All Muck Is Local: Cloak and Dumber

No one can say that Texas Republican staffer Todd Gallaher didn’t give 110 percent. Unfortunately for Gallaher, however, his efforts weren’t appreciated.

Last Monday he was forced to resign from his post on the staff of state Sen. Bob Deuell (R-TX) because of the uproar caused by his scheming. And on Friday the Texas attorney general’s office confirmed that Aransas County Sheriff Mark Gilliam filed a complaint claiming that Gallaher was behind the smear campaign against him in the March 4 Republican primary.

Gilliam, the incumbent, was running against County Constable Bill Mills. The sheriff says he received e-mails before the election threatening him to “back off” or be publicly humiliated.

Subsequently, the voters of Aransas County received pictures of Gilliam carousing shirtless at a party, mooning the guests and pretending to kiss a man.

The pictures were authentic, if 18 years old, but the sender’s e-mail address, repjuangarcia@hotmail.com, was clearly deceptive. The voters assumed it belonged to Democratic state Rep. Juan Garcia, whose district includes Aransas County. When Garcia learned of the e-mails from callers who had received them, his IT staff tracked them down from the Capitol to Sen. Deuell’s office to Gallaher’s state computer. (Gilliam also traced the e-mails he received to Deuell’s office.)

But Gallaher denies the charge that he posed as Garcia. He was using an identity he created long ago, a “super hero-like caricature” he named “Republican Jaun Garcia” [sic], he says. Though Gallaher has produced sketches of the cartoon character from the 90s, showing that the name is “Jaun” and not “Juan,” the name was spelled correctly in the e-mail address.

And it appears that Gallaher was not working pro bono. An examination of campaign finance records revealed that Mills, Gilliam’s successful opponent, paid between $17,000 and $11,000 (accounts vary) to a political consultant in Austin whose address is Gallaher’s post office box.

Gilliam isn’t contesting his loss in the primary, but he’s charging Gallaher with using state property with the intent of “harming or defrauding another,” a criminal offense under the Texas Penal Code. “This is an allegation of blackmail and of serious criminal acts,” he said.

Gallaher’s troubles don’t end there.

Though Gallaher had been on leave since the e-mail flap, he returned to his office to call Dave Palmer, who calls himself “The Watchdawg.” Palmer had filed charges of campaign finance violations against over 20 Texas legislators, including Gallaher’s boss, Bob Deuell.

Gallaher, believing that “if I had told him I worked for one of the people he filed a complaint against, he may not have been as open with me,” posed as “Dallas Morning News reporter Ed Franks” and asked Palmer about the charges against Deuell.

But Palmer didn’t buy it. “The guy fumbled on the phone. This was a scam from the get-go,” he says.

Palmer tried to call “Franks” at the Morning News, but was told they had no one called Franks working there. Using the caller ID on his cellphone, he returned “Franks’s” call and was connected to a switchboard at the Texas Capitol. “Franks” also gave Palmer an e-mail address— tbg1969— Gallaher’s initials and year of birth.

Deuell claims to have had no knowledge of Gallaher’s call to Palmer until Gallaher told him he’d spoken to the ethics “Watchdawg.”

“But he didn’t say he identified himself as someone else. I can assure you I would’ve hit the roof then,” asserted Deuell.

Gallaher is contrite. “It sounds like I’ve put the senator in a very bad position … I’m heartbroken about that.”

For his part, Deuell has apologized to Garcia. “I’ll do anything to let people know [Garcia] had nothing to do with [the fraudulent e-mails].”

Commenting on Gallaher’s resignation, Deuell admitted, “Todd made an error in judgment, and I hate it because Todd’s judgment is usually very good … I’m embarrassed. Todd’s embarrassed.”