Mitt's Private Posse

Stinking badges sink aide *

"A controversial aide has resigned from former Gov. Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign following a Herald story in which he was accused of creating phony badges allegedly used to strong-arm reporters and gain access to restricted areas.

(...)

Garrity is under investigation in Massachusetts and New Hampshire for incidents in which he is accused of pretending to be a law enforcement officer. In one incident, he allegedly pulled over a New York Times reporter and told him to stop following Romney’s motorcade between campaign stops in New Hampshire. In another, he is suspected of pretending to be a Massachusetts State Trooper in a bizarre phone call to a Wilmington plumbing company.
A campaign source told the Herald that those alleged incidents were part of a broader pattern in which Garrity continually pretended to be a security operative on the campaign. The source said Garrity issued bogus badges to subordinates and directed them to use the shields to project an image of security on the campaign trail.
The source said the fake badges were used on the campaign trail and other events to discourage reporters from approaching Romney with questions and to gain immediate access to restricted areas while planning events. In one instance, the source said, an aide flashed a badge to drive through a Massachusetts Turnpike toll booth without paying."

*sly reference to The Treasure of the Sierra Madre