Congressional candidate Sam Aanestad has charged that the campaign of his opponent for the 1st District seat and fellow Republican, state Sen. Doug LaMalfa, has violated federal disclosure laws and maybe even committed libel.

Aanestad, an oral surgeon from Grass Valley, says a website posted about a month ago questioning his professional background fails to disclose who is behind it. In a press release Tuesday (May 15) Aanestad said the site, Sam4Congress.com, which heavily criticized his record as a state assemblyman and senator, was paid for by LaMalfa’s campaign without proper disclosure. (The site has been taken down in recent days.)

“In a clear violation of federal campaign finance disclosure laws, and verified yesterday by release of official Internet registry documents, Doug LaMalfa’s congressional campaign registered and built a negative website about Sam Aanestad, then posted the site on the Internet while disclaiming its contents to link with another candidate in the race, Republican Michael Dacquisto,” the release says. “The website, www.Sam4Congress.com, violates a number of campaign finance laws, including several illegal independent expenditures and conspiracy to improperly disclaim a federal campaign website.”

When first posted the site, which includes less-than-flattering photos of Aanestad, carried a disclaimer that said it was from a group called “Free Thinkers for D’Acquisto.”

Dacquisto, an attorney in Redding, is another Republican candidate in the eight-member race for retiring Rep. Wally Herger’s seat. He said he had nothing to do with the website.

“Yeah, Sam Aanestad called me several weeks ago and said somebody had a website up, and he basically said he was not happy,” Dacquisto said in a phone interview the day of the press release. “I told him I don’t do that, and he said, ‘I believe you.’ They didn’t even spell my name right.”

The Aanestad campaign filed a lawsuit to try to determine who was behind the site and subpoenaed records from its host, Wix.com. On Monday (May 14) the campaign released the records, which show the site was registered on April 18 by Mark Spannagel, LaMalfa’s chief of staff and campaign manager.

The next day LaMalfa consultant Dave Gilliard released this statement via email: “Neither Doug LaMalfa, nor the LaMalfa campaign, had any knowledge or involvement in the construction or posting of the website in question, which just came to our attention this morning.”

It also added this disclaimer about the role of humor in politics: “Political satire has a long history in American politics, something that thin-skinned candidates, or those trying to hide their record, sometimes have trouble fully appreciating.”

Gilliard did not return a call asking about Spannagel’s role in matter, but told The SacramentoBee that Spannagel is working for LaMalfa’s campaign “on a part-time basis.”

Dacquisto said Aanestad originally brought up the subject durng a candidates’ debate in Chester on May 4. At the time, he said, Aanestad asked about it and Dacquisto assured him he wasn’t behind it. LaMalfa’s only comment on the matter, Dacquisto said, was that he was not in favor of dirty politics.

“This means either he’s lying or he has no idea what his chief of staff is doing, and I don’t know which is worse,” Dacquisto said. “And who’s paying the chief of staff to do this? The taxpayers?”

At a press conference held outside of LaMalfa’s vacant Redding office, Aanestad pointed to the information his Grass Valley attorney, Barry Pruett, had received via the subpoena, according to a story in the Redding Record Searchlight.

“That shows a direct link to the LaMalfa campaign and the kind of deceitful, dishonest tactics they will go to win this election,” he said. “If they’re going to be deceitful and dishonest now, you wait until he’s entrenched as a congressman when no one can touch him.”

Dacquisto echoed those words.

“It is worse than disappointing,” he said. “It is despicable. I would never use someone’s name without their permission, and these kinds of hardball activities are an example of politics as usual, and it’s not what the voters want. Doug LaMalfa should fire anyone who was involved in this in any way, shape or form.”

He questioned LaMalfa’s claims of ignorance about the matter.

“If Doug LaMalfa didn’t say to his chief of staff, ‘Get Dacquisto’s name off of there,’ wouldn’t you think he would at least ask the guy, ‘What are they talking about? Why is this out there?’ And then the chief of staff would either say, ‘Oh it’s nothing,’ or he would tell him the truth.”

