GOP staffer accused of blog attacks

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PRINCETON, N.J., Sept. 21 (UPI) -- New Jersey Democrats accuse a Republican campaign staff member of online dirty tricks aimed at U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J.

At issue are anonymous postings sent under the names "cleanupnj" and "usedtobeblue" to a Web site, bluejersey.com, the Star-Ledger of Newark, N.J., reports. Juan Melli, who founded the site, says he has tracked the attacks on Menendez to Jill Hazelbacker, press secretary for the Republican candidate, Tom Kean.

"Oh, please, I'm very busy. I don't have time to focus on Blue Jersey," Hazelbacker told the newspaper.

Menendez, appointed to the Senate when Jon Corzine was elected governor, and Kean, son of the popular former governor, are in a tight race. In fact, New Jersey, which last elected a Republican senator 34 years ago, is one of the few places where a Democratic incumbent might lose this year.

Melli, a Princeton graduate student, said that the blog postings attacking Menendez claimed to be from "an ardent Democrat" and were sent under two names registered within 15 minutes of each other. He said the IP address they were sent from match the IP address on e-mail Hazelbacker has sent under her own name.