Carmony Retrial Is Warranted

There have been enough guilty pleas connected to the 1995 special election that put Scott Baugh in the Assembly to present a clear picture of wrongdoing. So the inability of a jury last week to reach a verdict in the trial of campaign worker Rhonda Carmony in connection with that election was unfortunate.

Given the 10-2 vote in favor of conviction on two of the three election law felony charges and the 9-3 vote on the third, a new trial is warranted. If she is not guilty, Carmony deserves to be cleared. If she is guilty, the public has the right to know.

Carmony’s lawyer argued during the trial that the scheme to get a “spoiler” Democrat on the ballot and thus make it easier for Baugh to win was orchestrated by Assemblyman Curt Pringle (R-Garden Grove) and his chief of staff, Jeff Flint. Two Pringle aides and one Baugh campaign aide pleaded guilty to single misdemeanors in the case. Pringle has denied knowledge of irregularities. Flint refused to testify at the Carmony trial but has said he did nothing illegal.

Baugh, who has pleaded not guilty to charges of misreporting campaign contributions during his campaign, has been especially critical of Dist. Atty. Michael R. Capizzi for his investigations. So has Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach), Carmony’s fiance. Some Baugh supporters have claimed that any violations were minor or technical, or that similar occurrences are common in political campaigns. Even if true, those are not persuasive arguments against prosecution.

Election law violations are harmful, deepening public cynicism about politics and government. Candidates need to abide by the law when they seek office and insist that their supporters do so as well. One way or the other, the Carmony case merits further clarification and resolution.