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DEL.ICIO.USCleland aide locked up after crashing Edwards party
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A man who serves as former U.S. Sen. Max Cleland’s top aide is in the hoosegow up in Martha’s Vineyard after trying to pass himself off as an official with the John Edwards presidential campaign.
The Boston Globe is reporting that the Cleland aide “has a criminal history that includes selling drugs and carjacking,” and that he “also allegedly had stolen campaign documents in his possession.” Secret Service agents participated in his questioning.
The most complete account comes from the Vineyard Gazette:.
Police say 31-year-old Michael Duga used a credential identifying himself as the chief of staff to former Sen. Maxwell Cleland of Georgia to gain access to the event.
Once inside, he purported to be a top official for the Edwards campaign to some while representing himself as a paying guests to others. According to Mr. MacDonald, the host of the event, Mr. Duga was neither.
Then there was this:
Mr. Duga’s appearance at the fundraiser was only part of his bizarre behavior over the weekend. Although police are not sure when Mr. Duga arrived on the Island, they believe he rented a room in a bed and breakfast in Aquinnah where he asked another guest if he could borrow their vehicle to find better cell phone service.
Mr. Duga then reportedly drove the vehicle, a Chevy Suburban, to the Edwards fundraiser where he worked most of the night at the front table where people purchased tickets. Toward the end of the fundraiser, Mr. Duga reportedly tried to stop a photographer from taking pictures of Mr. and Mrs. Edwards.
According to the police report, Mr. Duga got a ride to the airport with the Edwards party after the event, although he missed the flight to the next campaign stop.
Instead, Mr. Duga spent the night on the Island, and was next spotted Saturday around 8 a.m. when the Menemsha Coast Guard Station called Chilmark police to report a suspicious person on their property. Coast Guard officials later told police Mr. Duga was looking through paperwork and made some telephone calls from the Coast Guard boat house without permission.
Just got off the phone with Cleland, who has employed Duga for the last three years. Duga was by his side last month, when Cleland signed on to help a Woodstock biotech firm — the former senator’s first job in the private sector.
Cleland said that the police description of events “was not consistent with [Duga’s] behavior, character or background as I’ve known him.
“We’ll wait to see the outcome of the investigation,” he said.
Cleland, by the way, did not attend the Edwards’ party. He was here in Atlanta. He gave the Democratic response to President Bush’s weekly radio address on Saturday.
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By Gerry Mander
August 28, 2007 10:21 AM | Link to this
Between Taylor’s guy trying to light his campaign headquarters on fire and Cleland’s guy going crazy in Martha’s Vineyard - the GA Democrats have hired some real wack-jobs to work for them.
By Will Jones
August 28, 2007 10:46 AM | Link to this
Birds of feather: a bunch of fakers unwilling to do the heavy lifting…bringing Bush’s faction to justice for 9-11 treason, false war, killing JFK to put us in Vietnam and restore the Fed, and funding Hitler: for the pope and Rockefeller.
By Bitter EX democrackkk
August 29, 2007 7:04 AM | Link to this
Any one crazy enough to ‘work’ a Edwards/Breck Girl event shows the IQ levels of these idiots!
Thanks, Georgia , for getting Max Cleland out of office!
By aquariusrizing
August 29, 2007 7:24 AM | Link to this
This is really bad timing for another wacko, no doubt about it. There is a lot of support for Edwards here in GA.
I like Max, and understand that he does have helpers who act not only as personal aides, but sort of as body guards. But it does seem as if he could have found an ex linebacker instead of an ex con.
And as Edwards collects endorsements from all the “cool kids” in GA., like former Gov. Roy Barnes, and several other prominent Democrats, all HE needs is this kind of mess at one of his events.
How is it that his staffers took the course of the event to realise they had someone collecting the loot, and the data on the people attending, not to mention whatever other data was stolen? It adds to the argument that Edwards, while good looking and finally pulling some specifics out of his hat for his populist agenda, is too niave and inexperienced to run a professional campaign. I do support his poverty intiniative, and think he can make a good member of the ticket, in one spot or another. But this reminds me why I’m still “dating” when it comes to the Presidential race. I’m more interested in the 159 county stratey, so that we fulfull Jane Kidd’s promises, who chairs the DPG. And I have to raise this, too… is there any truth to the rumors on the blogs that Bobby Kahn is now ghost writing Bill Shipps’ column? That stuff he wrote about Jane on Sunday made me read red state between the lines. Anyone who hasn’t seen Jane hasn’t been looking or listening. She’s got a very good staff coming together over there, and after the mess the Kahn crew left the office/data/systems for gotv, etc. in shambles, it’s amazing that she’s had the stamina to face and lead thru the tenth district race that came up so suddenly, and to raise record funds at the JJ Dinner. I also like her idea of holding our next JJ Dinner for under 100 bucks, so more of us can attend, if Bill were paying attention, he’d remember that Jane ran a positive campaign for chair, for the house seat she held, and made very concrete promises, all of which she is trying to keep. Jane deserves more press, yes, more visibility, you bet. Bill Shipp should give up his column if he’s not writing it any more, and give the byline to Bobby, if he’s the one writing all the nasty stuff about his former co-horts like Calvin Smyrie and various potential candidates. We Dems need to stop eating our young pre-primary, and in the primaries, or we’re going to be divided, defined, and wooped up on bad. I know primary season is open season on each other as Dems, but part of Jane’s challenge is to take a page from the Repub play book, and change the bylaws if nec., or possible, given the DNC rules, so that when the time comes,our candidates don’t kill our chances before we even get to the general election.
Sorry this got so long, but this came so closely on the heels of that nasty column written on Sunday, I have to wonder who’s on who’s side. Has Bill gone Zell on us?
aquariusrizing
By Anonymous
August 29, 2007 7:35 AM | Link to this
Weird, but I don’t see how this reflects on Edwards… apparently everyone’s trying to get into his campaign.
By Rovespierre
August 29, 2007 7:40 AM | Link to this
Why didn’t the coast gaurd fire their five inch guns and blow that ne’er do well away? They had him cold. Doesn’t the stand your ground law apply here? Why do we have to allow these anarchists quarter?
And why is Edwards so lax with his own security. Obviously the Repudlickans have to commit felonies to win elections. It’s their way.
Protect yourself, John.
By GodHatesTrash
August 29, 2007 8:12 AM | Link to this
This Duga thing is weird, but not as weird as playing footsies in the mens’ room at the airport, although solicitation for same sex oral sodomy is perfectly normal for the vast majority of Georgia GOPers…
By steve from va
August 29, 2007 4:23 PM | Link to this
This guy worked Clinton events in the 90s.
My guess is he was trying to steal campaign stationary to pull a karl rove manuever for the Clintons on Edwards