Massachusetts Democrats chairman violated party bylaws in Morse-Neal race, internal investigation finds

The chairman of the Massachusetts Democratic Party violated party bylaws by “encouraging” a group of college Democrats to come forward with allegations of inappropriate behavior against congressional hopeful Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse just weeks before his primary against U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, an internal investigation found.

Chairman Gus Bickford broke the state party’s rules by advising students to send a letter to Morse detailing their allegations and “encouraging” students to talk to a reporter on the record about them “before the election,” according to an investigation by former state Sen. Cheryl Jacques, who the state party brought on to look into the matter.

Jacques concluded that Bickford violated bylaws that prohibit party staff from participating in contested Democratic primary campaigns, though she concluded state party staff did not “initiate” the idea of writing a letter to Morse, according to a copy of the report obtained by the Herald.

Bickford, in a statement through a state party spokeswoman, denied wrongdoing.

“I accept and agree with all of the recommendations outlined at the end of the report. However, I do strongly disagree with the baseless statement that by commenting on the credibility of a well-known national political reporter, I somehow implied or suggested that material be leaked to that reporter,” Bickford said, adding that also “untrue is the false claim that I suggested the students send a letter before election day.”

Bickford is up for re-election next week.

Morse in August was accused by three college Democrat student groups, including the College Democrats of Massachusetts, of acting in a way that “made young college students uncomfortable.”

The 31-year-old former University of Massachusetts Amherst adjunct lecturer apologized to those he made “feel uncomfortable.” But he claimed the allegations were a “coordinated political smear” designed to tank his campaign just before the primary.

In the report, Jacques said it’s apparent that the party didn’t “plant” the students’ issues with Morse, as she wrote they had been complaining about his behavior for months before they had any contact with the state party.

The college students reached out to Bickford looking to talk to a “responsible adult” after they began receiving outside inquiries on Morse’s alleged behavior. Bickford, according to the report, encouraged them to go on the record with a reporter.

Morse said the report makes it “clear that the Massachusetts Democratic Party inappropriately interfered to harm my campaign for Congress and aid Congressman Neal’s re-election effort.”

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/3l1RcYK