The hacker behind documents leaked from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is set to release more internal files and memorandums in the coming week, including several that expose the party’s effort to gerrymander at least two districts in North Carolina.
A battle over the state’s heavily Democratic First and 12th Congressional Districts, represented respectively by Rep. G.K. Butterfield and Rep. Alma Adams, is set to be heard by the Supreme Court this fall. The new documents, obtained in advance by the Washington Examiner, reveal DCCC efforts to reassure the two of its goal “to protect our our members while creating new opportunities to pick up seats.”
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The documents reveal the DCCC’s chairman, New Mexico Rep. Ben Ray Lujan, personally deployed to ask the two for their support and assistance in lobbying other Democrats in the state. “Please tell Rep. Butterfield that YOU understand the delicacy of any situation involving changes to current members’ districts,” states a May 2015 memorandum sent to Lujan by Andrew Piatt, a DCCC staffer in the state.
The documents also reveal the talking points staffers suggested Lujan use in approaching members. “Please ask if we can put together some options for [Butterfield’s] review that maintains the integrity of his and Rep. Adams’ districts and creates pick-up opportunities.”
An October 2015 document advises Lujan to be even more genuflective in dealing with Adams. “Please ask Rep. Adams to share her concerns and tell YOU what she is hearing regarding potential redistricting in N.C.”
The document adds Lujan should tell Adams that the staff would like to hear what she thinks as well. “Please tell Rep. Adams that we are monitoring the [state] and would like her perspective.”
The matter hinges on a dispute dating to 2011 over the racial concentration of voters in the two districts. A federal court in February said the districts violated the Constitution’s equal protection provision, and the Supreme Court agreed in June to hear the case later in the year.
Gerrymandered districts drawn for political reasons, while technically legal, are rarely acknowledged by party leaders. Nuances in the law have resulted in courts occasionally commanding legislatures to redraw districts in the states.
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The newest documents follow earlier releases by Guccifer 2.0, the hacker purportedly behind a July leak of 20,000 emails from the Democratic National Committee, of similar files on districts in Florida, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, and New Hampshire.
Guccifer in August leaked additional files allegedly obtained from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s personal computer, a charge the Democratic leader has denied. Those files included talking points for party officials on police violence and the 2012 terrorist attack on American facilities in Benghazi.
Officials at the DCCC did not return a request for comment. Piatt, the staffer credited with authoring the latest documents, did not return a message left at his phone number, which was also listed in the files.
