Yesterday U.S. Magistrate Judge Dennis W. Dohnal ruled that the Republican Party of Virginia must take responsibility for its own illegal actions eavesdropping on confidential Democratic Conference calls in 2002. This year, the State Republican party sued its insurance company, Union Insurance nearly $1 million to cover its liabity for illegally monitoring private Democratic party strategy calls"The acts complained of arose from a willful violation of a penal statute by agents of the Plaintiff and thus the claims were excluded from coverage," the judge wrote Thursday. "Union had a right to decline coverage."
The Republican lawsuit highlights the early depths of corruption party members were willing to pursue to seek state offices, even long before the election. Claiming that the crime was the product of rogue staffers, the party claimed itself the true victim and sued its insurance company for coverage of expenses, including legal fees.
The judge didn't buy it. Jerry Kilgore and the Republican Party of VA now face legal accountibility for their own corruption.
"Everyone seemed to realize this lawsuit was frivolous," Mark Bergman, spokesman for the Democratic Party of Virginia said, "except the Republican Party of Virginia and Jerry Kilgore."