The GOP in Utah & the US is just self destroying right in front of our eyes. Vote everyone out this November.

Politics is pretty ugly.

I remember a story about LDS President Kimball giving a ride to a female member of his ward. He had her sit in the back seat of the car so that if anyone saw it they would not think it inappropriate.

Wise action. Something Rep Mascaro could have done, in hind sight.

In any case, should we be surprised that something like this is now coming to light. And the fact that Speaker Curtis even mentions that both Mascaro and Allen are/have been, wooed by the Democrats.

This whole issue is just too bad.

Bad, bad day for the Republican party in Utah. Oh well, they'll all still get elected next year.

Curtis and his bitter strong arm tactics have got to go. This man's ego will destroy anyone who doesn't fall in line with him. As a life long Republican I'm truly disappointed in my party for allowing Curtis to remain in power. Disappointed indeed.

I have a business in California and just returned from a ten day stay. Politics in California is also controlled by one party. But it is the Democrats doing the controlling. Liberal Democrats. The state is in a financial mess and has major debt that even a Republicrat can't fix. The big bill of the month in California is a ban on mylar balloons. Gas is $4.85 and Utilities like Water and Electricity have gone through the roof. They recently voted (referendum) for spending on obscure mental health and after school arts and crafts. The spending for these items are now mandated by law and can only be cut by another vote of the people. So they are now cutting broad educational and mental health spending while leaving in place large education and mental health expenditures that benefits a very very small group.

In Utah the Republicans have given us a balanced budget, which is going to come in very handy in this recession. Gas is $ .80 cheaper. Property taxes are fair and there is less graffiti and gang violence. Utah also seems to have better spiritual bearings, which will also come in handy during the recession.

Curtis is really showing his true colors with this one. He waits until now? I say they need to convene an ethics probe for Curtis. This just really stinks. People see it for what it is. I'll remember in November.

Funny how the only paper not naming any names of the GOP leaders behind this leak has an editor who happens to be the former GOP chairman. Something stinks in Utah and it's the GOP party.

I'm sorry, but all of this "stuff" happening to the good old GOP is just a hoot. You talk about self-destruction! It needs to come out from beneath the wing of the Church and re-invent itself.

Anyone think of the word "hubris" when looking at the antics of our legislators?

WOW. The Republican party is tanking fast.

Good time to flush.

I, for one. will not be voting for ANY incumbent in the upcoming election. It is time to clear out the Curtis/Valentine/Buttars/Stephenson strong-arm mafiosi from our legislature. Throw ALL incumbents out!

A one party system is no good. Power corrupts, absloute power corrupts absolutly. This is what I see going on with the current politicans that have been in office to long. eight years is long enough. lets vote out those than have been in to long, no longer represent the people only themselves and their friends/lobbists.

The "intern incident" aside, I'm yet again appalled by Greg Curtis. In fact, over the past decade I've become pretty disenchanted with most Republicans. Dishonesty, greed, lies, corruption, poor decision-making -- it's all there. I'll say, however, that Sheryl Allen, for one, is an exception. She has always seemed to me to be an honest, straight-shooting, decent person. For Greg Curtis to call her out for doing the right thing? Well, that's Greg Curtis for you...Please voters, remove him and his playmates (cough, cough Chris Buttars) from public life.

All she did was defend Mascaro from his perverse actions. That really sounds like a great women to me. Maybe she should have a little concern for the victim.

I would take Mascaro any day of the week of Mr. Curtis. I'm going to be voting for Democrats in Utah this year...especially Corroon, and Bennion Spencer for 3rd District Congressman. (wish I could vote for Matheson)

I'm done with the Utah one-party corrupt GOP. From the Ellis-Walker fiasco, the State GOP having his daughter as a delegate (and being involved in the Ellis-Walker issue), RSL Stadium, Curtis, Valentine, and the rest of Gilligan's Island GOP people. All of 'em are lost on a deserted island.

That should scare us all the Curtis listened to Mascaro's confession, told the girl it would all be confidential, took no disciplinary action, and then leaked it before this ethics probe.

Thanks Bishop Curtis!

I hope you have your criminal defense attorney in place! You're gonna need it!

And I love how they quoted Greg Hughes, who shares a brain with Curtis (or at least half of one). How Kbout quotes from the public who is fed up and sick of it. As a republican from Utah County, I will be in Curtis's district campaigning against him this fall. Removing the cancer starts with Curtis.

This should read GOP paid political announcement! The Deseret News should never have accepted the bait from the GOP leaders, especially in light of the comments from the Intern that didn't want this made public! In the end the media should force the GOP leadership to figure a way to slander their legislators and just stay out of it. Especially in this case when the Deseret News doesn't reveal sources and or name of Intern. What is the point of this attack anyway?

"Smear and fear" is the Republican Party's method of operation.

The Democrats aren't much better.

