2008 Woodie Awards
A 'blackmail' recording
Audrey Barker
Issue date: 5/27/08 Section: Features
Presidential candidate Terell Sterling shot down a grievance alleging that he had blackmailed running mate Kurt Pham and other members of Pham's candidate coalition.
Pham said that over the course of the elections week, Sterling threatened to file grievances and in doing so disqualify all of the members of Pham's Senate in Action Coalition if any of Pham's members filed a grievance against Sterling's coalition, Change '08. Pham filed a grievance against threat itself, and Sterling did not reciprocate. According to the unapproved grievance document, Sterling violated the code because he "interfered with the campaigning of any other candidate" with his threat.
"Terell forced this agreement upon me, and I didn't want to do it, but I was really scared because I am the team leader of my coalition. I am really liable if my group gets disqualified and so I had to go with the agreement," he said.
Among the list of facts used to substantiate the claim was an audio recording that Pham said incriminates Sterling and displays a clear use of blackmail by the candidate. Yet before Pham spoke at the elections committee meeting about his filed grievance and played the tape, Sterling supplied a legally binding court document explaining that his Fourth and 14th Amendment rights would be violated if the tape was played against his will. The document explains that if a meeting occurs in confidence, a recording of it would have required a search warrant and should be inadmissible as evidence.
Sterling said he is not ashamed of what is on the tape. "Just because I speak well and am confident doesn't mean that I attempted to intimidate Pham," he said. Sterling says he does not want the contents of the tape to be released because he doesn't believe in "dirty politics."
After two meetings and hours of discussion, the committee agreed that there was not enough evidence to disqualify Sterling from the presidential campaign. No third party witness who wasn't in some way connected to Pham came forward to testify against Sterling. Pham said he felt the committee was too emotionally invested in the campaign, and should have stuck more closely to the election code.
Earlier at Tuesday's meeting, Sterling alleged that Jeff Noon, a senate candidate, was threatening other candidates' lives. Noon admitted to doing it as a joke, and Sterling soon after withdrew the grievance. Sterling said he only meant to bring the issue up so that the topic is addressed in the code at future meetings.
Pham said that over the course of the elections week, Sterling threatened to file grievances and in doing so disqualify all of the members of Pham's Senate in Action Coalition if any of Pham's members filed a grievance against Sterling's coalition, Change '08. Pham filed a grievance against threat itself, and Sterling did not reciprocate. According to the unapproved grievance document, Sterling violated the code because he "interfered with the campaigning of any other candidate" with his threat.
"Terell forced this agreement upon me, and I didn't want to do it, but I was really scared because I am the team leader of my coalition. I am really liable if my group gets disqualified and so I had to go with the agreement," he said.
Among the list of facts used to substantiate the claim was an audio recording that Pham said incriminates Sterling and displays a clear use of blackmail by the candidate. Yet before Pham spoke at the elections committee meeting about his filed grievance and played the tape, Sterling supplied a legally binding court document explaining that his Fourth and 14th Amendment rights would be violated if the tape was played against his will. The document explains that if a meeting occurs in confidence, a recording of it would have required a search warrant and should be inadmissible as evidence.
Sterling said he is not ashamed of what is on the tape. "Just because I speak well and am confident doesn't mean that I attempted to intimidate Pham," he said. Sterling says he does not want the contents of the tape to be released because he doesn't believe in "dirty politics."
After two meetings and hours of discussion, the committee agreed that there was not enough evidence to disqualify Sterling from the presidential campaign. No third party witness who wasn't in some way connected to Pham came forward to testify against Sterling. Pham said he felt the committee was too emotionally invested in the campaign, and should have stuck more closely to the election code.
Earlier at Tuesday's meeting, Sterling alleged that Jeff Noon, a senate candidate, was threatening other candidates' lives. Noon admitted to doing it as a joke, and Sterling soon after withdrew the grievance. Sterling said he only meant to bring the issue up so that the topic is addressed in the code at future meetings.
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