Government
In CT, partisan pranks caught on tape has legislators in a tizzy
Two Dem committee staffers were caught messing with a Republican staffer's desk when it was all captured on video. Republicans want heads. Dems say it's just a bit of fun.
It's hard to believe in these days of high-tech surveillance that government employees would still risk illegal behavior, but two Democratic employees were caught on tape going through the desk of a Republican aide, and now a Republican legislative leader wants them fired, report the Hartford Courant.
"It appears at this point to be a case of unprofessional, prank-like behavior," said Patrick Scully, a Senate Democratic spokesman. "We are looking into it fully. If deemed necessary, disciplinary action will be taken."
It was determined that termination wasn't warranted, Scully said.
The video showed one Democratic aide sitting at the woman's desk after 5 p.m. last week, rearranging papers and examining the contents of file drawers and a bulletin board.
"In my opinion, this was no prank," said House Minority Leader Lawrence F. Cafero Jr., R-Norwalk. "I don't know what it is."Surveillance cameras have been installed in most public areas in the Capitol and Legislative Office Building and in the open cubicles used by government administration and elections staff.
Democratic and Republican staffs share the committee offices, but tensions sometimes emerge.
"There is a tension that is there based, I assume, on partisan politics," Cafero said.