Spy vs. Spy: Doherty camp. flips charge says Cicilline has sent spies

Posted: 8/10/2012 10:18:38 AM
Updated: 8/23/2012 4:09:52 PM

After Congressman David Cicilline’s re-election campaign accused the Brendan Doherty for Congress campaign of sending an intern to spy on them, the Doherty campaign had their own accusations.

Doherty’s Campaign Manager Ian Prior said it was “ironic” for the Cicilline Campaign to accuse them of spying because the Cicilline campaign has sent infiltrators of their own to Doherty events.

“I go back to May 12^th when we had our volunteer rally at headquarters a young man at the Cicilline campaign came in to video tape the rally, he was asked to leave, then he came in through the back door. You know at that point, it’s trespassing,” Prior told the WPRO Morning News with Tara Granahan and Andrew Gobeil. “On June 29^th we had a private factory tour in Lincoln an individual came in tried to get passed security. Security asked him to leave he left. Stayed on the premises outside, security had to go back out and tell him if he did not leave they would call the authorities.”

Prior brings his complaints against Cicilline all the way back to the 2010 campaign when he says Cicilline’s campaign sent tried to embed two interns in the campaign of his then opponent, John Loughlin.

Cicilline’s campaign manager Eric Hyers said the Doherty campaign is lying and trying to “muddle the issues.”

Hyers said the campaign does have "trackers" but they are always honest about the invididual's identity. "We never lie," said Hyers, "We are always honest and we are always open and we always tell the tracker to identify himself." Hyers said the campaign never "sneaks" anywhere.

Prior says he is only upset that the campaign has tried to intrude on private events and said, “If it’s a public event I don’t have a problem with Cicilline sending someone in to video tape Brendan speaking at a public event and they shouldn’t have a problem with us doing the same.”

Hyers maintained that the Doherty campaign has tried to deceive the Cicilline campaign twice, whereas, Cicilline's tracker are honest about who they are.

On Thursday the Cicilline campaign released a video in which they catch an intern from the Doherty campaign trying to retrieve campaign materials from their headquarters. Hyers called it "dirty politics" and said Cicilline will continue focus on the issues including “fighting for RI seniors, women, and middle class families.”