At some point the disclaimer on the website changed from “Free Thinkers for D’Acquisto” to “100% TRUE, 100% VERIFIABLE, 100 % POLITICAL SATIRE.”

An early posting questioned Aanestad’s professional background.

“FYI Sam Aanestad is not an ‘Oral Surgeon’ or ‘Doctor’ as he claims,” it says. “He is only licensed as a dentist, did not to go medical school and does not have an MD. How important is this? Not very except as evidence of a long and deliberate habit of misleading voters of the district.”

A later posting includes this message: “From opposing keeping hardened murders [sic] and gang members behind bar [sic] for life to granting taxpayer financed financial aid to illegal immigrants, Sam Aanestad isn’t the Principled Conservative he claims.”

Spannagel and David Reade, LaMalfa’s chief of staff when he was an assemblyman, have both run afoul of the California Republican Assembly for their campaign tactics.

Last July the CRA Board of Directors kicked Spannagel and Reade out of the conservative group after they were accused of manipulating the assembly to get its endorsement of Mitt Romney in the 2008 presidential primary. Reade is currently Assemblyman Jim Nielsen’s chief of staff.

Reade was expelled from the CRA for 10 years and Spannagel for five.

Aanestad backer Jim Ledgerwood, a local long-time activist in the Republican Party, said he too was disappointed by the news.

“I’ve been around for a while, and I’ve never seen anything this dirty,” he said.

I have spoken to people who believed that Olivetto was guilty as sin. However, Jeff Seaton brow-beat the rape victim and had investigators and others harrassing her (according to sources). The victim lost the nerve to continue and the rapists walked free because the charges got dismissed.

In a letter to the editor – Jeff Seaton was bragging about how he defended these rapists. (There were two) He described the criminal justice system as a “guantlet for defendants“.

Imagine what Jeff  ”288″ Seaton will do to crime victims as a Judge?

Why did Arnold Zeiderman and the Amador County Republican Party endorse this guy?

People vs Vick

Jeff “288″ Seaton (did you know his campaign PO Box is box 288?) – represented a defendant who molested a child. Vick had prior convictions. (288 is the Penal Code Section for Child Molestation)

However, Jeff Seaton and everyone knew Vick was guilty as sin – as did the private investigators that Seaton hired. The case was disgusting and the details would make all but the most hardened sick to their stomach. (But not Jeff Seaton)

The case was in the late 1990′s and Jeff Seaton as is his usual custom got continuances and was able to stretch the case in to about a $10,000 bill to the defendant.

Seaton also hired an expert named Tamara Wishnowski to develop questions that would devastate the little girl who was the victim.

What would Jeff “288″ Seaton do as a Judge?

Why did Arnold Zeiderman and the Amador County Republican Party endorse this guy?

People VS Eisenbeis

In the case of People Vs Eisenbeis – Esienbeis beat his wife. He beat her frequently.

Jeff Seaton actually represented the wife in Family Court around the same time he was retained to defend the husband in criminal court! Where was Keith Morris when you needed him!

The latest source told me that Seaton used to stare down the former Mrs. Eisenbeis and similar to the rape victim in the Olivetto case he intimidated her.

Eisenbeis later broke her arm and finally ended up going to prison.

Would Judge Seaton glare at abuse victims? Would Judge Seaton ask psychologically devastating questions to try and scar little girls emotionally for the rest of their lives? Would Judge Seaton make his courtroom a gauntlet for rape victims?

What would Judge Seaton do if another Jennifer Minton case came to his court?

… and Arnold Zeiderman and the Amador County Republican Party endorsed this guy!

The bottom line is that the Placer CRA will be meeting on 4/4 and finalizing our team – that being said, here is who I am supporting for Placer GOP Central Committee District by District.