I'll be voting Libertarian, or not voting at all.

Gossip
Why do they mind the business of others?
No business of their own!

Utah's single-party system has no checks and balances. The GOP can spend little and still get their candidates re-elected every time, no matter how poorly they perform. Curtis and Buttars have become extremely comfortable in their positions because they truly believe that they cannot be de-throned. Hopefully, their constituents will do as Chris Cannon's did and throw the bum out.

The arrogance bred by absolute power is horrible, often devastating to those who run afoul of the power structure. But it also is destructive from the inside out. The Utah GOP is self destructing beyond the ability of its latest PR campaign ("I Can") to stop it. November will see one of the most interesting elections in history.

Whats with West Jordan Buttars now Mascaro?

Did Curtis really call the two legislators "dissidents"? I think Curtis is dangerous. To me, "dissident" is a 1950's MacCarthy word. It's a Soviet, take-them-off-to-Siberia word. It's a word used by a petty man that thinks he was the right to run the whole show.

Curtis has become a joke, except no one is laughing.

When a false sense of party loyalty clouds the sense of right and wrong, it's time to go.

This goes to show the extent the right wing of the Utah Reupublican Party is willing to go. As a life-long Republican, I am disgusted with the behavior of the leadership, such as Curtis, Bramble, Hughes, Valentine, Shurtleff, Stephenson, Clark, etc.

However, there is hope on the horizon. With Donnelson,Neunschwander and Walker losing in the primaries, perhaps some moderate Republicans will get in. I think the moderate Republicans, which includes Mascaro, along with the moderate Democrats, is the hope of the future, and the only way to defeat the stranglehold of the corrupt, elitist right wing Republican leadership.

So this is jow legislative leadership says Happy 4th of July to Rep Mascaro.

Greg Curtis is a true Patriot, through and through.

He'll get his, just you wait.

What is the saying about glass houses and throwing stones? Sounds like another case of the pot calling the kettle black (no offense to Buttars).

I'm certainly no defender of Curtis and will be supporting his opponent but... if you go to the Trib article you will see that this info came to light because of a GRAMMA request by a Trib reporter. Not GOP leaders (if you can call them that).

Mascaro has some "splanin" to do. In the other article he says the victim came on to him.....
yeah right!

In the Trib article, Mascaro says the intern came on to him. Mascaro is exactly the kind of guy a college-age woman would pursue. If you've ever seen him before would know that that he is short, overweight, about 60 y.o. and has a huge schnoz. I bet he has to fight the women off all of the time.

I am no fan of either treacherous Curtis, or RINO Mascaro, but look at all the other people who knew about this event- right from the night it happened. Then the intern talked about it with another intern while riding with another legislator. Now it comes out from (or corraberated by) a GRAMA request.

I would be glad to see both Curtis and Mascaro go, but based on their policy stands and actions in the House, not gossipy innuendo.

Getting hard to be proud to be a Republican any more.

Maybe it is time to just ban party affiliation in this state and make everyone local run without.

I don't know Sheryl Allen, but she'd better keep her eyes open because she's next. They'll figure out how to destroy her, mark my words.

A classic “she said” vs. “he said.”

But what we DO know is that: (1) no substantial investigation occurred in March and no charges were filed against Mascaro; (2) the victim did not want her allegations to go public; (3) Mascaro has been called a “dissident” by House Speaker Curtis; (4) there is no indication from Mascaro that he asked Curtis to formally apologize on his behalf; (4) sources inside and outside of the Legislature tipped off both statewide circulation newspapers and the story was published on the same day; (5) Mascaro and four others initiated an ethics inquiry involving bribery allegations linked to GOP candidates and party leaders. It begins Monday; (6) Republican leadership in Utah has a track record of bullying, intimidation, and bending the rules when faced with criticism of their performance as our “public servants”; (7) the story is a sideshow that blurs the focus of the ethics complaint; and (8) both Mascaro and the alleged harassment victim are now pawns in a GOP power game.

And here’s another thing we DO know: Election Day is 200 days away, and Curtis is up for re-election.

Disappointing morning. Earlier in this thread I tried to post a comment critical of the DNews and Bernick for relying on unnamed sources for this story.

The moderator chose not to post my comment. I certainly didn't curse or make any outlandish accusations.

But i got censored, apparently for taking Bernick to task over anonymous sources.

I pointed out in that post that not using names of sources when GOP leaders are involved in an intra-party tiff only fuels those who see a Joe Cannon-GOP-DNews cabal.

Much better to name names, as The Other Paper did (except for the intern).

Guess I touched a raw nerve.

jay bird

I read this in my DN and came to the website to enjoy laughing at the comments. Come to find out, I had to read the online Trib article to get the most important facts (grama request). Why can't the DN report a little better?

And that's true about glass houses . . . why would Mascaro file an ethics complaint against someone else just months after his own ethics violation?

