(CNN) – National Republicans wasted little time Wednesday in building an opposition research file against Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, who will announce later in the day he will run for the Senate this year, CNN has learned.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee sent a request this morning to Blumenthal's office asking for copies of information ranging from "budget requests" and "state credit cards issued to Attorney General Blumenthal or provided for his use" to statistics on "plea bargain rates, felony conviction rates, and all other data associated with cases handled by the Office of the Attorney General for each year beginning in 1991 through present."
Blumenthal, a Democrat first elected as attorney general in 1990, will run for retiring Democratic Sen. Chris Dodd's seat. Former Rep. Rob Simmons and businesswoman Linda McMahon are seeking the GOP Senate nomination.
The NRSC asked for the information about Blumenthal under the state's Freedom of Information Act.
From CNN Politics
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So the taxpayers of Connecticut will be forced to fund the National Republican Senatorial Committee's witch hunt. Dandy.
Very nice. You can never start a smear campaign too early if you are a Republican. I'm certain they've been working overtime to gather the voluminous information on why Rob Simmons, the Republican candidate, has the ideas and insight to really turn things around. Blech!
When the GOP goes on the offensive early in the game, you know they are scared.
I sure hope his office bills the NRSC for this request. This, more than likely will be a voluminous document issue and should set the rethugs back a few bills. And before anyone flames me, remember what we were told during the eight year debacle foisted upon us by the previous occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, "Freedom of information doesn't mean you get the information for free."
If only they could/would react to things such as hurricanes and economic downturn as quickly as they do this crap.
Republicans employing the FOIA that Cheney specifically ordered all federal agencies to presume they should NOT respond to! The Gov. should just say that the information sought, like state credit cards, is top secret, will embolden the terrorists, endanger the troops, yada yada yada. Make the people who despise the FOIA and transparency in general work for the info.
You couldn't wait to report on the Republicans "Wasting Little Time" on opposition research for a new candidate. I bet they won't send in dozens of lawyers with the media in tow like they did to Sara Palin.
The big difference between the Rep's doing this and the Dems is the media won't do its job when it comes to the Dems. In fact as this seemingly breathless Headline suggests, CNN will investigate the Rep's as they do the Media's job. No wonder CNN's ratings are tanking.
Nov. 2010 can't come fast enough.
Yeah... so what? Does anybody think for a minute the Democrats don't do the same thing?
He's a public official and wan't to run for the high office. Don't the voters have the right to know what he has done during all his years in office? I guess the Democrats believe in keeping the public in the dark. Just look at the closed door healthcare fiasco.
People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.
Blumenthal will make a great Senator from our state.
Well Blumenthal must have a great of chance of winning if the crazy republicans are already trying to knock him down! The republicans really don't care about us but more so about winning elections no matter how or what they do....and they want to regain power for what??? Make them and their partners richer....It's time for all Democrats to stand up to this bull and call it what it really is