All the people on this list are CRA members (or CRA aligned) – they are Fiscal Conservatives, Pro-Gun, Prop-8 supporters… the Committee is elected by Supervisor District:

D1 (In the order you will see them on your ballot): Vote for 7

Eric Eisenhammer
Ryan Pinney
Jim D’Orso
Scott Jefferson
Phil Ozenick
Gordon Hinkle
Tom Hudson

D2 Vote for only these 5:

David Patterson
Damian Armitage
Chris Schaff
Roger Salstrom
Noreen Skillman

D3

Aaron F Park
Ed Rowen
Greg Janda
Bryan Taylor
Bill Halldin
Ken Hubert
Hayley Voudouris

D4

George Park
Jeff Atteberry
Lynn McCaleb
Joe Dorr
Scott Johnson
Mike Frey
Lynn Kyme

D5 (Vote for only these 4)

Fred Eichenhofer
Ken Higgins
Mark Wright
Beth Wright

The reason why the Central Committee is important is because we register voters, and get people out to the polls to vote. In addition – in the post prop-14 environment we have to endorse candidates pre-primary to help identify the Republicans. This fall, we will be vetting dozens of candidates running for local office and endorsing them.

There are some good people that did not make my list – but most that are not on my list of endorsed candidates are either ideological moderates and are some that are openly hostile to the current leadership or both.

Visit www.pamtobin.com for all the details about who Pam Tobin really is.

In most of Placer County you have to re-register as a Republican to run for office. The notable exceptions are when you have a vengeful state senator helping you or there is a $9,900 plane ticket that people get fixated on that your opponent had…

There is no such baggage against Kirk Uhler.

So, Pam Tobin who ran against then Supervisor Ted Gaines and lost by 40+% as a Democart – re-registered Republican before running.

Let’s have a look at Pam Tobin’s “Republican” pedigree:

1. She got “sick” hours before the Placer County 2012 Lincoln Reagan Dinner (ironically, so did Beth Gaines) and was unable to make it.

2. She publicly supported a Liberal Democrat, Charlie Brown for Congress over Tom McClintock.

3. She publicly attacked Congressman John Doolittle.

4. She has never donated to a Republican running for partisan office.

5. Her public advocacy includes opposing development of any sort at any time anywhere. (Including opposing Bayside Church!)

6. She works for a firm in San Diego.

7. She has rarely been seen at local business related events.

8. Her top advisors read like a who’s-who of the left of Placer County.

9. $10,000 from the Placer Public Employees Union!

10. Rate hike after Rate Hike as a member of San Juan Water Board.

It would be one thing if she had endorsed and supported some Republicans somewhere for something. Can’t find that anywhere.

In fact, you will learn that Pam Tobin is a tax-and-spend liberal in the mold of Jerry Brown whose Republican registration is a thin veil for who she really is – a trojan horse for Public employee unions who appear to be obsessed with destroying Placer County’s finances.

Make no bones about it – Pam Tobin wants to join with Big Daddy Jack Duran and the Tree-Hugging Jennifer Montgomery to give away the store to Placer County’s public employees.

Click here to see an ad run against David Reade in 1996. Reade was exposed for having three DUI’s, including one with possession of narcotics. It would be reasonable to assume that David Stafford Reade may well have been involved in this illegal operation as well.

Here is the Record-Searchlight commentary in its’ entirety.

By the standards of political flame wars, nothing on the anti-Sam Aanestad website www.sam4congress.com was all that scorching.

He’d had a high-dollar state car as a legislator? Well, him and every other member of the Assembly and Senate until budget cuts yanked that perk last year.

He’d cast an occasional vote that deviated from the conservative line? Independent thinking! The horror!

The Record Searchlight had printed unkind editorials about him? True! And not a rare experience for north state politicians.

But the site’s weaselly tactics — and the LaMalfa congressional campaign’s craven response to rival Aanestad’s complaints — are not just cowardly but also, arguably, a violation of federal election laws. The heart of those rules is disclosure of who’s behind political statements. You know, “I’m Wally Herger and I approve this message.”

Well, Aanestad’s campaign offered credible evidence — subpoenaed from the domain-name host — that none other than LaMalfa’s Senate chief of staff and congressional campaign aide, Mark Spannagel, had registered the site last month. So did the campaign stand behind its work, as a decent sense of fair play and the law demand?

