Md. Rep.: RNC tries to 'hide the truth'

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WASHINGTON, Oct. 12 (UPI) -- A top congressional Democrat Friday accused the Republican National Committee of waging "an orchestrated campaign to hide the truth" about a fired consultant.

Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, the ranking Democrat on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, said Nathan Sproul -- the consultant fired by the RNC for voter registration irregularities -- had refused Cummings' request to make himself available for an interview on the matter by Friday, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Cummings had written this week to Sproul, the head of Strategic Allied Consulting, requesting the interview and asking Sproul to provide the committee with copies of his correspondence with the Republican National Committee and state political parties.

Attorney Frederick R. Petti wrote back telling Cummings Sproul "appreciates your offer" but would prefer to "stay outside the realm of politics, especially given the closeness of Election Day," the Times reported Friday.

Petti said Sproul is cooperating with an investigation in Florida, where elections officials in Palm Beach County discovered potentially fraudulent voter registration forms submitted by one of Sproul's employees.

At least 10 other Florida counties subsequently reported suspicious voter registration applications linked to the company.

The RNC had directed at least $3.1 million to Strategic Allied Consulting through state parties. It has severed ties with the company, but Cummings said Friday Sproul's refusal to cooperate "is particularly disturbing in light of Sproul's own statements that he worked with the RNC to conceal his shady record."

"This is not a 'zero tolerance' policy, this is an orchestrated campaign to hide the truth."

Since being fired by the RNC, Sproul has returned to electoral politics, using a company called Advocacy Partners to hire workers for get-out-the-vote operations in states including Wisconsin, Iowa, Virginia, New York and New Jersey, the liberal BlueNC blog reported.