If you thought the deflate-gate scandal was dragging out, then you haven’t been paying attention to the New Hampshire Attorney General’s snails-pace prosecution of Newmarket, New Hampshire Republican, Joe Barton.
Joe, arrested on November 4th, 2014, was charged with simple assault and resisting arrest. An additional charge of unsworn falsification on Sept 1, 2015, alleged that the letter signed by NHGOP Chair Jennifer Horn, used by Barton to allow him to serve as an official challenger at the polls on election day, was fake.
From Foster’s Daily Democrat -Aug 3rd, 2015
According to Senior Assistant Attorney General Anne Edwards, Barton was acting as a challenger at the polls on Nov. 4, 2014. A challenger, she said, is legally allowed to question voters on their residency, age, and citizenship. Edwards said there were concerns about the authority Barton was using to challenge voters.
According to state law, the state committee of a political party can appoint a challenger and a statement signed by the chairman of the committee “shall be sufficient evidence of the authority of any such challenger.” According to Assistant Attorney General Stephen LaBonte, on election night, Barton presented himself to election officials to be the Republican Party’s challenger with a letter purported to be signed by state Republican Party Chairwoman Jennifer Horn. LaBonte said that Barton is charged with using the letter to deceive a public servant, the town moderator in Newmarket, knowing that the letter lacked authenticity. LaBonte said Horn did not authorize Barton as the party’s challenger.
Last October we reported that the AG’s office had cancelled a hearing on that charge, suggesting that they lacked evidence to proceed. Yesterday I obtained a copy of the case summary; on October 6th, 2015 the unsworn falsification charge was Nolle Prossed.
[su_document url=”http://granitegrok.com/wp-content/uploads/Barton-Case-Summary.pdf” width=”540″ height=”660″]pdf[/su_document]
“LaBonte said that Barton is charged with using the letter to deceive a public servant, the town moderator in Newmarket, knowing that the letter lacked authenticity.”
So, no deception after all?
The New Hampshire press has had 7 months to share that news with the public but as far as I can tell not even Foster’s Daily Democrat–which was johnny-on-the-spot to report Barton’s arrest–could manage a column inch to share the news. Perhaps I missed it?
Barton still faces charges for assaulting an investigator from the Attorney General’s office at the Newmarket polls on election night, November 2014. We patiently await that court date and will provide any new details about the charges and the case as they become available.
