Dean Aide: Stealth Kerry Negativity on Tape
Jan. 17 -- After a wave of nastiness, the major Democratic presidential candidates in Iowa — locked in a dead heat — are now trying to project positivity and accuse their opponents of the opposite.
Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., today accused Rep. Richard Gephardt, D-Mo., and former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean of continuing to wage negative campaigns.
"It's obvious that my campaign is moving because two of the major candidates have chosen in the last two days to engage in a smear effort on my farm policy here in America," Kerry said.
Caught on Tape
But two nights ago, Cornell College psychology professor Suzette Astley, a Dean volunteer in Lisbon, Iowa, received a phone call from a Kerry's Cedar Rapids headquarters — in which, she says, a Kerry volunteer had some less than kind things to say about Dean regarding his foreign policy experience, being from a largely white state, and so-called "environmental racism."
Since a documentary filmmaker was staying with Astley, the exchange, which has been confirmed by the Kerry campaign, was caught on videotape.
"Does your candidate know that you're saying these kinds of things, unsubstantiated claims on the phone representing Sen. Kerry?" Astley asked 19-year-old volunteer, Jacob Thomas, on the tape, a copy of which was obtained by ABCNEWS.
Soon, she asked to speak with Kerry's regional field supervisor, with whom she launched a complaint.
"I am just really offended by the call I got tonight," she said. "The person who was talking to me was taking things out of context, repeating unsubstantiated reports to me, and I find that really offensive."
‘Not Authorized’
The Kerry campaign's response was swift.
"The person who made the call is a young volunteer whose remarks were not authorized or condoned by this campaign," Kerry campaign manager Mary Beth Cahill said in a statement. "It's a terrible mistake for a young person to make, and he is apologizing to the person he called. While we appreciate his support, we have asked him to leave the campaign."
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