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Senate Finance Comm. Staffer Brutally Assaulted

By Jeralyn, Section Other Politics
Posted on Mon Nov 07, 2005 at 06:04:38 PM EST
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Because this vicious attack on a Senate Staffer may be work related, the FBI has joined the investigation:

The FBI and Capitol Police are investigating the vicious attack of a top Senate staffer at her home last week amid concerns that the assault might be related to her work on the Finance Committee.

Emilia DiSanto, chief investigator for committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), arrived at her suburban Virginia home after work Wednesday about 6:30 p.m. As she was unloading belongings from her car, a 6-foot-1-inch white man dressed in black struck her repeatedly with an unidentified object believed to be a baseball bat.

After she screamed to her family inside the house, the assailant fled. DiSanto was transported to Inova Fair Oaks Hospital, where she was treated for significant upper-body injuries. Nine staples were needed to close her head wound.

What is Grassley and the Finance Committee investigating these days?

Over the past year, he has scrutinized healthcare fraud, organ-donation procedures used by hospitals, drug-safety matters and the use of nonprofit groups related to former lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

Authorities stress they do not know if the attack was work related, but they are considering it.

Capitol Police Chief Terrence Gainer said the unit is looking at the possible relationship between the attack on DiSanto and her position at the Capitol. “I think all the agents involved are looking into the motive,” he added.

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    • Senate Finance Comm. Staffer Brutally Assaulted | 7 comments (7 topical)
    Re: Senate Finance Comm. Staffer Brutally Assaulte (none / 0) (#3)
    by cpinva on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:05:48 PM EST
    i read that story twice, and i still can't tell exactly what this woman does for a living, or did for a living. her jobs sound totally nebulous, like make-work. maybe that's why she was assaulted; someone finally got irked at wasted tp dollars. probably not, but it's as good a guess as everyone else.

    Re: Senate Finance Comm. Staffer Brutally Assaulte (none / 0) (#4)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:05:48 PM EST
    "...The assailant was trying to hide his identity, wearing a hood and black gloves. He also did not make any demands before attacking the 49-year-old staffer. A working assumption among investigators is that he was waiting for her to arrive home. Sources say acts of violence in DiSanto's neighborhood are rare." Made no demands and in a safe neighborhood....sounds a little like a kneecapping attempt to me.

    Re: Senate Finance Comm. Staffer Brutally Assaulte (none / 0) (#1)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:05:49 PM EST
    They're smart to look at work-related motives. I can't help but think that a gangland-style murder and a gangland-style kneecapping might be related.

    Re: Senate Finance Comm. Staffer Brutally Assaulte (none / 0) (#2)
    by Molly Bloom on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:05:49 PM EST
    Gee, would that be "known Gambino Associate" Abramoff?

    Re: Senate Finance Comm. Staffer Brutally Assaulte (none / 0) (#5)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:05:49 PM EST
    cpinva, let me see if I understand your argument here. Because you can't understand from a brief press description what someone's job entails, that person must have been wasting tax-payer money, which probably irked some other person, thereby justifying the assault. Can you explain why you even bother to post opinions here? Why waste time with debate or discussion? Why not just take your baseball bat, head on out to your local city offices, and assault anyone whose job you don't understand. I bet there are few employees there who would fit the bill, and just deserve what's coming to them. Go for it. Who needs a constitution and laws when we have people like you to take care of business?

    Re: Senate Finance Comm. Staffer Brutally Assaulte (none / 0) (#6)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:05:49 PM EST
    Reading Comprehension for Dummies: Emilia DiSanto, chief investigator for committee Chairman Chuck Grassley There's what she does. She's an investigator, not some mere clerical worker. When a constituent calls in a complaint, she doesn't just log it or record it. She's the one who goes digging around for the veracity and background of the claim, any precedents to follow to facilitate the claim, that sort of thing. She would be one of the closest and most trusted of the Senator's advisors. And I bet someone like her would know a whoooooole hell of a lot about Abramoff's doings, if she's competent at all.

    Re: Senate Finance Comm. Staffer Brutally Assaulte (none / 0) (#7)
    by Al on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:05:50 PM EST
    Whoever is the owner of cpinva, please get a poop-bag and clean up after your animal. It's polluting this comments page.

    Senate Finance Comm. Staffer Brutally Assaulted | 7 comments (7 topical)