Decision Virginia

Stewart works to stand out in crowded GOP Lt. Governor field

With nine candidates and an unpredictable electorate it is virtually impossible to tell who has the edge going into this weekend's Republican convention.

We know Ken Cuccinelli will end up as the nominee for Governor, but both the Attorney General's race with two established legislators competing, and the Lt. Governor's race featuring seven candidates of various stripes, will make for an interesting if not volatile Saturday in Richmond.

There is no candidate, or campaign that demonstrates that potential unpredictability better than Prince William County Board of Supervisors Chair Corey Stewart.

Stewart entered the race as an early front runner, simply based on his experience and his effort to build a statewide brand. He has flirted with statewide runs in the past. However as the field got crowded his campaign has worked hard to stand out from the crowd. In some instances that has led to positive attention, in other areas it has led to controversy.

Late last week, Stewart told me that heading into Saturday he considers himself to be the one to beat. 

"I'm clearly the front runner," Stewart said and he points to two specific examples of what has pushed him to the front of the pack.

The first is his support from The Virginia Tea Party Patriots Federation and the Middle Resolution PAC, a Tea-Party related activist group based out of Richmond. The Tea Party Patriots Federation is a loosely based organizational structure of the various Tea Party groups throughout Virginia. While the Federation leadership expressed support for Stewart, each individual Tea Party group can choose to support a separate candidate if they see fit and several have.

However Stewart believes that the endorsement of this large association demonstrates his commitment to smaller government and fiscal restraint.

"People know that we have to return some fiscal sanity to the Commonwealth's budget and the Nation's," he said.

But Stewart's campaign has also had it's stumbles. The past several weeks he has been forced to beat back accusations that he was either directly or implicitly connected to a series of web attack ads against opponents Pete Snyder and Scott Lingamfelter. The source of the ads is not clear and the rumors have caught fire in the conservative blogosphere, even reaching the popular national site Breitbart.com.

Stewart emphatically denied any connection at all to the ads and said it was just another example of his detractors working to de-rail his campaign.

"We haven't attacked any of our opponents," Stewart said flatly. He went on to say that "Talk about personal attacks? The personal attacks have been more against me than anyone else."

He made it clear that he has nothing to do with the ads.

"We are not behind those ads, We wouldn't support them and at the same time I'd ask my opponents to kinda lay off me as well."

But while Stewart has denied that connection, and any connection to the mysterious group behind the ads, his story changed a bit during a candidate forum in Henrico Friday night.

Breitbart columnist Michael Patrick Leahy recounted an exchange between Stewart and Richmond Tea Party member Larry Nordvig.

Nordvig Question: "Do you agree with these ads and did you have any connection to them whatsoever for the record?"

Corey Stewart Answer: "Am I connected? Yes. I have donated money to that organization."

Nordvig Question. "At least a couple of these candidates fought against these budget increases, specifically Steve Martin...The information on the flyer is not correct so this information is misleading. Will you do the right thing and publicly condemn these ads as false?"

Corey Stewart Answer: “No, I’m not going to do it. I play hardball. This is politics.”

Leahy has statements from several people at the meeting who confirmed the exchange. Nordviq was holding up mail pieces attacking several candidates paid for by "Virginians for Limited Government".  Stewart said he donated to the group, but denied having any direct connection with the production of the mail pieces or web ads.

The candidate told me the accusations and innuendo are byproducts of his momentum going into Saturday.

"This is why I have been the subject of so many accusations and so many attacks," Stewart said. "As soon as the Tea Party endorsed me last week the knives came out. I got attacked from every sector and have been called every name in the book."

The source of the ads remains a mystery but many Republicans privately are convinced Stewart had some hand in their production. The candidate continues to deny any connection.

What the delegates believe could determine if Stewart is the actual front runner he thinks he is.

Our full interview with Stewart, including his thoughts on the future of immigration reform can be found below.

 

 

 

Accuser of former McDonnell aide speaks to NBC12

Thursday we broke the story about the charges Eric Finkbeiner, the former senior policy advisor to Governor Bob McDonnell (R), is facing after a tumultuous affair with a woman who is not his estranged wife.

Last night on NBC12 News at 11, Mr. Finkbeiner's accuser, Summer Hudson who is now facing charges herself spoke on camera to our Chris Thomas.

