In previous stories we have alternately referred to Gov. Piyush Jindal as “Nixon Redux” and “Nixon Reincarnate.” Little did we know the frightening accuracy of what we then thought were tongue-in-cheek comparisons.
It was on July 24, 1971, when little Piyush was only six weeks old and long before he adopted the name Bobby after a character on The Brady Bunch, that Egil “Bud” Krogh was instructed by Nixon’s assistant for domestic affairs John Ehrlichman to establish a covert team to stop the leaking of classified information to the news media.
The specific incident that prompted the formation of the team, which became known as the White House Plumbers, was the leaking of the Pentagon Papers to the New York Times but the unit soon expanded into other areas, including the burglary of the office of Daniel Ellsberg’s psychiatrist, illegal campaign activities and the attempted cover up of the Watergate break-in.
Now, almost exactly 41 years later, Jindal appears to have established his own Plumbers Unit to investigate leaks and “negative” emails.
Actually, the governor’s little investigation may have begun closer to the 40th anniversary of the birth of the Plumbers.
Last October, Bryan Jeansonne, law partner of State Republican Executive Director Jason Doré, sent public record requests to parish school superintendents throughout the state seeking all emails between the superintendents and school employees.
That, of course, was the big dust-up to the introduction and subsequent passage of the governor’s far-reaching education reform package. Apparently, the administration—or someone representing the administration—wanted to know if local superintendents were saying anything negative to teachers in advance of the impending legislative fight over public education.
Then, in March, State Rep. John Bel Edwards (D-Amite), head of the House Democratic Caucus, said he had received a similar request from Jeansonne in which Jeansonne demanded copies of emails Edwards had exchanged with persons affiliated with the Louisiana Federation of Teachers (LFT). The LFT opposed Jindal’s efforts to create a statewide voucher program which would use tax dollars to send children to private schools.
Then, only last month, Doré made a public records request for copies of signed petitions of the four active efforts to recall Jindal, House Speaker Chuck Kleckley (R-Lake Charles) and Reps. Greg Cromer and Kevin Pearson, both Slidell Republicans.
“We wanted to make sure we got on this early,” Doré said.
The only problem with his request was he was too early; the petitions are not public record and will not become public until they are officially filed with the Secretary of State’s office.
One source said that there were rumors that the administration has spies who are attempting to review the names of everyone who has signed a recall petition in an effort to determine if any are state employees.
Given Piyush’s managerial style, any unfortunate state employee found to have signed a recall would be subjected to severe reprisals, including not-so-subtle intimidation and termination.
The latest volley to be fired by the Jindalistas came on Friday when word was leaked to LouisianaVoice that the administration has ordered a search of all Louisiana Department of Revenue computers for emails that might contain any information about “alternative fuels,” “flex fuels” or anything negative about the resignation/firing of Revenue Secretary Cynthia Bridges on June 15.
Bridges was shown the door (She actually resigned, but many believe she was pressured into resigning–speculation that the governor’s office did not even bother to deny) after issuing an emergency order to grant alternative fuel tax rebates on more than 100 qualifying types of vehicles—as she was instructed to do by Act 469, signed by Gov. Jindal. The ruling escalated the state’s potential liability from an estimated $907,000 over five years to about $100 million. That was because of the introduction of flex fuel vehicles subsequent to the passage of HB 110, authored by former State Rep. Jane Smith (R-Bossier City) in 2009 and which, upon Jindal’s signature, became Act 469.
Smith last fall lost her race for the State Senate and was appointed deputy secretary of the Department of Revenue.
Ironically, when Bridges resigned, Smith, who earlier this year said, “…They offered me the job (as deputy secretary) even though I don’t know a thing about revenue,” was elevated to the job overseeing the single agency responsible for the collection of revenue so the state can pay its bills.
It was apparently Smith’s admission of her lack of qualifications for the deputy secretary’s job that prompted the latest witch hunt by the administration. Apparently the Jindalistas want to know who leaked the quotes attributed to Smith.
Supposedly, the administration asked that those involved with the bill volunteer any email information but the results were not satisfactory and now a search of all employees’ emails has been ordered. The claim is the administration needs the information for undisclosed litigation–a weak and dubious excuse at best. We can’t wait to see how rank and file employee emails might figure in a legal strategy.
But then, with the legal advice this administraton has received on such matters as employee retirement and the comandeering of local taxes to pay for students to attend charter schools in other parishes, who knows?
Sorry to disappoint you, Piyush, but when state employees send us information, they are smart enough to do so from their private computers and personal email accounts. Not only will you not find that information in any email, we didn’t even get it from a state employee.
The information came from the private sector.
And you’ll play hell prying the source of that information out of us.
Louisiana Voice 