Local GOP Pressures Woman to Drop Restraining Order

By Eric on March 29, 2008

The Eagle County (CO) GOP takes Ronald Reagan’s Eleventh Commandment–“Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican”–very seriously, even if that fellow Republican is accused of stalking his ex-girlfriend.

[Republican House candidate Ali] Hasan’s campaign publicist and former girlfriend filed for a temporary restraining order against him, alleging that he tried to hack into her computer and tracked her whereabouts after their personal relationship soured.

Hasan, the scion of one of the state’s biggest Republican fundraisers, countered by hiring the same high-priced law firm that defended basketball star Kobe Bryant in a sex-assault case.

The publicist, Alison Miller, dropped her effort for a permanent order but said it was under heavy pressure from prominent Republicans who cared more about the party’s image than possible inappropriate behavior by its well-heeled candidate.
…
Faced with a lengthy fight and Hasan’s high-priced lawyers, Miller said she decided not to pursue a permanent restraining order, hoping one will come automatically if criminal charges are filed. But her decision was affected by pressure she got from local party officials, she said.

“They told me that I was embarrassing the Republican Party, ruining his campaign,” Miller said.

Oh no, wouldn’t want a silly little thing like stalking to get in the way of the campaign. Other local Republicans, of course, feel betrayed. As to the accusations of intimidation, the county GOP chair send that while he personally didn’t tell her to drop it, it’s likely that someone else from the party did. The candidate’s mother had a similar response, while also winning the coveted “most uses of the word Republican in one minute” award:

“I’m really disappointed first of all as a Republican,” she said. “Alison herself says she’s a Republican. . . . We opened our house to her.

“My feeling as a Republican is, gosh, if you can’t trust a young Republican, who can you trust?”

If she were really a Republican–a true, loyal Republican–she wouldn’t put her own personal safety and well-being above the needs of the party. She should have just been like Wendy “I’m a lot more like Lorena Bobbitt than Hillary” Vitter and stood by her man.

(h/t Vanessa)

Tags: 2008, Ali Hasan, David Vitter, Jessica Miller, stalking

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