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RICHMOND--For the second time, a state Republican Party official has resigned over his involvement in the eavesdropping scandal.
State Republican Party chairman Gary Thomson quit yesterday after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge of "aiding and abetting the unauthorized publication of a wire communication." Thomson was sentenced to two years of probation and a $2,000 fine.
Thomson is the second party official to resign in the 17 months since police began investigating a Republican operative's eavesdropping on Democrats' conference calls in March 2002.
Edmund Matricardi III, a Spotsylvania County resident who had been the state party's executive director, received three years probation and a $5,000 fine for listening to and taping the calls.
According to the statement of facts that accompanied Thomson's plea Tuesday, Matricardi told Thomson that he had listened to a conference call in which Democratic legislators, as well as Gov. Mark Warner, were discussing a redistricting lawsuit. Thomson allowed Matricardi to pass information from the calls on to others.
"He didn't shut it down, in essence," said Thomson's attorney, Howard Vick.
In a prepared statement, Thomson said he "was not aware then that what I did was, in fact, technically a misdemeanor.
"I am most upset that my instincts did not prevent this incident," Thomson added. "Being 'asleep at the switch,' however, is no excuse for a leader. As a leader, I must, and will accept responsibility for my own actions."
In his statement, Thomson said he disclosed his role in the eavesdropping to police on the first day of the investigation, and continued to cooperate throughout the investigation.
Publicly, however, Thomson had previously denied having such knowledge of Matricardi's actions. Soon after the eavesdropping scandal broke, a Charlottesville television reporter asked Thomson if he had seen a transcript of the calls, and Thomson said he had not.
Thomson was first elected party chairman in January 2001. He is a certified public accountant with the firm of Goodman & Company.
Thomson's resignation is the latest episode in what has been a troubled year and a half for the Republican Party.
Soon after Matricardi's involvement in the eavesdropping scandal became public last year, another GOP operative was implicated as well: Claudia Tucker, then-chief of staff to former House Speaker Vance Wilkins, was indicted and eventually pleaded guilty.
Soon after news about the eavesdropping became public, another blow: It was reported that Wilkins had settled a sexual harassment complaint, and he quickly resigned.
Thomson's plea and resignation is "just one more scandal for a Republican party that has been rocked by them in the past couple of years," said University of Virginia political analyst Larry Sabato. "The Republicans certainly don't look good after Vance Wilkins and Ed Matricardi and now this. It's very embarrassing for the GOP and suggests a certain level of corruption and arrogance in the majority party.It certainly doesn't help the image of the party or the image of politics."
But so far, Virginia voters don't seem to want to punish the party at the voting booth. Republicans still hold the majority of seats in the General Assembly, and in Virginia's congressional delegation, and that's unlikely to change in this fall's legislative elections.
Del. Mark Cole, R-Spotsylvania, said any political fallout from the eavesdropping scandal probably happened last year, when it first broke.
"It's a real stretch to take something that happened a couple of years ago and imply that the party itself is somehow tainted," said Joint Republican Caucus director Scott Leake. "If you think back in history, these sorts of things have happened to both Republicans and Democrats. This is the act of one, or perhaps two or three individuals. But it's not something that pervades the Republican Party in Virginia. And I don't think anyone who's reasonable or fair-minded would say that."
However, it's not clear whether the investigation into the eavesdropping episode is over. The news release from U.S. Attorney Paul McNulty's office, announcing Thomson's plea, did not declare an end to the investigation, and a spokeswoman from McNulty's office said she could neither confirm nor deny that the investigation is continuing.
But Warner said party officials should be working harder on their own to ferret out any further problems.
"This thing seems to have no end," Warner told reporters. "What's going on over there? Why haven't the top Republican officials gotten to the bottom of this? I think all of us in both parties that are playing by the rules hope this will be the final chapter in this sorry incident."
With Thomson's resignation, Vice-Chairman Michael E. Thomas will serve as acting chairman until the state central committee meets to select a new chairman.
Kilgore and U.S. Sen. George Allen have asked Winchester Republican activist Kate Obenshain Griffin to seek the chairmanship. Griffin, who worked in Allen's gubernatorial administration, is the daughter of Richard Obenshain, who died in a plane crash in 1978 while campaigning for a U.S. Senate seat.
Other names being bandied about are Delegates Kirk Cox and Chris Jones and party treasurer Richard Neel.
To reach CHELYEN DAVIS: 804/782-9362 cdavis@freelancestar.com