Chris also revealed some of the sordid details Ms. Hudson alleges in the criminal complaint she filed that ultimately led to Finkbeiner's arrest.

Finkbeiner's attorney also spoke to Chris. Todd Stone believes there are two sides to the story and appears prepared to make Hudson's character a key issue when the case goes to court.

As Chris points out in his report from Thursday night, this could be a question of "he said, she said".

Here is the NBC12 report:

NBC12.com - Richmond, VA News Click here for MOBILE

RICHMOND (WWBT)- The woman accusing one of Governor Bob McDonnell's former top aides of assault - is speaking out.

Summer Hudson says she has lived in fear of Washington Redskin's attorney Eric Finkbeiner for too long.

"When you are having to look over your shoulder all the time," said Summer Hudson. "It is just scary."

Hudson spoke to NBC 12 with her attorney by her side. Eric Finkbeiner, the former senior advisor for policy to Governor Bob McDonnell and the architect of the administration's failed effort to privatize the state's ABC stores, has been arrested on four different assault charges and three violations of a protective order.

"I'm tired of living in fear for such a long time," said Hudson. "Nobody wants to go through any type of situations of this sort."

Criminal complaints include a text message exchange in which Finkbeiner allegedly tells Hudson, "You are absolutely nothing and I pray for your painful and agonizing death."

On May 12, 2012 Hudson claims, "My arm and shoulder were in the door, and Eric kept slamming it on my arm."

"This young lady has brought to me probably more pictures, more text messages, more than any 3 clients put together," said Hudson's attorney George Edwards. "I would say the record speaks for itself. Ms. Hudson stopped in our office the other day completely distraught."

Finkbeiner is being represented by Todd Stone, who says his client is not guilty of the charges.

"Were you surprised by the charges?" we asked Stone.

"I am surprised that they came at this late stage," said Stone who notes the charges date back to May, October, and November of 2012. Our cameras were rolling when Stone called to notify Hudson they would be filing charges against her as well.

read Chris's full story on NBC12.com

Both sides will be back in court on June 20th. We will continue to keep a close eye on this case.

Former top aide to McDonnell arrested on assault charges

Eric Finkbeiner, the former senior advisor for policy to Governor Bob McDonnell and the architect of the administration's failed effort to privatize the state's ABC stores, has been arrested on four different assault charges and three violations of a protective order. 

All seven charges are misdemeanors and stem from a relationship with one woman, who is not his estranged wife.

The accusations directed at Finkbeiner come from a woman named Summer Hudson who he admits to having a "tumultuous" relationship with.

Ms. Hudson, who is also facing charges that have yet to appear on the Chesterfield General District Court website, spoke on camera to our Chris Thomas. His story on the back and forth on this case will air tonight on NBC12 at 11.

Finkbeiner is currently a lawyer with his own law/consulting practice. His most high profile client is the Washington Redskins.  He has been a key player in the negotiations to bring the Redskins training camp to Richmond.

He left the McDonnell administration in May of 2011 for a position at McGuireWoods Consulting LLC. He left McGuireWoods in late 2012 to start his own firm.

The four separate incidents happened over more than a year. The latest occured in late March of this year.

Finkbeiner appeared in Chesterfield District Court this afternoon where the case was continued. He will appear again on June 20th.

He is being represented by local defense attorney Todd Stone. Stone said his client is not guilty of the charges. He told me by phone that there is a "complete other side of the story" that will eventually come out in court. 

UPDATE: Stone has followed up with a more complete statement:

"It is very easy to get a warrant against someone in Virginia and that's the  reason people are presumed innocent at this stage.  Fortunately Mr. Finkbeiner had the awareness and foresight to preserve a substantial amount of evidence during this tumultuous relationship and it will prove his innocence in a courtroom". - Todd Stone 

Finkbeiner has not officially been forced to answer to the charges.

The Governor's office chose not to comment on Finkbeiner's arrest.

NBC12 photojournalist Dax Gray contributed to this report.

Cantor pushes plan to allow for overtime flexibility

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Henrico) continued his series of policy roll outs designed to get government out of the way of people's lives. His "making life work" proposals deal with lifestyle issues outside of the typical battles on Capitol Hill over taxes, budget and social issues.

