Ed Case Hires Ethically-Tainted Pollster

Hawai'i Democrat Candidate Tied to Corrupt Washington Consultant Mired in Blago Scandal

News Release from Hawaii GOP

HONOLULU- With corruption running rampant through the ranks of the Democrat party in Washington, Hawai'i Democrat candidate Ed Case looked the other way when he hired Washington political consultant Fred Yang of Hart Research to do his polling. Yang has previously worked for disgraced former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich.

“Case has hired well-respected Dem pollster Fred Yang, who was tagged as an advisor in the criminal complaint against ex-IL Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D). Yang was ‘Advisor B,’ who suggested Blagojevich leverage Pres. Obama's open Senate seat in order to win a top position at Change to Win, the labor federation headed by SEIU (read more about Yang's involvement here).” (Reid Wilson, “Wednesday’s Starting Lineup,” Hotline On Call, 04/14/10)

"The people of Hawai'i are hesitant of the involvement of DC insiders in this race for Congress.  Eyebrows have certainly been raised on Ed Case taking cues from a questionable Washington political insider.  What kind of message is Ed Case sending to Hawai'i voters and taxpayers when he has a close relationship with an individual whose name is tied to corruption and unethical behavior?" said Jonah Ka'auwai, Chairman, Hawai'i Republican Party.

Yang was first mentioned in a federal prosecutor’s subpoena seeking records from Blagojevich’s office on Dec. 8, the day before the Democratic governor was arrested on public corruption charges for his lead role in a pay-to-play scandal for Obama’s vacated Senate seat:

“U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald issued a subpoena to Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's office on Dec. 8, the day before the Democratic governor was arrested on public corruption charges. It sought ‘any and all documents, including notes, calendars, lists, correspondence, communications, logs, records, or other data, relating in any way to any of the following individuals and/or entities:’… ‘Fred Yang, Washington, D.C.-based Blagojevich consultant[.]’” (“Feds Sought Info on Dozens Before Arrest,” Associated Press, 01/24/09)

The ethically-tainted pollster was also known to federal prosecutors as Blagojevich’s “Advisor B,” appears 16 times in the prosecutors’ complaint against the governor and was caught on FBI wiretaps coaching Blagojevich’s team:

“‘Advisor B (Yang) said they should leverage the President-elect's desire to have Senate Candidate 1 (Valerie Jarrett) appointed to the Senate seat...’” (Chris Fusco, Natasha Korecki, Tim Novak and Dave McKinney, “Decoding Blago; The Alphabet Soup that has Gov. Blagojevich in Hot Water,” Chicago Sun Times, 01/19/09)

For more fact check information for the special election for Hawai'i’s 1st congressional district, visit www.factcheckhi01.com. 

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