There is a major story in the San Francisco Chronicle that alleges that Michael Kamburowksi, the Chief Operating Officer of the California Republican Party, has had a storied history with his immigration status (he is an Austrailian citizen here in the U.S. with his green card), it seemed like I should at least comment on this briefly. Especially since it is being alleged that he was at one point imprisoned, and is currently litigating against our own federal government.
As an elected officer of the State GOP (Vice Chairman, South), there are personnel issues that may be involved and so I will keep my comments brief this morning.
- Reading the Chronicle website at 7am this morning was the very first time that I had heard about any of these allegations.
- I have not yet been able to determine whether any or all of the allegations made in the story are true.
- I can assure all FR readers that Mr. Kamburowski did not disclose anything to the Board of Directors that even hinted at any of this stuff prior to our voting to retain his services.
I have reached out to CRP Chairman Ron Nehring to ascertain what he knew about any of this. Since it was probably clear to at least Kamburowski that this article was coming out in the paper today, it is telling that the CRP Board was not given any heads up…
As Matt Drudge likes to say… DEVELOPING…
(P.S. I sure hope my follow up to this piece is that the Chronicle is 100% wrong about this…)
June 24th, 2007 at 12:00 am
Let me get this straight.
Kamburowski didn’t divulge his past arrest and circumstances around it to the party?
I do not believe that an arrest in and of itself means anyone is guilty of anything. We do have a presumption of innocence in this country.
However, I find it jaw dropping that he would not disclose this to his potential employer.
Also, if the article is to be believed, he has nothing on his resume for a six year span.
What did he communicate to the party with respect to his resume/experience?
June 24th, 2007 at 12:00 am
This happens during job interviews all the time…people lie about their past or keep silent about stuff they don’t want employers to know. That’s why there’s a thing called background checks. It’s obvious that the CRP didn’t do one on this guy or they didn’t dig very deep. What did Ron Nehring know and when did he know it? These not the kind of headlines we need as we go into the 2008 election season.
June 24th, 2007 at 12:00 am
There is something very wrong about Mr. Kamburowski story. I would hope that the CRP Board call an emergency meeting to take action. This will be another week of Jon & Ken and Leno coverage. How does this play with the party faithfull and money types ? If I was Mr. Dodge, I would not hold my breath about getting my money back anytime soon.
June 24th, 2007 at 12:00 am
Thanks, Jon for this info. It is clear Kamburowski would not pass the clearance process for a “Schedule C” federal political job in the Bush Administration. Therefore, how could he possibly serve as an executive for CRP? I suspect he has a brilliant personality and BSed his way to the job, with an unfortunate lack of attention to detail in the hiring process. There are plenty of excellent executives who are California natives that are qualified for this job – people with political pedigrees, degrees, AND citizenship. And a background check would be appropriate for all top executives in future.
June 24th, 2007 at 12:00 am
We are just SO awesome…
June 24th, 2007 at 12:00 am
The bad judgement all around here is what’s jaw-dropping. If the story is true, then there’s only one honorable thing for Ron to do.
We’ve seen party leaders from the local to the national level sued, picked up for soliciting prostitutes, indicted for various forms of financial corruption, even tossed out of the closet. Embroilment in immigration controversy is an all-new low.
June 24th, 2007 at 12:00 am
Let me clarify a bit on my comment above: I’ve hired people before. The process we underwent – and this was for a fairly entry-level job, with no direct access to funds of any kind – included at least two interviews, one of them with other managers participating in the interview; a criminal background check; and a thorough check on references and past employers.
Was there any vetting that took place here – for the most important paid position in the biggest GOP organization in the country below the national level? Any checking of references (beyond those that Kamburowski’s boss might have known personally?) One logical progression stands out here: that either a) there was NO criminal background check, b) there was an incompetent criminal background check, or c) there WAS a criminal background check that revealed the problems Marinucci uncovered, and the results were suppressed. To expand on what I stated above, the bad judgement in any of these three possibilities is jaw-dropping.
June 24th, 2007 at 12:00 am
Jon,
Received call from the Australian Reporter at SF at my home. I could like to pass the info to you. Sending contact info to contact@fleischmangroup.com.
Thanks,
Richard Rios
June 24th, 2007 at 12:00 am
Jon,
Why is the CRP hiring non citizens. The chronicle article also brings up a Canadian that the the CRP requested a VISA for.
What is this?
June 24th, 2007 at 12:00 am
There are many aspects that must be considered when hiring for a position at this level. A background check done properly should have been done, that goes without saying. But I have contended before that this action and the subsequent revelations bring more negative attention that could have been realized by his service.
We are entering an election year that in all honesty will be challenging. What could have prompted the oversight of pertinent facts and not hiring a Californian with history and loyalty? It appears short term goals were not decided upon by evaluating risks of party fallout, media attention, and the perception of the voting public.
The apparent fact that Jon found out about this after it was well known at the state level is also discouraging. As the Southern California Chair he should have had intimate details before the press release to the general public so he would respond appropriately.
Richard Rios
June 24th, 2007 at 12:00 am
What press release to the general public?
June 24th, 2007 at 12:00 am
“Republicans could screw up a one car funeral”.
Willie Lewis Brown