On the contrary. Initially, the site was attributed to “Free Thinkers for D’Acquisto” — presumably trying to pin the negative anti-Aanestad campaigning on yet another Republican candidate for the seat, Redding lawyer Michael Dacquisto. After Dacquisto raised complaints a few weeks back, that “credit” disppeared. Then Tuesday morning, shortly after Aanestad’s campaign released the evidence of a Spannagel connection, the site abruptly went dark. Just when it was getting noticed — where’s the pride in its craftsmanship?

Then, Tuesday afternoon, LaMalfa’s campaign released a laughable statement denying that he or his campaign “had any knowledge or involvement in the construction or posting of the website in question.” Right, it was an independent expenditure — by LaMalfa’s chief of staff.

It’s not as if an obscure website skewering a rival is the gravest sin in politics. Heck, political news junkies will see worse this week.

But as Aanestad accurately pointed out at a press conference Tuesday, this bit of juvenile underhandedness is the sort of dirty trick LaMalfa and his political entourage have long made a specialty. This is the guy who, back in 2004, sent out ads linking Tehama County Supervisor Barbara McIver and pornographer Larry Flynt.

Politics is a contact sport, to be sure, but if this is how people get to Congress, is it any wonder the voters don’t trust politicians in Washington?

Click here to see an ad run against David Reade in 1996. Reade was exposed for having three DUI’s, including one with possession of narcotics. It would be reasonable to assume that David Stafford Reade may well have been involved in this illegal operation as well.

(This is re-printed from the Aanestad campaign)

Doug LaMalfa and the Big Cover-Up

LaMalfa Campaign Team Scrambles to Synchronize “Story” After Being Caught Conspiring to Break Federal Law; Aanestad Files FEC Complaint

(Penn Valley, CA) – Yesterday, official Internet records revealed that Doug LaMalfa’s congressional campaign created an anti-Aanestad attack website and an attack online advertising campaign, and willfully violated federal law by putting an opponent’s campaign disclaimer on those attack communications, thereby trying to make it appear that they came from another source.

Now, the LaMalfa campaign is caught with a substantial number of contradictory stories as the scramble to “synchronize” their explanation of the illegal activity complicates their case.

Yesterday, LaMalfa spokesman Dave Gilliard told the Sacramento Bee that “neither Doug LaMalfa, nor the LaMalfa campaign, had any knowledge or involvement in the construction or posting of the website in question, which just came to our attention this morning.”

But website hosting records revealed the very person who registered the Sam4Congress.com website is LaMalfa Chief of Staff and paid campaign operative Mark Spannegal.

And, as fellow candidate Michael Dacquisto pointed out in the Redding Record-Searchlight yesterday, Doug LaMalfa was personally made aware of the website last week during a candidate forum, where both Sam Aanestad and Mr. Dacquisto focused their attention on the unethical website while LaMalfa brushed off the complaints. Mr. Spannegal was also in attendance.

“That furious tapping noise you hear,” said Aanestad spokesperson Mark Standriff, “is the LaMalfa campaign team wearing out their email delete buttons as they seek to get rid of a lot of contradictory evidence.“

“The Federal Election Commission prohibits both campaign staff and agents of the campaign from engaging in illegal campaign communication activities,” said Barry Pruett, legal counsel for the Aanestad for Congress campaign. “Whether or not Mr. Spannegal is being paid is moot, according to the FEC. Frankly, the only person who is more involved in Doug LaMalfa’s campaign than Mark Spannegal is Doug LaMalfa himself.”

Mr. Pruett is also formally filing a complaint with the FEC this morning, citing failure to disclose campaign communications on behalf of the LaMalfa for Congress campaign by a campaign staffer or agent, willfully committing fraud by disclaiming a campaign website as produced by another candidate, illegal campaign expenditures by a member of the LaMalfa campaign, and conspiracy to break federal law. The Aanestad for Congress campaign is asking the FEC to conduct an immediate and full investigation.

