IP calls on Pawlenty to take responsibility for ads, take ads off air

The Independence Party today called on Republican gubernatorial candidate Tim Pawlenty to accept full responsibility for the illegal actions taken by his campaign and demanded the TV ads be pulled from the airwaves.

Pawlenty's campaign chairman today admitted in news accounts that the campaign sold their ad concept, video footage and scripts to the Republican Party-an obvious coordination between the Republican Party and the Pawlenty campaign.

"Candidate Pawlenty continually talks up and down about accountability. He should step up to the plate and hold himself accountable for these ads," said Nancy Jorgenson, acting chair of the Independence Party. "It's an insult to the voters’ intelligence to expect them to believe that no one in the Pawlenty campaign had any knowledge of what was going on."

More problematic for Pawlenty is that the Campaign Finance Board, which is currently investigating this matter, ruled earlier this year that a consultant is an agent of the campaign.

"The board is compelled in this matter to financially fine the Pawlenty campaign — failing to do so would create a blueprint on how to skirt the law," Jorgenson said. "We expect candidate Pawlenty to demand that the Republican Party of Minnesota pull the ads currently running and have his campaign retroactively pay for the one-plus million dollars already spent by the Republican Party.”

Note to editors: Nancy Jorgenson will answer questions about this complaint. Her home phone is 763-571-1648. Her cell phone is 612-749-6058.

Released: 10/06/02