Board Members from Robo Calling Nonprofit Criticize Effort, But Vouch for Group

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Today, two more board members from Women’s Voices Women’s Vote have released statements offering support of the group, which apologized yesterday for its misleading and illegal robo calls to North Carolina residents.

The first is president of USAction William McNary, who in apparent response to the reported myriad connections between the group and the Clinton campaign, makes a point of saying that he’s an Obama supporter while vouching for the group. The voter registration campaign, he says, was a “mistake,” but not a “malicious” one.

And John Podesta, President Bill Clinton’s former chief of staff and currently the president of the Center for American Progress, has sent us this statement:

Women’s Voices. Women Vote has a strong record of registering disenfranchised people so that they can participate in the political process. As a board member, I was aware of the general parameters of the group’s voter registration program, but not the details of its execution. With respect to the calls and mailings made in North Carolina, I understand that remedial action is being undertaken. I agree with fellow board member William McNary that the North Carolina state calling program was a mistake of judgment and execution, and not an attempt to disenfranchise voters, and have been assured by Page Gardner, President of WVWV, that the organization will conduct a full and prompt accounting of the circumstances of the voter registration program for its board of directors.

Yesterday Tim Lux, another board member, made a similar statement.

Meanwhile, here’s what the Obama campaign had to say about it:

Bob Bauer, an attorney for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama’s campaign, said the calls were “extremely disturbing” and fit “the classic model of voter suppression” by sowing confusion just before the May 6 primary.

But he stopped short of saying the calls were designed to discourage voters.

“They have said it’s inadvertent, and I understand it will not happen again,” he said.

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