Dirty Tricks Alleged in Upstate N.Y. Congressional Race; Campaign Says Document Is Fake

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November 01, 2006 1:13 PM

Less than a week before election day, allegations of domestic violence and political dirty tricks are flying in an upstate New York congressional race involving powerful incumbent Republican Congressman John Sweeney.

Yesterday, Sweeney's hometown newspaper, The Albany Times Union, was the first to report details of a domestic violence report allegedly phoned in to police in December 2005 by Sweeney's wife and said a reporter found evidence to corroborate it.

A document described as the official police blotter report of the incident was circulated to several media outlets, including ABC News, last week by an intermediary who said it came from a Democratic source not connected to the Gillibrand campaign. 

A spokeswoman for Congressman Sweeney issued a statement to ABC News saying the police blotter report was a total fabrication. "This document that is currently being circulated is a piece of campaign propaganda in the continued smear campaign against Congressman John Sweeney and his family. It is not authentic. It is false, and it is a concoction by our opposition," said Sweeney spokeswoman Melissa Carlson, who refused to answer any further questions.

A spokesman for the campaign of Democratic challenger Kirsten Gillibrand denied leaking the document and issued the following statement, "Today is a day for John Sweeney to answer questions about his own actions and behavior.  The voters of this district deserve a full accounting from Mr. Sweeney instead of more attacks."

Reporters attempting to authenticate the document were stonewalled by New York State Police who refused to grant access to police records or to even confirm the existence of a report, citing privacy concerns.

"The State Police take the position that such a confirmation, based on a reported police response to a domestic complaint, would be an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy, since the complaint did not lead to an arrest," a spokesman for the New York State Police told ABC News.

The Albany Times Union said multiple law enforcement sources confirmed the details of the incident. "The sources confirmed Sweeney had scratches on his face when a trooper arrived," wrote Times Union reporter Brendan J. Lyons.

According to a copy of the alleged State Police Blotter Incident Report, Gaia Sweeney of Clifton Park, N.Y., called police dispatch at 12:22 am on the evening of Dec. 2, 2005, to complain that her husband was "knocking her around the house." The caller, who said she was drunk, told the dispatcher, "She was endangered for a moment, but that everything was fine."

John Sweeney was listed as the suspect and his wife Gaia as the complainant. Officers sent to their residence stated the couple "got into a verbal argument that turned a little physical by her being grabbed by the neck and pushed around the house. Suspect had scratches on face." And finally, "Complainant refused any type of prosecution arrest. OIR completed and submitted...closed."