(Cantor invited small business leaders from Richmond to a round table discussion in Northern Virginia)

Cantor is proposing the Federal Government lift the restriction on private employers to allow their hourly employees to pick between comp time or overtime pay to compensate for working above and beyond the traditional work week. That flexibility is currently available to public sector employees.

In an interview from Capitol Hill, Cantor told me that many families have both parents working outside of the home and being able to choose to take extra time, as opposed to money would be make their lives easier.

"You're actually available to take your work time and your comp time so you can save it up and maybe go to a pediatricians appointment with your child, go to a parent teacher conference or help and elderly relative that may need you when they are sick," Cantor said.

The proposal does have its detractors. Liberal groups believe the concept is designed to put power in the hands of employers to pressure their workers into turning down overtime and then force them to take comp time only when it benefits the company.

"Not only would this bill make it more difficult for working families to get the predictable, flexible schedules they need," said Debra Ness of the National Partnership for Women and Families in a statement.  "But it would also mean less money and fewer wage and hour protections for workers who need them most."

Many of those groups accuse Cantor of oppossing their proposals designed to help working families, like a boost to the minimum wage and the Family Medical Leave Act.

Cantor told me that the decision will be a mutual one between the employer and employee, but the ultimate decision will be up to the worker and they can choose one or the other whenever they would like.

"The employee would always have the choice to have the time and half overtime or the time and half comp time," Cantor said.

The bill easily passed the House this afternoon and is now headed to the Senate. Cantor said he has had some positive conversations about getting the bill through the Senate. It could have a tougher sled in the White House, where the administration has expressed reservations about the concept.

We caught Rep. Cantor for a brief chat on Capitol Hill Wednesday night. The full interview can be seen below:

 

Cantor's office invited several business leaders from the 7th district to a round table discussion on the pros and cons of the plan. His office provided a video reaction to the proceedings.

Here is what Nicole Lambert the owner of Rainbow Station, an early childhood education center in Glenn Allen, had to say.  Rep. Cantor mentions Ms. Lambert's contribution to the round table discussion in our interview.

Again, this video was captured and provided to us by the Congressman's staff:

 

Cuccinelli defends connection to Star- Scientific

RICHMOND (WWBT)-  Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli is responding to criticism tonight over his connection to the company Star Scientific. The company's CEO Jonnie Williams has given Cuccinelli tens of thousands of dollars in gifts, some of which the attorney general failed to initially report.

When Cuccinelli revealed for the second time that he forgot to report gifts from Williams, TV cameras were not allowed into the press briefing.

This week the Attorney General went on camera with NBC12 to answer the tough questions about the controversy plaguing his campaign. 

(We spoke one on one with Cuccinelli before his tax policy roll out at Sweet Frog in Carytown)

Tuesday morning Cuccinelli was in front of frozen yogurt and stuffed green frogs, pitching a tax cut plan, but the specter of the Star Scientific controversy was not far behind.

Democrats and their affiliated groups are pushing Star related stories and web videos on a daily basis.

They contend Cuccinelli has made a serious, perhaps illegal mistake, when it comes to his connection to Williams.

The Attorney General knows he did something wrong.

"This was a mistake on my part and I own that."

He claims it was a mistake not in any way designed to benefit the CEO who gave him plane rides and vacation getaways.

"He never asked me for anything,” Cuccinelli said. “The only time anything from Star ever came across the radar from the Attorney General’s office was when they sued over a tax assessment and they were immediately opposed."

That tax case connected the gifts and Cuccinelli's work as Attorney General, there is no evidence Star Scientific has benefited from Cuccinelli in any way.

But the appearance of a possible benefit has left Cuccinelli open to criticism. He argues there is nothing to hide.

"The mistakes I made. I was the one who came forward and disclosed those, other people didn't do that. My opponent didn't release his tax returns like I did,” he said.  “I am being open as I can be."

It is perhaps not enough for Democrats, but it is enough for Cuccinelli to never take another gift from Williams ever again.

"Nothing,” he said when I asked if he will take anymore gifts from Williams, “No no no."

And eventually it won't just be Cuccinelli's word we have to go on. Richmond Commonwealth's Attorney Michael Herring- a Democrat- is conducting an independent review.

Herring said today the review is underway and will take several weeks to complete.