Curtis can't make the Intern come forward nor do I think he "leaked" this to the press. How can so many lose focus that Mascaro hit on an intern? In another article he blames her saying she came on to him.... I don't think so. Mascaro should look under his own hood before going after fellow legislators.

This is an outrage. Greg Curtis has gone too far this time. Regardless of Mascaro's guilt or innocence, the timing of this "revelation" is an obvious and clumsy act of retribution. Curtis must go. The voters in his district should see to it.

The Retaliator strikes again

I made the same comments critical of Bernick. So uncourageous.

Like you, I was at first very critical of Bernick's reporting on this story. But after reading The Other Paper, I think I can piece together a likely picture of what probably happened.

Other Paper filed GRAMMA request, got source documents on intern's complaint, talked to those involved and wrote the story.

DNews was scooped, and had to respond with something, anything. Bernick had to phone all the usual suspects on his source list. Found 2 who would provide background, but not go on the record.

Pushed into a corner and without the source documents, BBJR took their background and wrote this piece, using them as unnamed sources.

Still not a flattering situation for the DNews, but not nearly as bad as what I, and other readers judging by the comments here, thought had happened.

My guess, Bernick felt he had very little choice in doing what he did. I'm assuming he wasn't happy about the situation either, but did what he thought he had to do for the team under the unfavorable circumstances.

jay bird

So Mascaro didn't like something the GOP leadership did and he goes through the proper channels and secures a date for a House Ethics meeting. Curtis doesn't like something that Mascaro does and instead of going through the proper channels, he leaks this to the press after promising not to.

That's real mature. Civility in politics is dead in the Utah GOP leadership.

this is an all-time low for greg curtis and his jesters.

this is a horrible leak. first, of all the girl was promised that this would not go anywhere. it is violations of trust like this that lead to more serious sexual assualts going unreported.

second, there appears to be nothing here but an attempt by curtis and his hacks to stop one of their critics in the house. and conveniently the timing of this leak is in place to cover up the ellis/walker investigation.

Give me a break...Curtis is up to his usual strong-armed tactics again. He's trying to discredit Mascaro for not playing along with the good ole boys in the Walker incident by 'leaking' this story 3 months after it supposedly happened and only days before the ethics panel convenes. It's pathetic that he resorts to this kind of thinly disguised retribution. I hope that voters do not get sidetracked with this ridiculous charade. This is not the first time that Mascaro has been punished by Curtis for not playing along with the leadership. Hang in there Mascaro! Curtis and his crowd will get theirs in November!

jay bird, you are probably right. Still the DN could have made their own GRAMMA request and not had to quote the SL trib or unnamed sources.

You Curtis haters are unashamed. You would think he sexually harassed your 18 year old daughter and not Mascaro. From the articles, all Curtis appears to have done was write an apology to the girl - 4 months ago. Mascaro is the moron here; he should have laid low for at least a year (glass house).

You hit the nail on the head, Jay. I'm expecting follow up stories with more sordid details once everyone finishes their hotdogs and fireworks.

are you kidding? you don't get it...curtis is not only the "playa" but he is setting the perverse rules of this "game." if there a sexually assault really occurred then i would completely agree with this coming public. but since this appears so minor -- and even the girl didn't want to press any charges or go public -- this just looks petty and vindictive by greg curtis and greg hughes.

for caring enough to ask the poor dear why she was so upset. Or to try to avert a potential situation of self harm. Also, please excuse me for not recognizing that any physical contact between people, regardless of sex or age, is now considered de facto sexual contact. I was just trying to be a human being human, showing sympathy, giving counsel and trying to avoid the screams of the PC crowd to tell her to just buck up and don't bothering me with your problems.

Who tipped the SL Trib off that they should file a GRAMA request? It would be interesting to read the GRAMA request to see how broad or narrow it was. If it was broad, a fishing expedition with something along the lines of any 'disciplinary meetings, etc' and Mascaro was the one name to come up.

If it was much more narrow, such as a 'legislator' and 'intern' then it get's fishier.

If it includes the word "Mascaro' then this is clearly retaliation.

Getting the GRAMA request itself would answer some questions.

It really doesn't matter what the superior's intent was; just matters that an 18 year old girl felt harassed by the touching. I don't know what is more moronic: thinking the public would believe that the intern was hitting on Mascaro or his using that as a justification. Please join Buttars in the unemployment line.

I have had it with Curtis, and Hughes they both believe they are above the law and the voters,, well everyone, please prove them wrong and vote them out of office! We need a change in the legislature. enough is enough.

There is quite a difference between the reporting in the D News and the SL Trib. Bernick spends a lot of time sharing Mascaro's version of the story. Gehrke spends a lot of time sharing the intern's version of the story. Hmmm...is this biased, or did it just happen like that? Any thoughts?