with Tompkins:
Please be advised that Maritz Research Inc. was in no way involved in placing these automated calls and is not doing business with either Warren Tompkins or the Republican party of South Carolina. Maritz Research Inc. does not conduct political research of any kind, nor do we engage in the type of automated calling cited in your article. We do not own the 1(800) number Fitsnews referenced in the article and have contacted AT&T to determine the owner of the phone number.
Mays also denies that his company has ever “produced recorded calls on behalf of former presidential candidate Mitt Romney,” as our sources have alleged, although the company’s CEO is a former Romney - and later Rudy Giuliani - campaign donor.
Multiple sources who received the illegal calls maintained this afternoon that “Maritz Research” was indeed the name displayed on their Caller ID displays for both telephone calls - which have been traced directly back to employees of Tompkins’ firm.
If Tompkins’ firm has been caught in some shady misdirection, it certainly wouldn’t be the first time it happened.
Tompkins made national headlines last fall during the heat of the Republican Presidential Primary when one of his employees anonymously constructed a website attacking former GOP candidate Fred Thompson.
Comments
By rick beltram on May 30th, 2008 at 3:13 pm
They are at it again today in Spartanburg County.
I advised Terry Sullivan and his client, Mike Forrester to stop this very silly operation……but they continue again today!!
Rick Beltram
By veritas on May 30th, 2008 at 4:49 pm
waaaa. It was fine when reformsc and SCRG were doing it.
By backyard burger on May 30th, 2008 at 10:23 pm
Go get’em Rick, afterall you learned what you know from Terry Sullivan and now you can turn the table on him and play his game better than he can play it - love it! We are putting our money on Beltram - as for Sullivan he needs to learn to pen nicer emails to political foes, he dishes it out but can’t take it!
Burgers anyone, pass me the mustard!
By Bombthrower on May 31st, 2008 at 1:47 pm
Beltram is an idiot and so are you, Will. The two of you are too lazy to research the law to see it - you would rather drone on and on about shit you don’t have a clue about. These groups aren’t doing anything wrong. They are just kicking your clients asses, Will, and you don’t like to be on the losing end-and it will be a BIG losing end. Enjoy your last few days of this bullshit rheteric, the election will be over soon-and hopefully any shred of creditability you had will be too.