Our full uncut interview with Cuccinelli can be found below:

 

Here are some of the highlights:

*On why the mistake was made in the first place:

"When I realized that I'd made one mistake I went back and literally pulled calendars and other things to see because I didn't trust my memory at that point."

"This was a mistake on my part and I own that."

"I didn't have a system in place to immediately track it. It would literally get to the end of the year and we sit down and I'd say 'okay, what else is there that is not on this list already?' Obviously I remembered some and I didn't remember some others."

On potential benefits for Jonnie Williams:

"He never asked me for anything and the only time anything from Star ever came across the radar from the Attorney General's office was when they sued over a tax assessment and they were immediately opposed."

On his openness in this situation:

"The mistakes I made, I was the one who came forward and disclosed those, other people didn't do that. My opponent didn't release his tax returns like I did. I am being open as I can be."

On his decision to remain Attorney General while running for Governor:

"Everybody on earth in Virginia stays in office when they run for an office."

"I promised the people of Virginia four years as Attorney General. So did my opponent. If I were to resign what do you think they would say?"

"I'm not perfect, I keep proving that. I've disclosed a heck of a lot more than my opponent and even he hasn't called on me to resign."

On future gifts from Jonnie Williams:

"Nothing. No no no."

Cuccinelli makes tax cut pitch

It was only a matter of time, and now it is officially on paper. Republican gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli made his tax pitch Tuesday morning and much of it is straight out of the GOP playbook. And while you have heard a lot of it before in different incarnations, there are a few wrinkles.

(Cuccinelli rolled out his tax plan at Sweet Frog in Carytown)

Above the hum of frozen yogurt machines at Sweet Frog in Carytown, Cuccinelli called for a three quarter percent cut in income taxes for almost everyone, a two percent cut in business income taxes and the slashing of some business and manufacturing taxes as well.

In all, Cuccinelli's tax cut plan would mean Virginia's government would take in roughly $1.4 billion less than it currently does. That means as Governor he would be forced to fill that gap somewhere. Virginia, unlike the federal government is constitutionally required to balance its budget.

That is where Cuccinelli's plan strays a bit from the GOP playbook and enters a bit of a murky territory.

He plans to pay for the missing $1.4 billion by using existing surplus funds, and by slashing loop holes and tax incentives designed to encourage certain businesses to come to or expand in Virginia. Cuccinelli argued that unlike many of his fellow Republicans he isn't interested in using the tax code to pick winners and losers. 

"My focus is going to be on much more across the board," he said. "A better economic environment and lower taxes for everybody rather than trying to cherry pick a few folks to come here or expand." 

Finally he plans to control the growth of government, which could mean cuts, to make sure the budget remains balanced.

What Cuccinelli hasn't outlined quite yet is specifics. He plans to form tax commissions that will help to prioritize what should stay and what should go, and which government programs should remained fully funded. 

It was that lack of specificity that opened the door for Democrats to pounce.

"Cuccinelli's proposal would lead to a budget crisis that could undermine education, force localities to dramatically raise property taxes, and threaten the Commonwealth's bond rating," said Evan Feinman, the policy director for Cuccinelli's opponent Terry McAuliffe.

Another tax issue Cuccinelli stayed away from was transportation. The Attorney General was one of Governor Bob McDonnell's biggest critics during the passage of the recent transportation funding overhaul. The plan raises taxes in a number of areas. Cuccinelli said today that he has no plan to repeal the law, but he will have something to say on transportation at a later date.

The full outline of Cuccinelli's tax plan can be found on his campaign web site.

An extended clip of Cuccinelli' remarks from today's event can be found below:

  

PROGRAMMING NOTE: Prior to this morning's event, we spoke one on one with the Attorney General and asked him some tough questions regarding the Star-Scientific controversy. A full story on the interview tonight at 11 on NBC12. The entire interview will be posted here on Decision Virginia.

McAuliffe puts Cuccinelli on the transportation spot

It will be a key rallying cry for the McAuliffe gubernatorial campaign for the next several months. It will be a cry aimed directly at Ken Cuccinelli.

I supported Bob McDonnell's transportation plan and you fought against it.

In his Richmond campaign launch Monday morning where he was introduced by Sen. Tim Kaine (D), Terry McAuliffe drove that point home and hinted that a Governor Cuccinelli could potentially undo the progress.

