Did Crist team pilfer Rudy's campaign plan?

From the NY Post: "January 3, 2007 -- Suspicion ran high yesterday that Rudy Giuliani's lost White House campaign playbook was swiped by aides to Florida's new governor - while the ex-mayor was helping him win election, sources told The Post.

Giuliani's aides were tightlipped about how it disappeared, but said it happened during a private plane ride on the campaign trail for 2006 candidates. They included Florida Gov. Charles Crist." More here.

UPDATE: Gov. Crist said today he knew nothing about the matter (Giuliani's folks won't say whether or not the campaign plan disappeared while stumping for Crist), but of Giuiliani's leaked campaign plan he said, "I hope it's a good one." Per the Daily News, the plan called for recruting Jeb Bush's fundraiser Ann Herberger to put her on retainer for $216,000. Herberger wound up jumping on board with Mitt Romney.

UPDATE 2: From senior Giuliani political adviser Anthony Carbonetti: "We have no question that whatever happened had nothing to do with Gov. Crist or his staff. The mayor has the highest regard for Gov. Crist."

Comments

Rudy's pointing fingers and blaming GOP allies before his campaign even begins??

A recipe for an early end.

Everyone knows that Charlie is supporting John McCain in the primary. I wouldn't doubt this story for a minute.

Ouch. What a way to start an administration - by launching an investigation into your staff to determine who committed a crime?

[Harbinger]

Disgusting....stealing from a guy who is trying to help you.

Here's a riddle - what can you expect from arrogant staffers with no discernable moral compass? Enron, worldcom, Tyco, etc.

Get ready Florida - it's only Day 1.

How NOT to win friends and influence people by Rudy Guiliani

who would give this country's nuclear codes to the presidential candidate who cant even keep track of his "secret" campaign plan?

So, they're saying Charlie's people rifled through everyone's luggage, found the playbook, gave back all the other luggage except that one bag, then took three days to copy it? Give me a break.

Sounds like your standard political SOP. Lie, cheat, steal… it don’t matter if yo mama dies… just win and payback the contributors.

my moneys on charlie bronson stealing it

You have to figure there could only have been a few staffers flying with Crist that day that could have known about the memo being in the bag...Let the inquisition begin.

Isn't Cortney Cox hot?

why on earth would a republican want a campaign playbook filled pro-choice, pro-gay marraige and adoption, and anti-gun ideals?

Guys, this story has very very long legs. Crist campaign team (now your government Exec Staff) are in a full panic on their first full day on the job, trying to figure out who did what. But, the minion who found it had to give it to someone up the chain of command in order to get it passed on up.
Deny deny deny deny deny.

There's only one thing Crist's people would want from a legitimate presidential candidate - and it would be found in their finance directors bag. No searching required.

So did George himself swipe it or did they send Charlie's ex-boyfriend Bruce? Based on his criminal history he's already an accomplished thief!

[realbluedemocrat]

Or Rudy gave it to Crist so that Charlie could look it over as a potential VP

[Brian Lupiani]

"why on earth would a republican want a campaign playbook filled pro-choice, pro-gay marraige and adoption, and anti-gun ideals?

January 03, 2007 at 11:31 AM"

Because all those things are more popular than Dubya and his war in Iraq are now?

realblue... you're drunk... put it down.

it was the former jeb bush loyalists that work for charlie that stole the document. jeb supports romney for president in 08. jebs people are loyal to him and they will continue to be loyal to him even if charlie is paying their salary right now. the plan was stolen by a jeb suppoter in order to help romney and discredit rudy.

2:29 - wow. and did they do it flying in black helicopters?

Occam's Razor...look it up.

PS - no true jeb loyalists work for charlie...no one who worked closely with Jeb could possibly respect his "intellectual lightweight" of a successor

2:29 Get of the crack

Which is more absurd?

In the final days of a close campaign the sitting Attorney General of Florida is going to steal a plan for a guy who is coming in to help him win election and then will wait until his inaugural day to leak it out to a New York tabloid and step on his day of glory?

A RG staff person is dumb enough to carry a book with all of this information and doesn't look for it for a week? Who carries this type of info and then only casually searches for it and then waits weeks and never even talks to the Crist people?

With Florida being a critical state, the best strategy is to attack the newly elected Governor (the only goper to win in an open seat in america) and claim that he is the reason a staffer lost the campaign plan that is very critical of your own candidate?

Anne H at work again. Please Anne take Sally with you as you leave Tallahassee.

[Amazed]

Funny

Guilani's staff messed up twice on this.

One, lost the super-secret plan.

Two, blamed others for their own mistake.

Three, took Crist off message on his first full day in office. Bad move, Rudy.

Four, actually thinking Rudely could win.

Spending 216,000 on Herbrger would have been a massive error

So Charlie knows nothing that means a staffer does. What staffers were on the plane? It couldn't be that many. Start with at the top and work your way down. Don't blame Rudy - blame the thief.

216,000 for Annie is a bargain

She's a good fundraiser and a great person. That's why all of these campaigns were after her.

But we're getting away from the point - this, in essence, was corporate espionage...punishable by 3-5 years if it were the private sector. Can't wait for the rest of the story to unfold...

This thread is a really great way to get Republicans fighting amongst themselves. Very clever...

Now please, get a grip, everyone. Who hands around with a campaign plan at all?

Rudy's staff lost it, plain and simple, and it was the dumbest thing I've ever heard of to accuse Crist's staff of doing it.

So maybe they didn't "steal it". But the fact is, it was clearly copied and handed over to the media - and also used by a rival campaign.

One must ask - if you happen to find someone else's wallet, do you return it to the owner, or get the credit card information and use it to benefit yourself? Oh yeah - and this question isn't posed to a common thief, but rather to the leader of our state and his staff...

Charlie Bronson shall succeed Crist as Governor and Romney as president. 'Nuff said...

[former employee]

Ann Herberger is a class act and one of a kind! Ask most of the major donors in Florida and the U.S. and you will find a very loyal group of people who treasure Ann's friendship. Having personally worked for her, I can tell you that there is not another fundraiser who dedicates more of themselves to the candidate they believe in and that's why all of the Presidential campaigns want Ann -- she's the best!

What is so great about Ann H., and why do people worship Sally B.? I want to know. No evidence yet provided.

[fred]

And to think such a person actually believes the American public would want him in any chair with his hand on the button?
Infighting among Reps provides insight into the mentality of self-serving persons who blame the world for their shortcomings. A learned response to everything that does not fit into their narrow view of morality.

Doesn't matter. Guliani's dead in the water anyways. Too much of a checkered past, both professionally and personally. The whole "America's Mayor" stuff was overblown and is yesterday's news by now anyways.

Anyone but McCain!