Schumer Blows Lid Off GOP Attempts To Smear Ritchie, Undermine Process

Sen. Chuck Schumer had a press conference today drawing attention to Republican attempts to discredit Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie.  Republican hacks like Michael Brodkorb and Katherine Kersten have been trying to paint Ritchie as a partisan in the Katherine Harris mold who is trying to throw the election to Al Franken.  This despite the fact that there is ZERO evidence that Ritchie has done anything improper or unethical in his role as Secretary of State. Katherine Kersten admitted as much in her column this week when she wrote:

Thus far, Ritchie has shown no evidence of misconduct.

If Katherine Kersten can’t find evidence of misconduct by a DFLer, than there isn’t any. But don’t take my word for it. Look at the words of Fritz Knaak, Norm Coleman’s attorney for the recount. When asked about the handling of the canvassing process, Fritz said it was “neither wrong nor unfair.”

But that hasn’t stopped Republicans from trying to slime Mark Ritchie.

Schumer pointed to statements made by former Bush administration official Hans von Spakovsky and “attack documents” circulated by the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) — both of them aimed at Minnesota election officials.

“The Coleman campaign is juicing up the right wing to put pressure on the process,” Schumer said. “The right wing has worked itself into a lather in a clear attempt to intimidate election officials from doing their job … I have news for those seeking to intimidate the process: Minnesota is not Florida.”

It all fits into a familiar pattern for Republicans: never let the facts stand in the way of a good story.