Comments on Advance Indiana™: Rokita Does A Disservice By Refusing To Release White Report

So, he wants to wield the power, use the resources...

2010-10-24T14:43:06.884-05:00

So, he wants to wield the power, use the resources, and enjoy the celebrity of an elected office he appears to be ineligible for. He forgets about the no respect part and the asterisk beside his name in all the record and history books.

At the very least, and it's much more than the very least, he seems to have no sense of irony

Vox, If the strong Republican tide carries Charli...

2010-10-23T16:23:38.438-05:00

Vox,

If the strong Republican tide carries Charlie White to win the SoS, what makes you think Charlie White will so easily relinquish the right to the office?

Like a pot head will protect his grow, an alcoholic their bottle or Golum with his "Precious" ring, it seems to me that a politically motivated person, like Charlie White, covet his power to the exclusion of all other longer term considerations.

Like

The obvious answer is that the report is not favor...

2010-10-23T11:12:40.409-05:00

The obvious answer is that the report is not favorable to White, but at the same time Rokita wants Republicans to retain the SoS office and when White wins and is forced to resign, the Republicans pick his replacement.

Politics 101.

I noticed, but I think there is a plausible argume...

2010-10-23T06:30:17.159-05:00

I noticed, but I think there is a plausible argument that the list is non-exhaustive. Don't get me wrong, I think Rokita made a bullshit (if predictable) move here, but I don't think the public records law is so clear that you'd get a judge to move on it before the election.

Nope, it's not covered. Rokita is only a law e...

2010-10-22T22:19:23.276-05:00

Nope, it's not covered. Rokita is only a law enforcement with respect to the securities division.

Doug, Did you notice that long list of agencies do...

2010-10-22T21:00:05.685-05:00

Doug, Did you notice that long list of agencies does not include the securities division of the Secretary of State's office, which would seem a more likely candidate to be considered a law enforcement agency?

Reminds me of Nixon's "secret plan" ...

2010-10-22T20:49:41.595-05:00

Reminds me of Nixon's "secret plan" to get out of Vietnam.

Anyway, for what it's worth, IC 5-14-3-2(h): Investigatory record" means information compiled in the course of the investigation of a crime."

IC 5-14-3-4 excepts from public disclosure, at the discretion of the agency, investigatory records of law enforcement agencies.

The closest the public records law comes to defining "law enforcement agency" is in the context of saying that law enforcement agencies are "public agencies" for purposes of IC 5-14-3-2(m):

"Any law enforcement agency, which means an agency or a department of any level of government that engages in the investigation, apprehension, arrest, or prosecution of alleged criminal offenders, such as the state police department, the police or sheriff's department of a political subdivision, prosecuting attorneys, members of the excise police division of the alcohol and tobacco commission, conservation officers of the department of natural resources, gaming agents of the Indiana gaming commission, gaming control officers of the Indiana gaming commission, and the security division of the state lottery commission."

Unfortunately, I think that probably gives him enough weasel room to tie this thing up well past the election.

Paul, He seemed to be grandstanding by telling eve...

2010-10-22T20:31:03.177-05:00

Paul, He seemed to be grandstanding by telling everyone he was investigating it but now he's refusing to say what he learned knowing that the findings won't be learned until after the election is over. It's called having your cake and eating it too.

The Secretary of State is not a law enforcement ag...

2010-10-22T18:32:25.873-05:00

The Secretary of State is not a law enforcement agency. The report has to be turned over.

I've said all along, Rokita didn't have any jurisdiction to look into that particular matter. I've actually praised Rokita for being willing to take on issues relating to voting, which I believe is certainly his job as the state's chief election officer. But investigating a particular incident of voter fraud, not that's not the job of the SOS. But now that he's done the investigation...

My guess is he got too far out on the limb to go back.