(McAuliffe was joined in Richmond by Kaine (left) and Richmond Mayor Dwight Jones)

He also took a bit of credit for the transportation bill's success himself.

"I was proud to make calls and do meetings to help push it over the finish line," he said "And I was frankly amazed that my opponent tried to block this important progress at each and every step."

Running on the McDonnell transportation record has plenty of benefits for McAuliffe. It is clear Virginians are happy with the concept, and continue to give McDonnell high marks for his stewardship of the state despite the difficulties he has had with Star-Scientific saga.

It also plays into important constituents McAuliffe will need to draw in order to win in November. Both Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads deal the most with Virginia's transportation difficulites and they are both regions where a McAuliffe victory will need to come from.

Cuccinelli remains vague about his plans for transportation but has consistently been critical of tax increases, a key component of McDonnell's road fix. The Republican is planning a major tax policy roll out tomorrow, which could include a fix or change to the McDonnell transportation plan.

Regardless, while McAuliffe continues to remind voters that he was for the transportation plan and Cuccinelli wasn't, Cuccinelli will take a page out of the traditional GOP playbook and accuse McAuliffe of just wanting to raise taxes.

"McAuliffe has a long record of supporting tax increases on voters in the Commonwealth, including the estate tax that even Tim Kaine opposed," said Anna Nix, a Cuccinelli Spokeswoman.

An extended clip of McAuliffe's remarks regarding transportation can be found below:

 

Warner stays away from Star-Scientific saga

U.S. Senator Mark Warner (D) who has a very loose connection to the Star- Scientific saga plauging leading Republicans in Richmond, chose not to attack and instead said that he will wait see how the case plays out.

We caught up with Warner before he delivered remarks and took questions at the Asian and Latino International Trade/Business Summit at the Marriott in Richmond.

Warner said that there isn't enough information to draw a conclusion on any wrong doing by Governor Bob McDonnell (R) and Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (R) when it comes to their connection to the Star- Scientific CEO Jonnie Williams.

"I have only heard reports from one side, some of the accusations, made," Warner said. "I think I ought to reserve judgement until all the facts come out."

Warner who served as Virginia's Governor from 2002-2006 and flirted with the idea of running again for this office this year, said that overall Virginia's campaign finance and disclosure laws work. He said wouldn't be surprised though if there was a movement in next year's General Assembly to tighten the laws in the wake of this situation.

"I think there will probably be a bipartisan effort in the legislature to strengthen Virginia's disclosure rules," he said. "But we've been, whether it was Republicans or Democrats, I think we've got a very good record, particularly compared to other states of not having the kind of abuses that we've seen Maryland, West Virginia and other parts of the region."

McDonnell himself pointed out on WTOP radio earlier this week that the only direct government assistance Star-Scientific has received came during the Warner administration. Despite the grant, which was awarded independently of Warner through the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, the Senator said he has never met Jonnie Williams, the CEO at the center of the controversy.

"Money was actually reclaimed from that because Star-Scientific didn't produce the jobs" Warner was quick to note. "But I don't believe I've met the individual."

Many Virginia Democrats have called for Cuccinelli to resign as Attorney General, but Warner wasn't prepared to do the same. He said that was a decision left to Cuccinelli himself.

An extended clip from our interview can be found below:

 

(Note that is NBC12 Photogjournalist Dwight Nixon asking Sentor Warner the questions)

Judge recuses Cuccinelli from Chef case, defers decision on dismissal

NBC12.com - Richmond, VA News 

RICHMOND (WWBT)- There were wins and losses for both sides Thursday morning in Richmond Circuit Court.

Judge Margret P. Spencer ruled that Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli and his office did have a conflict of interest in the embezzlement case of Todd Schneider the former Executive Chef at the Virginia's Governor's Mansion.

The conflict was enough for Spencer to agree to remove the Attorney's General's office from the case.

At the same time as officially pulling Cuccinelli off the case, Spencer also decided to defer Schneider and his attorney Steve Benjamin's motion to outright dismiss the case based on the fact that Cuccinelli had waited so long to ask to be recused.

(Schneider (left) and his attorney Steve Benjamin did not comment leaving the courtroom)

Spencer told Benjamin that the new prosecutor, who she hand picked, Norfolk Commonwealth's Attorney Greg Underwood would handle the motion for dismissal at another pre-trial hearing set for May 14th.