Last night in Amador County there was a candidate forum. It was put on by the Upcountry Community Council, a group that was formed the “represent” the unincorporated rural areas such as Pine Grove, Pioneer, Buckhorn and others.

It should also be noted that no local media was there.

The forum was “moderated” by a Lynn Morgan – who was told to me is a board member of this group. I was also informed that there is some affinity between this group and the tribe (that gave Jeff Seaton $10,000).

It appeared that there was gross bias on the part of Lynn Morgan.  She squashed my audience questions about Jeff Seaton’s character and even let Seaton himself avoid tough questions.

The first question of the night was from Amador County Republican Party member (who vociferously denies being on Jeff Seaton’s Campaign Team) Lois McDonald who accused Seaton’s opponent of child abuse.

Given the way Jeff Seaton behaved in people vs. Vick or the way Mr. Seaton’s current mistress treated her children – it appears once again that the Amador County Republican Party is on a suicide mission to destroy the GOP in Amador County.

Despite the best efforts to the Upcountry Community Council and team Seaton to control the outcome, Jeff Seaton was a buffoon.

His opponent gave excellent, concise answers to questions with confidence and Jeff Seaton appeared to babble and ramble in an attempt to channel Perry Mason.

Case and point – Jeff Seaton went 288 claiming Courtroom experience since Age 24 even though he passed the bar in 1990. Jeff Seaton also pimped his uniform again. As a veteran, I can tell you that someone like Seaton would have been blanket partied in the Navy.

Seaton also went into a major 288 rampage over the Mailer his opponent sent entitled “Justice for Sale”. Apparently, 75% of Amador County (which does not include the Amador County Republican Party) has a problem with the Casino attempting to purchase a Judge.

Jeff Seaton’s campaign PO Box is box 288, something he pointed out which channeling Barack Obama and accusing his opponent of being a racist for pointing out the donation from the tribe.

They were not able to stop all the tough questions – by multiple accounts, Jeff Seaton who performed poorly all night (like he apparently does in court), got nailed about a campaign finance question relating to the $5,000 check from the left-wing law firm in L.A.

Seaton’s defense was as retarded as his handling of the Perdue case (and the Perdues were denied a question by Lynn Morgan as well) – “I don’t know why they sent me the money…”

Excuse me? If I got $5k, I sure in the hell would know why. If a candidate I supported got $5k, I sure in the hell would know why.

But, Jeff Seaton did not stop there – he finished by saying that the check cashed and that he sent them a thank you note.

It is worth noting that the audience gasped when the law firm was described + who they donated to. (aka Steinberg, Tony Cardenas)

Jeff Seaton had as bad an evening as the last 288 case he took. Section 288 of the penal code refers to Child Molestation…

SO – who authorized this? Who actually placed the content on this site and vetted it? It is way too sophisticated and well researched to have been done by Mark Spannagel alone. I think we just got another Gilliard special.

Enter the Sacramento Bee:

The website originally carried the disclaimer “Free Thinkers for D’Acquisito,” apparently a reference to another Republican candidate running for the open seat, according to a screenshot that the Aanestad campaign provided. But candidate Michael Dacquisto says he had no part in the site, and records released by the company hosting the site show that the domain name was registered in the name of Mark Spannagel, the chief of staff of yet another Republican candidate, state Sen. Doug LaMalfa.

This is called fraud. (Which is a felony)

Some people call this Karma, others call this “What Comes Around”.

Mark Spannagel got hammered for putting up a fake website and making it look like Micheal Daquisto put it up.

The Redding Record-Searchlight hammered Doug LaMalfa. They also repeated the calls from the Sam Aanestad campaign for Mark Spannagel to resign as Doug LaMalfa’s chief of staff.

What Spannagel did is a felony if prosecuted. Unlike the people Spannagel has been accusing (the Placer CRA) there is actual evidence of wrongdoing against Spannagel.

