Obama, Clinton camps seeking investigation

Each side wants an inquiry into the other side’s caucus tactics.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The campaigns of Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton, in a bitter clash over the Nevada caucuses, accused each other of dirty politics and irregularities Wednesday and asked the Nevada Democratic Party to investigate.

Clinton won the popular vote by a margin of 51 percent to 45 percent on Saturday. Under complicated delegate allocation rules, however, Obama could receive 13 delegates to Clinton’s 12.

The letter to Nevada Democratic Chairwoman Jill Derby from Obama lawyer Robert Bauer alleges instances of early door closings, obstruction of voters and improper handling of voter preference cards. Obama aides said the campaign has received more than 1,600 complaints, including 300 that came in to a hotline at the time of the caucuses.

A similar letter from Clinton campaign lawyer Lyn Utrecht released late Wednesday said the Obama campaign and its supporters “engaged in a planned effort to subvert the party’s caucus procedures to its advantage.”

Utrecht said caucus chairs who supported Obama deliberately miscounted votes and refused to accept preference cards from Clinton supporters. The letter accused Obama supporters of giving Clinton supporters wrong information and said voters who intended to caucus for Clinton were intimidated.

In a statement Wednesday, Derby indicated that the state party would conduct an internal review.

Bauer said the Obama campaign is not challenging the outcome of the caucuses at the precinct level. In their dueling letters, Bauer and Utrecht asked Derby to conduct an inquiry into the other side’s caucus tactics. Both campaigns offered to provide the names and contact information of the individuals making the complaints.

Attached to the Obama letter to the Nevada state party was an instruction sheet that Bauer attributed to the Clinton campaign. The sheet offers guidance on how to persuade caucus-goers to caucus for Clinton. One line states: “It’s not illegal unless they tell you so.”

The Clinton campaign letter said preference cards were premarked for Obama and that Clinton supporters who arrived late were turned away, whereas late Obama supporters were allowed in to the caucus. The letter also says Obama supporters misled Clinton supporters, telling them no registration forms were available or that they could not caucus at a particular caucus site.

Also Wednesday, Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell endorsed Clinton’s candidacy. Pennsylvania doesn’t hold its primary until April 22, but Rendell said he was eager to campaign for Clinton in neighboring New Jersey and Delaware, which hold contests on “mega Tuesday” Feb. 5.