The following was received from Batavia resident David Bellavia, a Republican and Iraq War veteran who was passed over for the GOP nomination in the NY-26:
Dear Tea Party Colleague:
Before you get involved in the special election in NY-26, there's something you need to know.
Jane Corwin's two top advisers defrauded Carl Paladino to shove combat veteran Gary Berntsen out of the 2010 U.S. Senate race.
In fact, when they were caught, Erie County GOP Chairman Nick Langworthy and Corwin's campaign manager Chris Grant lied to me about it.
Why would you help Langworthy and Grant, when they hate the Tea Party so much that they would do this - potentially a criminal felony fraud - to push their establishment candidate for U.S. Senate over Carl's choice: my friend Gary Berntsen.
As Rus Thompson of TEA New York wrote: "[They] fancied themselves independent political operatives and clandestine master manipulators, and spent a small fortune of Carl's money WITHOUT HIS KNOWLEDGE OR APPROVAL, for a large lit drop naming Jay Townsend as the Paladino endorsed candidate. We caught wind and squelched the effort as best we could, and Carl issued an urgent press release confirming Berntsen as the Paladino endorsed candidate...[but Gary] Bernsten got screwed."
Before you lift a finger to help these two anti-veteran Corwin advisers manipulate this election, too, be sure to read the whole story here:
http://wnymedia.net/buffalopundit/2011/05/how-corwins-dream-team-screwed-paladino/
I urge you: don't help the people that will do anything - anything - to kill the Tea Party movement.
In Freedom,
Staff Sergeant David Bellavia
US Army, Ret.
UPDATE Sunday, 3:49 p.m.: We just received this e-mail response from Rus Thompson.
Although what happened during the Paladino campaign was unethical and just plain wrong the FBI investigated and there is NO current investigation ongoing with this. The FBI came in, went through Bernstens accusations and found no wrong doing in violation of any Laws. The investigation was over as fast as it started. There were no violations of the Law and NO campaign finance Laws were violated, end of subject.
On the other hand, is it not unethical to do what Bellavia, Bernsten and Caputo are doing right now? Endorsing a fraudulent tea party candidate for the sole purpose of vengeance, to pay back fools with the republicans for an idiotic move during a campaign last year?
Grow up and take this battle to a primary and not throw a special election to the democrats.
Rus Thompson
http://TEANewYork.com
First, I want to say to David
First, I want to say to David Bellavia, as a fellow Veteran thank you for your service to America. Barry Golwater once stated that the "The price of freedom is eternal vigalence" it was true then and is just as true today and your service an example of that eternal vigalence.
Jane Corwin has shown herself to be just another sellout to the outside special interests that come into our district and look to overwelm other candidates with the promises of big money opposition, lies and innuendo, claims unsupported by facts, harrasement and intimidation to secure her place on the ballot in this special election. With the assistance of Erie County GOP Chairman Nick Langworthy, Jane Corwin effectively blocked other candidates from consideration and in doing so denied the voters the chance to elect a Representitive that will represent the interests of the people living in the 26th district rather than the outside special interests who have come into our community manage the Corwin campaign and will leave election night regardless of the outcome. Those outside groups want to have a Representitive that answers to them and not to the people who live here.
She has inflated her claimns of business experience, lied about self-financing her campaign, lied about the other candidates, and allowed her chief-of-staff to engage in tactics bordering on harrasment then denying any knowledge of his activities. How much more evidence is needed to just say no to Corwin and the kind of underhanded tactics she uses.