10/28/2014
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| Russ Diamond (Lebanon Daily News file photo) |
State Rep. Mauree Gingrich is calling Russ Diamond unfit for office after seeing a YouTube video in which the Republican 102nd House District nominee states that "every cop is a pig and a liar."
Diamond claims the comment is taken out of context in the edited video, and both recording and distributing it are violations of state and federal law. He says the motive for release is to derail his campaign in the final week of a four-candidate race.
There is little context to the 40-second video, which, Diamond said, was recorded in the spring of 2013 by his live-in girlfriend, Catherine Devlin, during a period in which they became estranged and often quarreled.
Mauree Gingrich (Lebanon Daily News file photo)
The name on the YouTube account is Frank Castle, and it was opened only last week.
A check with county Voter Registration determined no one by that name is registered to vote in Lebanon County. It is, however, the name of a Marvel Comic vigilante superhero called "The Punisher."
The recording shows a fully-clothed Diamond stretched out on a bed, eyes closed, as Devlin can be heard saying, "you have a Jekyll and Hyde personality" and begs him to get help. Devlin then says she doesn't want to call the police and alludes to a previous incident when she claims Diamond lied to police.
In a barely audible voice, Diamond replies "call 'em."
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When Devlin next tells Diamond he always calls police "pigs," he mumbles, "Every cop is a pig and a liar."
Gingrich said she first saw the video last weekend after being informed of its existence by someone in law enforcement. In a statement released by her campaign office, which included a link to the video, Gingrich stated she was especially offended because she comes from a family with strong ties to law enforcement.
"I am the proud daughter, sister and aunt of PA State Troopers. This disgusting sentiment expressed by Diamond proves that he is unfit to hold any office," she said.
Gingrich expounded on her thoughts when reached by phone on Monday afternoon.
"I had heard rumblings in the public from people who certainly know (Diamond) better than I do about his attitude towards law enforcement," she said. "That saddened me, of course, and being from a four generation law enforcement family, it disturbed me. But my goodness, when I saw the video it was beyond disturbing and showed a complete lack of respect. It has me troubled having someone like that serving in the state house, helping me represent Lebanon County with a public attitude like that."
Diamond said he was unaware he was being recorded by Devlin which makes Gingrich's distribution of the YouTube video illegal.
"That video was taken in the privacy of my home without my knowledge or consent," he said. "Recording and distribution of it is a felony under both Pennsylvania and United State law. .... I believe she (Gingrich) has committed a crime, and I'm a victim of that crime."
Gingrich dismissed Diamond's charge, stating that she broke no law because she was not the one to post it on YouTube.
Diamond denied that the statement reflects his true feelings about police. The statement is taken out of context because he is repeating a phrase often used by Devlin, he insisted.
"If you would see the full thing, you would know that statement is not my feeling," he said. "What I'm doing is repeating a statement she made time and time again."
Diamond also claims he was sexually assaulted by Devlin earlier in the evening when she grabbed his genitals and would have welcomed a visit from the police.
Devlin denied all of Diamond's accusations but admitted to making the video and sharing it with others. She would not name with whom she shared it and said she did not know who posted it on YouTube.
Diamond believes its release was orchestrated by Gingrich's son, Adam Gingrich, and Lebanon County District Attorney David Arnold, the latter of whom publicly called into question Diamond's suitability for serving in office due to questions in his background, which includes filings of Protection From Abuse orders by Devlin and Diamond's first wife. Both PFA's were dropped, although Devlin claims she is still protected by a No Contact order.
The videos were also among the evidence Lebanon County Republican Committee leaders shared with committee members this summer when building a case for why Diamond should remove himself from the ballot — a request Diamond refused.
Diamond bolstered his claims by referring to a blog by Ron Harper Jr., which was recently released and details the alleged involvement of Adam Gingrich and Arnold in obtaining the videos from Devlin at the website puppetlawyer.com.
Diamond believes the video was released now to cause him maximum political damage in the waning days of the campaign in which he is in a tight contest with Democrat Jake Long, Independent Bob McAteer and write-in candidate Wanda Bechtold.
Diamond said the release of the video will not affect his campaigning and hopes it won't cost him the election.
"I'll keep knocking on doors and talking to people just like I've been doing the last four or five weeks," he said. "If it has an impact on the election, that would be shameful. Because we are talking about criminal activity, no doubt about it. And you better believe if the roles were reversed here, I would be locked up by the Lebanon County District Attorney."
The video and three other short videos — raw video; not from YouTube — that appeared to have been taken at the same time were released to media outlets in August, including the Lebanon Daily News, which did not report their existence because of legal concerns regarding the source of the recordings and their release.
"I've been waiting for it," Diamond said.
Diamond further alleged that Rep. Gingrich's motive for publicizing the video is to get back at him for accusations he made about forged signatures on her nominating petition when the pair ran against each other for the 101st House District seat in 2008, and his involvement two years later in helping to get Adam Gingrich removed as chairman of the Lebanon County Republican Committee.
Gingrich scoffed at both accusations, stating she has no involvement with those who oppose Diamond's candidacy and took the initiative to speak out about the video on her own.
"I'm not the type of person that carries grudges and make vendettas out them," she said. "I do believe that may not be the case with the other individuals. But none of that is part of what I saw and what I reacted to. No, there is no vendetta. I want a good, healthy Legislature. The people of Lebanon County deserve good people with integrity and respect for the law."
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