Posted on: Friday, January 25, 2002
Harris lawyers discuss document disclosure
By Johnny Brannon
Advertiser Staff Writer
Lawyers for Mayor Jeremy Harris' campaign committee met with city prosecutors yesterday to determine what specific documents must be turned over to investigators who are looking into allegations that the campaign solicited and hid illegal contributions.
Subpoenas issued by City Prosecutor Peter Carlisle call for the campaign to provide a wide range of information by today, but neither prosecutors nor the Harris campaign would say whether the deadline had been extended or if any other agreements had been reached.
A spokesman for Carlisle said only that the campaign is cooperating in the probe, which began after the state Campaign Spending Commission decided last week to turn its investigation of illegal campaign contributions over to prosecutors.
A Harris campaign spokeswoman could not say whether campaign attorneys had met with federal prosecutors as well.
The Campaign Spending Commission has fined nine companies and individual contributors since November for making contributions to Harris that exceeded the legal limit of $4,000 per donor.
One company, Geolabs-Hawaii, admitted that it illegally reimbursed employees for contributions they made to the campaigns of Harris, Gov. Ben Cayetano and Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono.
Geolabs was fined $64,000 last week for those donations and for excessive contributions to the campaigns of Maui Mayor James "Kimo" Apana, former Honolulu mayoral candidate Arnold Morgado and former Big Island state Senate candidate Fred Holschuh.
Commission executive director Robert Watada has said that evidence shows the Harris campaign orchestrated illegal contributions and intentionally attributed them to people who never donated, but that there is no indication of criminal intent by the other campaigns.
Harris and his campaign deny any wrongdoing, and Harris has accused Watada of participating in a smear campaign meant to scuttle his plan to run for governor this November.
Watada said he had already supplied some evidence to prosecutors, such as campaign finance statements and transcripts of witness interviews, and would likely provide additional documents as the investigation continues.
