House GOP campaign arm accuses ’60 Minutes’ of trespassing

The House Republican campaign arm on Friday accused CBS News of broadcasting misinformation and trespassing as part of a hidden camera report that aired Sunday about the fundraising demands that lawmakers face.

The National Republican Campaign Committee (NRCC) didn’t rule out pressing charges against CBS over the issue. 

“This is still an ongoing investigation at this point,” said NRCC spokeswoman Katie Martin.

The report by CBS reporter Norah O’Donnell featured Rep. David Jolly (R-Fla.) and his legislative proposal to prohibit lawmakers from personally soliciting campaign funds. It used a hidden camera to capture footage of lawmakers “dialing for dollars” within the National Republican Campaign Committee (NRCC) headquarters.

{mosads}”Not since Watergate has the headquarters of a major political party committee been so violated,” NRCC Executive Director Rob Simms wrote in a scathing letter to “60 Minutes.”

Simms ripped both CBS and Jolly, who is running for the Senate, in his missive to the network.

“CBS conspired with an anonymous staffer to enter our offices and obtain unauthorized footage under false pretenses. This is not journalism. This is trespassing,” he wrote.

Jolly is in a crowded GOP primary for the Florida Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who decided not to run for reelection in order to launch his presidential campaign.

In the “60 Minutes” report, Jolly openly said that he was no longer meeting the NRCC’s fundraising demands and claimed that he was told to raise the equivalent of $18,000 per day to win reelection.

Not true, the NRCC said.

“In your interview, Congressman David Jolly describes a meeting with the NRCC where he was told he was required to raise $18,000 each day through fundraising calls. Simply put, this meeting never happened. It is a work of fiction. Had the reporter or producer of the story bothered to verify this claim, they would have been told as much,” Simms wrote.

The NRCC dismissed Jolly’s claims as an attention-seeking stunt to boost his “lagging” Senate campaign and noted that it spent more than $2 million to help Jolly in his first race for the House two years ago.

“Why is it important for your viewers to see the congressman condemning a committee largely responsible for his election? Because it would have shed a light on the likely intentions behind his legislation — a publicity stunt designed to help a lagging and underfunded Senate campaign,” Simms wrote.

Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.), the NRCC chairman, told The Hill in an interview that he has launched an internal investigation to determine who helped 60 Minutes obtain the hidden camera footage. CBS producers had asked the NRCC for access but were rejected, which led producers to turn to an alternative way to secure the images.

“We’re trying to figure it out. We’re working on it. We’re piecing it together,” Walden said.

Simms cast blame on television networks like CBS for why members of Congress have to raise so much money to win elections.

“If CBS is so concerned about the costs of campaigns, maybe you should produce an exposé of your television station owners and managers who routinely increase ad rates for political activities because of the potential profits involved,” Simms suggested.  

“If your network would like to lead an effort to rein in advertising rates, not only would I be happy to join that effort, but I’m sure a very large, bipartisan coalition of elected leaders and public interest groups could be assembled to assist. I will not hold my breath in waiting for this reporting or these efforts. “

CBS continues to stand by its piece.

“Our story speaks for itself,” a 60 Minutes spokesman said.  

Scott Wong contributed to this story.