All involved in political scheme should be named

Whether it had an actual impact on the outcome of the June 2008 GOP primary race for S.C. Senate Seat 81 or not, a last-minute scheme by one of the campaigns involved to deploy a phony robo-call to voters was a sad day in local politics.

A year after being charged with setting up the illegal automated calls in an attempt to sway the outcome of an election, former Aiken Republican party board member Virginia “Ginny” Allen has admitted to the activity and writes that she is “deeply sorry” for the offense in a letter published Wednesday.

Allen stands charged with six counts of making unsolicited consumer phone calls and is accused of paying to have political robo-calls made to Aiken County residents in early June without properly disclosing the person behind the calls.

In the recent letter, seemingly sent as part of her pretrial intervention program (PTI), Allen addressed Sen. Greg Ryberg “and the voters of Senate District 24” to apologize for her conduct and repeatedly stated that Ryberg had nothing to do with the incident.

“I regret my participation in the negative campaign tactics surrounding the automated robo-calls during the recent state Senate race, and I want to be very clear that Sen. Ryberg had no knowledge or any involvement,” Allen wrote in the letter carbon copied to Solicitor Strom Thurmond Jr. and her defense attorney Greg Harlow. Investigators said Allen manipulated the caller ID to show the number of “REI Incorporated,” a business owned and operated by Sen. Ryberg but did not have the senator’s permission to do so. The calls endorsed Ryberg for the District 24 Senate seat and Aiken County Councilman Scott Singer for S.C. House District 81 seat, seeming to create a relationship or team effort between the two candidates that did not actually exist. Ryberg handily beat North Augusta City Councilman Jason Whinghter in that race, but Singer later lost in a run-off with Tom Young.

Allen seems to indicate by her language in the letter that she did not act alone in the criminal, politically-motivated act but does not comment on others involved. While we can applaud Allen for taking responsibility for her actions, political dirty tricks like these must be stopped. If she did not act alone as the letter indicates, prosecutors must demand that all names be named before any deal to avoid prosecution is sealed.

“This was a harsh, mean tactic used by political operatives during this very tight race,” she wrote. “My part in this negative ploy has weighed heavily on my heart. ... I furthermore regret any harm it may have caused any candidate as well as voters that may have lost faith in the democratic process.”

Increasingly, politics in South Carolina and our nation have become “mean,” as Allen describes it. These tactics are used to cloud the truth and confuse the electorate. We can ill afford the electoral process to be hijacked by people willing to use the unethical and, in this case, illegal tactics, lies and fraud to short circuit a system that should be focused on the good of all and true public service.

Until the others involved in this case are revealed, justice cannot be done and it is our profound hope that the solicitor will not abdicate his duty to reach that goal.