Quoting the Record-Searchlight:

The Aanestad campaign said it filed a suit last week and subpoenaed records from the site host wix.com. Those records were delivered Monday and showed the site was registered through godaddy.com on April 18 by Spannagel and paid for with a Visa credit card, the Aanestad campaign said.

The site initially posted with a disclaimer at the bottom, “FREE THINKERS FOR D’ACQUISTO,” according to a screen shot submitted by the Aanestad campaign.

Michael Dacquisto, also a Republican candidate in the race, said he never authorized anyone to use his name in connection with the website, and the first he heard of it was April 23 when he talked to Aanestad, who had left a message for him at his home.

“I do not know what the phrase “FREE THINKERS FOR D’ACQUISTO” refers to and I have never heard of that group or spoke with anyone who has identified himself or herself as being associated with that entity,” Dacquisto said in an email to the Record Searchlight.

It is amazing to see this stuff starting to get exposed. Northern California has had to endure LaMalfa running around deceiving people that he is some sort of Conservative God while his minions are committing fraud by the bushel.

Mark Spannagel is Doug LaMalfa’s Chief of Staff in the State Senate.

Unlike Mark and his friends accusing their political enemies of being investigated by the FBI and other nefarious things… this time Mark’s arrogance has cost him. I have known that Mark has engaged in destroying signs, running drills against opponents, manipulating local tea parties and the like… but this time he stepped in it.

This is the same Mark Spannagel that got tossed out of CRA for 5 years for committing fraud and the same Mark Spannagel that got caught committing fraud inside of the CYRF:

CA CD 01 Breaking News:

LaMalfa Campaign Caught Conspiring To
Violate Election Law

Internet Registry Records Confirm LaMalfa Campaign Manager Registers “Hit Website” Against Aanestad,  Violates Numerous Federal Laws While Claiming Site Created by Another Candidate in CD1 Race

(Redding, CA) – In a clear violation of federal campaign finance disclosure laws, and verified by release of official Internet registry documents, Doug LaMalfa’s congressional campaign registered and built a negative website about Sam Aanestad, then posted the site on the Internet while disclaiming its contents to link with another candidate in the race, Republican Michael Dacquisto.  The website,www.Sam4Congress.com, violates a number of campaign finance laws, including several illegal independent expenditures and conspiracy to improperly disclaim a federal campaign website.

The website originally posted a disclaimer that stated, “Free Thinkers for D’Acquisito.” Last week, Dacquisto angrily denied any involvement in the site and demanded its true creators take it down.  The false Dacquisto site disclaimer was removed and the site now contains no official campaign disclaimer.

To determine the source of the violation, the Aanestad campaign filed a lawsuit last week and subpoenaed records from the site host Wix.com.  Monday, those records were delivered by Wix.com to the Aanestad campaign, showing the site was registered through GoDaddy.com on April 18, 2012 by LaMalfa Campaign Manager and Senate Chief of Staff Mark Spannagel, and paid for by a Golden 1 Visa Credit Card, presumably belonging to Spannagel.

The response to the subpoena, along with captured screen shots of the original disclaimer, are all linked below in PDF form.

FED Code of Federal Regulations, section 110.11 clearly requires disclosure of:

(1) All public communications, as defined in 11 CFR 100.26, made by a political committee; electronic mail of more than 500 substantially similar communications when sent by a political committee; and all Internet websites of political committees available to the general public.

(2) All public communications, as defined in 11 CFR 100.26, by any person that expressly advocate the election or defeat of a clearly identified candidate.

In addition to the numerous federal campaign law violations, Dr. Aanestad has contacted an attorney regarding possible legal action against Sen. LaMalfa’s chief of staff for libelous statements regarding his professional qualifications.

PDF OF SUBPOENA RESPONSE FROM WIX.COM

LINKS TO CAPTURED SCREENSHOTS

Original False Aanestad Website with Original Disclaimer PDF Link

False Aanestad Website Front Page

False Aanestad Website Page 2

False Aanestad Website Page 3

False Aanestad Website Page 4

False Aanestad Website Page 5
False Aanestad Website Page 6

False Aanestad Website Page 7