Oklahoma Tea Party co-founder charged with blackmail

[RecycleMichael]

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2013/04/10/Tea-Party-leader-charged-with-blackmail/UPI-38411365619732/

OKLAHOMA CITY, April 10 (UPI) -- Al Gerhart, co-founder of Oklahoma's Tea Party, was charged with felony blackmail over an email he admits sending a state senator. Gerhart, 54, of the Sooner Tea Party, sent a threatening email in March to Sen. Cliff Branan, promising to "dig into your past" and "make you a laughing stock" unless the Senate Energy and Environment Committee, which Branan chairs, passed a bill dealing with a United Nations development plan.

Branan turned the email over to police, the (Oklahoma City) Oklahoman reported Wednesday. Gerhart admitted at a news conference last week he sent the message, and he was arrested Tuesday evening on the blackmail charge and for violating the state's computer crime act, both felonies, the newspaper said.

Branan's committee never took up House Bill 1412, legislation addressing a plan regarding the United Nations' Agenda 21 sustainable development plan.

[Ed W]

The Agenda 21 nonsense is the new Trilateral-Commission-Illuminati-Masonic-cabal with overtones of Joe McCarthy and a heady bouquet of paranoia.

[Conan71]

Either Branan has something he's trying to hide about his past or he simply needs to HTFU.  Like this is the first time a politician has heard something like that.  If Gerhart had threatened physical harm, sure I can see filing charges.  Otherwise, this is a waste of time and money for a political circus which will end up with Gerhart eventually pleading guilty to a couple of misdemeanors and paying a few hundred in fines.

[RecycleMichael]

You took the blackmailers side??

You defend the guy who makes threats instead of condemning the behavior. Unbelievable.

[Cats Cats Cats]

Seems like "I'm going to try to make people not vote for you if you don't pass this bill". Would be par for the course.

[Red Arrow]

promising to "dig into your past" and "make you a laughing stock" unless the Senate Energy and Environment Committee, which Branan chairs, passed a bill dealing with a United Nations development plan.

I believe this would have been acceptable politics if he hadn't notified the Senator beforehand.

[swake]

Here's what he wrote (sic)

Branan, Get that bill heard or I will make sure you regret not doing it. I will make you the laughing stock of the Senate if I don't hear that this bill will be heard and passed. We will dig into your past, yoru family, your associates and once we start on you there will be no end to it. This is a promise.

Note the yoru family, your associates and once we start on you there will be no end to it. This is a promise.

Sounds like a threat to me.

These Tea Party types keep doing a great job of reinforcing people's impression of what they are.

[Ibanez]

So basically the same thing the Obama White House did to Bob Woodward.

[heironymouspasparagus]

I believe this would have been acceptable politics if he hadn't notified the Senator beforehand.

Acceptable to the Karl Rove School of A-holeness....

[swake]

So basically the same thing the Obama White House did to Bob Woodward.

The quote to Bob Woodward:

"I apologize for raising my voice in our conversation today," the official typed. "You're focusing on a few specific trees that give a very wrong impression of the forest. But perhaps we will just not see eye to eye here. ... I think you will regret staking out that claim.

Again, the Tea Party idiot's quote:

Branan, Get that bill heard or I will make sure you regret not doing it. I will make you the laughing stock of the Senate if I don't hear that this bill will be heard and passed. We will dig into your past, yoru family, your associates and once we start on you there will be no end to it. This is a promise.

I think there's quite a difference here.

[AquaMan]

He'll never see the difference.

[heironymouspasparagus]

So basically the same thing the Obama White House did to Bob Woodward.

Sure...whatever delusional thing you have to believe in to get you through the day.  I'm betting that possibly losing a press pass is just a little bit less onerous (and ominous!) than "We will dig into your past, your family, your associates and once we start on you there will be no end to it. This is a promise." 

Or those immortal, classic phrases; "Get that bill heard or I will make sure you regret not doing it. I will make you the laughing stock of the Senate if I don't hear that this bill will be heard and passed."

But hey....that's just me.


Here's a question for you - which would YOU rather be threatened with?  And which one would instill a little bit more concern?  (You got family?  Any friends?  How about associates?  Any of the above you would like to have harassed as promised above?)

[sgrizzle]

The Agenda 21 nonsense is the new Trilateral-Commission-Illuminati-Masonic-cabal with overtones of Joe McCarthy and a heady bouquet of paranoia.

[Townsend]

Sentencing Delayed for Oklahoma Tea Party Leader

http://publicradiotulsa.org/post/sentencing-delayed-oklahoma-tea-party-leader

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Formal sentencing for the co-founder of the Sooner Tea Party on felony blackmail and computer crimes convictions has been delayed.

Al Gerhart was set to be sentenced Tuesday by Oklahoma County District Judge Ray Elliott, but the sentencing date was delayed until Aug. 19.

Gerhart was convicted in May after sending a politically charged email to a state senator who testified he felt threatened by the email's tone.

The March 2013 email warned state Sen. Cliff Branan that if he didn't take up a bill favored by Gerhart's political group, that Gerhart would "make sure you regret not doing it."

Gerhart could have faced up to five years in prison for each of the two counts, but the jury that convicted him recommended he not serve any prison time.

[Conan71]

I wonder if he's sent intimidating emails to the judge.