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‘Kerry-Kennedy’ Campaign Urged to Come Clean on Michigan Affirmative Action Case

"What was yesterday a dark cloud of corruption hanging over Senator Kennedy’s office is today raining on John Kerry’s campaign,"...

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 8, 2004

Contact: Jeffrey Mazzella

703.535.5836

CFIF Urges ‘Kerry-Kennedy’ Presidential Campaign to Come Clean on Plot to Manipulate Michigan Affirmative Action Case

Senator Kerry’s Campaign Manager was aware of scheme to manipulate 6th Circuit panel hearing the case

ALEXANDRIA, VA — In a letter to presidential candidate John Kerry (linked below), the Center for Individual Freedom today urged him to immediately come clean on Mary Beth Cahill’s (his campaign manager) involvement in the plot to manipulate the outcome of the University of Michigan affirmative action cases then pending before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit. CFIF also demanded that Kerry publicly condemn the actions of Senator Kennedy’s office and his former staff who participated in the plot, and urged him to call for Cahill’s immediate resignation.

"John Kerry, as the standard bearer of his party seeking the highest and most respected office in the land, has an obligation to the American people to reveal Cahill’s involvement in this matter," said Jeffrey Mazzella, the Center’s Executive Director. "At the time, Cahill was Senator Kennedy’s Chief of Staff. If she did nothing to halt the unethical behavior of those working under her, she is culpable in the matter. This clearly doesn’t bode well for John Kerry and the public’s trust in his ability to lead."

In an April 6 news story (linked below), CFIF disclosed that Olati Johnson and Melody Barnes, two former aides to Senator Edward Kennedy, were responsible for the April 17, 2002, memo (linked below) recommending he delay confirmation proceedings for Judge Julia Smith Gibbons in an effort to manipulate the outcome of the University of Michigan affirmative action cases then pending before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit. In a follow-up story published today in The Washington Times (linked below), Charles Hurt reported that the memo was carbon copied to five other Kennedy aides, including Cahill.

"This scandal is quickly evolving into one of the most egregious in the history of the United States Senate," said Mazzella. "Given Senator Kennedy’s active involvement in the Kerry campaign and Cahill’s knowledge and possible involvement in ‘Memogate,’ Kerry should immediately and publicly address this issue.

"What was yesterday a dark cloud of corruption hanging over Senator Kennedy’s office is today raining on John Kerry’s campaign," Mazzella concluded.

(Senator Kennedy serves as Co-Chair of the Kerry for President National Steering Committee.)

The Center for Individual Freedom is a nonpartisan constitutional advocacy group that fights to protect individual freedom and rights in the legal, legislative and educational arenas. Since 2001, the Center’s Confirmation Watch project has worked to expose and eliminate the corruption and manipulation that plagues the judicial confirmation process.

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  • To view the Center’s letter to Senator Kerry, click here.

  • To view the April 17, 2002 memo, click here (pdf).

  • To view the Center’s news story, click here.

  • To view The Washington Times story, click here.
[Posted April 8, 2004]