The Attorney General's office had asked that the case be handled by Prince William County Commonwealth's Attorney Paul B. Ebert.

It became clear quickly in the oral arguments that Benjamin was prepared to make the politics of the Attorney General's office, the race for Governor and the McDonnell Administration a major part of the case. He outlined in great specificity the connections between McDonnell, a witness in the case Mary Shae Sutherland and Cuccinelli's campaign for Governor.

Sutherland was once the Chief of Staff to First Lady Maureen McDonnell and now works for a consulting firm that has raised money on behalf of Cuccinelli's gubernatorial bid.

Benjamin argued that Cuccinelli's office knew of this conflict more than a year before an indictment was handed down and should've asked to be recused before Schneider was formally charged.

Benjamin also launched into a lengthy explanation of the politics of this case as a conflict and brought up the name Jonnie Williams, the CEO of Star Scientific. The man who paid Schenider to cater McDonnnel's daughter's wedding and who has been a financial backer of both McDonnell and Cuccinelli.

Before he could get to far into making his political connections to the case, Patrick Dorgan, the senior Assitant Attorney General objected and which Spencer sustained before quickly made her ruling.

This latest development sets up yet another showdown in court between Schenider and prosecutors before the actual trial takes place. It is still scheduled for the summer and Spencer told Benjamin her goal was to stay on that course.

The arguments on the motion for dimissal will be heard May 14th at 1pm.

Leaving the courtroom, both attorneys and Schneider chose not to comment. Both sides have been put under a gag order in the case by the Judge.

 

Chef case and Star Scientific saga brings Executive Mansion public

It is an intersection of politics, an accused crime and a sitting governor. It is an intersection that currently meets at one Virginia's most historic buildings, the Governor's Mansion.

The embezzlement case surrounding former Executive Chef Todd Schneider is making life difficult for Bob McDonnell and Ken Cuccinelli.

NBC12's Investigative Reporter Rachel DePompa examines how the case and it's many connections are pulling back the curtain at the home of Virginia's governor. It is a world that is not much different from the many governor's who have lived their before, but one seldom seen by the average public.

Here is Rachel's report for NBC12:

NBC12.com - Richmond, VA News 

RICHMOND (WWBT)- Tomorrow a judge will hear arguments on whether state Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli can remove his office from a case that's become a political scandal.

The FBI is even asking questions. And it all started with a cook in the kitchen. There hasn't even been a hearing, but the back and forth of court documents really illustrates the fishbowl that the first family lives in at the Executive Mansion. That fishbowl is opening up their private lives in a way we've never seen before.

Todd Schneider claims he's a whistle blower and the charges against him are retaliation. State Police have charged the ex-chef with four counts of embezzling property from the 200 year-old Executive Mansion. For the first time ever, we are peering inside its windows and scratching at closed doors.

In court documents lawyers are already offering up tidbits: accusing the governor's sons of taking Gatorade and protein powder from the mansion to their college dorms. Lawyers accuse one of the governor's daughters of taking booze for a private party. There are even accusations that the governor's wife gave away pots and pans.

"Nobody has really tried like the lawyers for ex-chef are going to try, to sort of pull the cover back from a lot of the things that go on at the mansion," said local attorney and political analyst Paul Goldman. He helped run Doug Wilder's historic campaign for governor. He even got married inside the executive mansion.

"I mean when the Indians bring the turkey (at Thanksgiving) nobody's asking what happened to the bones and the legs. You have a lot of power people over to the mansion. The governor is wining and dinning, cutting some political deals."

He says it goes on in every administration: the booze, food, catering and parties

"Yes it's public money and it's appropriated, but that's hallowed ground. Everybody knows that you stay out of governor's mansion," said Goldman.

Read Rachel's entire story on NBC12.com

Even though it maybe the goal of the Attorney General's office, it will be very difficult to keep the Chef case from becoming political. 

His office won't talk about the case specifically, but a spokesman told us via e-mail that the office is doing the best it can to keep the focus of the case in the courtroom.

"Like every other criminal prosecution this office handles, this case will be tried in court and not in the media," said Brian Gottstein, the Attorney General's Director of Communication.

I'll be in the courtroom tomorrow for the hearing. We will have updates here and on my twitter page.