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THE SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER

October 30, 2008 Thursday

RANCOR HIGH IN ROSSI'S TESTIMONY ROSSI DEPOSITION EXPOSES

BITTER GUBERNATORIAL CAMPAIGN\
BYLINE: KATHY MULADY P-I reporter

SECTION: NEWS; Pg. B1

LENGTH: 1003 words

While Republican gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi protested a "phony complaint by political operatives" Wednesday,
Democrats claimed they had evidence that he had encouraged a powerful political group to raise money for him months before
he officially declared his candidacy.

In a highly charged, often contentious four-hour deposition behind closed doors, Rossi repeatedly said he couldn't recall
details of his meetings with members of the Building Industry Association of Washington, denied that he was involved in
anything illegal and called the entire effort "a political stunt."

More than anything, the deposition stemming from a campaign financing lawsuit exposed how bitter the gubernatorial race has
become as lawyers on both sides spent most of the time tussling and threatening each other.

The building association is under investigation by the state attorney general for allegedly breaking campaign finance laws,
especially in connection with the Rossi election effort. Rossi critics complain that the builders violated campaign finance laws
in raising millions of dollars to help defeat Democratic Gov. Chris Gregoire.

The lawsuit was filed by two former Supreme Court justices, Faith Ireland and Robert Utter. Both have donated money to
Gregoire.

There are connections between the lawsuit and Gregoire's political allies.

Fuse Washington, a nonprofit group acting as press agent for the plaintiffs, recently received a $35,000 political action
committee donation from Evergreen Progress, the major pro-Gregoire independent spending group.

Evergreen Progress, in turn, is headed by a Gregoire donor, Rick Desimone, and bankrolled mostly by the national Democratic
Governors Association and labor unions. The group has spent more than $6 million to support Gregoire and oppose Rossi.

Rossi was required by King County Superior Court Judge Paris Kallas to testify under oath about his personal involvement in
the building association's fundraising campaign.

Rossi is not a party to the lawsuit, and no complaint has been filed against him.

He complained bitterly about the campaign time lost in the final week before Election Day. He said he was forced to cancel a
speaking engagement at the Rotary club and appearances on radio and television stations.

"This is nothing more than a phony complaint by Christine Gregoire's operatives," Rossi said after the deposition. "She is

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desperate, it is really sad."

On the other side, lawyers for the judges who filed the lawsuit, claimed victory. They pointed to meetings Rossi had with the
builders association months before he announced his candidacy.

"If a committee is raising money on your behalf with your knowledge, then you are a candidate, whether you have declared or
not, otherwise it makes a mockery of the Public Disclosure Law," said Mike Withey, representing the justices along with
attorney Knoll Lowney.

Lowney said the deposition was urgent to get "all the facts out and reducing the harm of what we see as a violation."

Lowney said a key element of the deposition was a transcript of a lunch Rossi had with the building association's board of
directors in late June 2007.

"You can be a candidate before you officially declare, if you consent to letting someone raise money for you," Lowney said.

According to minutes of the meeting, President Daimon Doyle announced that he was encouraged by 11 member associations
already donating money to the 2008 governor's fund. He said he hoped the contributions would help elect a pro-housing, pro-
business governor in 2008.

The builders group then heard from guest speaker Rossi, who gave a presentation on Forward Washington Foundation. At the
end of the speech, Doyle presented statewide polling results showing support for Gregoire and Rossi and whether Gregoire
should be re-elected.

Rossi said he gave the presentation to groups all over the state and made thousands of speeches in the past couple of years.
When pressed, he denied that that he asked anyone at the luncheon to contribute to his candidacy for governor.

"No, because there was no candidacy for governor in 2007," Rossi answered. "At that point I was more likely not to run than to
run."

Rossi denied repeatedly in the deposition that he was planning a campaign during the several meetings he had with the
builder's groups in 2007.

He said he was "about 75 percent sure" he wasn't going to be a candidate for any office ever again.

But mainly, Rossi responded to questions with a simple "I don't recall that," according to transcripts of the deposition.

Lowney was frustrated. "All he said was I don't know, I know, you would think that you would remember if you were asking for
$2 million."

The 170-page transcript is loaded with bitter, testy and sometimes childish exchanges between the lawyers.

"You don't need to stare me down, Mr. Withey," Patterson said. "This is supposed to be an honorable profession."

Withey denied he was staring at Patterson.

"This has been the most obstructive deposition I've ever participated in," Withey said, noting his 36 years as a lawyer. "It's
made a mockery of the four hours that we've arranged for. We're going to move the court to impose sanctions on Mr.
Patterson."

"I probably participated in more depositions than you ever thought of participating in and I've certainly tried more cases than
you ever have, OK?" Patterson responded. "I'm not here to see lawyers that are being paid by Christine Gregoire use this (as a)
political campaign and to ask questions that are geared to the press."

And later:

"Don't lean across the table please, Mr. Lowney," Patterson said.
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"This table is 6 feet wide," Lowney said. " I don't think I am threatening you."

Rossi complained about the subpoenas delivered by someone pounding on the door of his home at 9:30 p.m., and a subpoena
being handed to his teenage daughter. "This is why there are a lot of good people out there who will never run for public office,
because of the kind of nonsense that I went through," Rossi said.

This report includes information from The Associated Press.

LOAD-DATE: October 31, 2008

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

GRAPHIC: Color Photo, DAN DeLONG/P-I: Dino Rossi speaks at a news conference Wednesday before giving a deposition
concerning a lawsuit alleging illegal fundraising. At right is former U.S. Sen. Slade Gorton, who criticized its timing.

PUBLICATION-TYPE: Newspaper

Copyright 2008 Seattle Post-Intelligencer

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