There is an update in the DNC lawsuit and it is sure to raise some eyebrows.
Three law firms representing plaintiffs in the class action lawsuit, Wilding, et. al. v. DNC, et. al., filed a notice to the United States federal court Thursday, alleging that they received direct contact from US Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz's office.
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Not only do they claim to receive a call from her office, but the caller used a voice modifier to get updates on the case. The caller was never identified.
Plaintiffs sent the following email to the lawyers representing the DNC and Wasserman Schultz:
Defense counsel:
At 4:54 p.m. today, an individual called our law office from "305-936-5724." See attached photo of the caller I.D.
The caller refused to identify himself/herself, but asked my secretary about the Wilding et al. v. DNC et al. lawsuit. My secretary stated that it sounded like the caller was using a voice changer, because the voice sounded robotic and genderless -- along the lines of the voice changers used when television show interviews are kept anonymous. The caller concluded with “Okey dokey,” after my secretary gave the caller public information about the case.
After the call ended, a simple Google search of the phone number "305-936-5724" shows that it is the phone number for Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz' Aventura office, https://wassermanschultz.house.gov/contact/. See attached screenshot.
What just occurred is highly irregular and we will be filing the instant e-mail with the court forthwith.
“I’ve never encountered a situation quite like this in my practice, but I have seen situations where one party has made unsolicited contact with lawyers on the other side," Jared Beck, one of the lead attorneys in the DNC lawsuit, told the Observer.
"In such situation, I believe it is a lawyer’s responsibility, as officer of the court, to make prompt notification to the court of any unsolicited communications received, which is what we did in this case.”
Attorneys for the defense filed a response Friday, saying they have "inquired and confirmed that no one on Congresswoman Wasserman-Schultz’s staff, including the Congresswoman herself, has any knowledge of any such call being made, nor was any such call authorized."
The defense further claims that no one is currently working in the office in question since it is under repairs.
The photo and screenshot referenced in the letter to defense counsel are included in the plaintiffs' court filing:
You can also read the full response:
Photo Credit: Medill DC / Flickr