the republicans need just one seat in senate to win it back...right? http://miva.dmregister.com/miva/cgi-bin/miva?news/live/display.mv+direction=showstory&showrec=4 GOP keeps heat on Harkin Posted at 15:16 on 09/27/2002 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- State Republican Party Chairman Charles Larson Jr. contended today that the person who taped a meeting of Greg Ganske supporters was directed to do so by campaign staffers for Democratic Senator Tom Harkin. Meanwhile, Des Moines police backed away from published reports that Des Moines businessman Brian Conley, suspected of taping the Ganske meeting, has asked for immunity. Larson said the person who taped the meeting was directed by the Harkin campaign to infiltrate the Ganske camp. "He called the (Harkin) campaign to inquire about whether he should attend or not," Larson said at a Des Moines news conference. "He was told, yes, he should definitely attend. He was asked to stop by the headquarters before the event. At that time, he was given the recording device and asked if he would consider recording the meeting." Larson did not mention the person's name. But asked later by a reporter whether he was talking about Brian Conley, the manager of a Des Moines paper distribution business and an ex-Harkin aide, Larson said he was. Larson would not, however, identify the person who gave him details of Conley's relationship with the Harkin campaign and offered no additional proof. Larson and Bill Armistead, Ganske's campaign manager, both called on Harkin to personally come forward and detail who knew about the plan. "This needs to stop," Armistead said Friday. "Tom Harkin needs to take responsibility for his campaign and the agents that he's hired in his campaign." Armistead said the Ganske-Harkin debate scheduled for Sunday night would go on as planned. He declined to say whether Ganske intended to confront Harkin directly about the taping. Meanwhile, Des Moines police Lt. Mark Morgan said today that Detective Bill Boggs neither told a reporter Conley was seeking immunity nor confirmed that police were investigating Conley as the source of the tape. Morgan said Boggs had called Kathie Obradovich of Lee Newspapers to get a copy of the tape and transcript she obtained from the campaign of U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin. Morgan said the reporter asked if Conley had asked for immunity and Boggs responded that Conley would have no reason to ask for immunity because police had not determined yet whether a crime was committed. Morgan said police interviews with witnesses didn't begin until Friday afternoon. "We don't talk about suspects unless it is advantageous to our investigation," Morgan said
