Marathon Pundit: Kucinich using Homeland Security to investigate opponent

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Kucinich using Homeland Security to investigate opponent

I've known Rep. Dennis Kucinich, the litigious-of-late presidential candidate, was nuts ever since his disastrous term as Cleveland's mayor in the 1970s, but I always thought, until today, he was a sincere nut.

From the Cleveland Plain Dealer's Openers Blog:

Congressman and presidential candidate Dennis Kucinch asked the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to investigate one of his Democratic congressional opponents, Cleveland Councilman Joe Cimperman.

Kucinich, who frequently speaks out against government intrusion, initiated the investigation after Cimperman, a Cleveland councilman, delivered a "missing" poster to his Lakewood congressional office on Jan. 3, according to Cimperman.

Cimperman, who was mocking Kucinich for being on the road campaigning for president, spent less than 30 seconds in the office while a campaign worker filmed him dropping off the poster. A federal agent told Cimperman Tuesday during an in-person interview that the use of the video camera inside the government office was at issue. Cimperman said the agent spent about 10 minutes with him.

"This is an absurd waste of taxpayers' dollars," Cimperman said. "It boggles the mind. It's just another example of how out of touch Dennis is with taxpayers in Northeast Ohio, who want their tax money spent wisely - not on something as silly as this. The Department of Homeland Security has plenty to do without wasting time talking to me."