The hits just keep coming for Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean. And when we say "hits," we mean video of his testimony in the ongoing discrimination lawsuit filed by former gay outreach director Donald Hitchcock.

In case you're just joining us, Hitchcock claims key DNC leaders conspired to sack him as retaliation for his boyfriend Paul Yandura's public criticism of the party. Dean denies the allegations, claiming Hitchcock failed to seduce the gays.

This particular video - part of which has been blacked out for its confidentiality - has less to do with Hitchcock's firing and more to do with the Democratic Party's alleged inclusion, specifically with regard to the national convention's contentious gay goals.

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The Democratic Party prides itself on its inclusion. Their past electoral missions, however, suggest otherwise.

In the months leading up to the 2006 election, the Democratic National Committee's Faith In Action initiative, led by the DNC's troublesome Chief of Staff, Leah Daughtry, funded and endorsed an anti-gay agenda.

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Leah Daughtry sure knows how to put on a show.

The DNC Chief of Staff last week addressed the National Black Justice Coalition and promised to gives gays more say in the party's politics. And you can be sure she used to opportunity to praise the party's chairman, the woefully forgetful Howard Dean:

We made a commitment under Gov. Dean’s leadership that we wanted to do something different. We wanted to make sure, make a way so that people from various communities, and particularly the GLBT community, would have a seat at the table, would have a voice, would have a vote when we nominate our president of the United States.

Daughtry went on to say that she and her peers are going to fight tooth and nail for diversity. Unfortunately Daughtry keeps her gay inclusion on her terms.

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Donald Hitchcock's lawsuit against the Democratic National Committee continues. Formerly the executive director of the Gay and Lesbian Leadership Council, Hitchcock alleges the DNC terminated him in retaliation for his boyfriend's public criticism of the party. DNC Chairman Howard Dean denies this, but sort of lent credence when he said Hitchcock failed to rally "the community," as if we're some giant homo bloc.

Past testimony aside, there's a new twist as a federal judge has ordered GLLC Chair Claire Lucas to take the stand - and she will on Friday.

Lucas has been quite the contentious figure in this mess, but not necessarily because of her role in the Hitchcock affair. Lucas refused to testify in the hearings - and sparked all sorts of rumors.

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Howard Dean's memory continues to fail him. The Democratic National Committee Chairman claims his organization fired Gay & Lesbian Leadership Council director Donald Hitchcock for "poor job performance," not as retaliation for his boyfriend, Paul Yandura's open letter criticizing the party's lackluster gay politics.

Taking a look at Dean's sworn deposition, however, one has to wonder whether his shady recollection says more his parsed replies. And gay Democrats should be wondering how they can stand up and save their party.

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Some DNC-associated lawyers have been up to no good. Homo-journo Kevin Naff alleges that DNC Chief of Staff Leah Daughtry sent her lawyers to intimidate him.

Naff, whose op-ed appears tomorrow's Washington Blade, the representatives tried to put the squeeze on him and his publisher:

Naff writes that he "got a taste of the Democratic wrath last month, after criticizing DNC Chair Howard Dean and his chief of staff, Leah Daughtry, in an editorial."
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According to Naff, Daughtry responded to the editorial by sending two lawyers to confront him and Blade publisher Lynne Brown, lodging what Naff calls "red-faced cursing and threatening of lawsuits."

One of Daughtry's lawyers, Charlie Kimmet, denies the allegations and described their meeting as "not at all contentious".

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The Democratic National Committee takes another hit today. The Washington Blade has obtained a copy of DNC Chief of Staff Leah Daughtry's deposition in the ongoing discrimination discovery hearings.

When asked about whether she supports gay marriage, Daughtry replied that she does not. The Pentecostal minister turned politico goes on to explain that same-sex nuptials go against her personal beliefs: "I believe, as the church believes, that marriage is intended for one man and one woman." Daughtry goes on to insist that she keeps her religious beliefs separate from her duties at the DNC: "People know that I am a reverend but it is completely separate from the work at the DNC."

The Blade also points out that Daughtry objected to requisite gay delegates because we haven't faced "historic discrimination at the voting booth". Girl must not remember all those anti-gay marriage initiatives.

Meanwhile, our sources in DC tell us the DNC has asked the judge to seal all documents pertaining to the case. They plan to argue that all the attention has cost them financially. Yeah, the truth can do that sometimes…

The Blade will reportedly fight that request.

Update: DNC Spokesman Damien LaVera sent us this statement:

Once again, the plaintiffs are resorting to false and misleading statements as part of a campaign of dishonest smear tactics aimed at trying their case outside the courtroom. The truth is, the DNC has responded to the persistent leaking of materials that are not related to this case and aimed solely at damaging the reputation and privacy of individuals who are not party to the suit by asking the court to issue a limited protective preventing the public distribution of deposition and discovery materials. That is not a seal, and any suggestion otherwise is completely untrue and irresponsible.

And there you have it…

The National Stonewall Democrats aren't alone in defending the DNC against The Washington Blade's "race riot" emails. The International Federation of Black Prides released a statement last Friday defending Howard Dean, Leah Daughtry and the Democratic National Committee's gay policies. Read what they wrote, after the jump.

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Democratic National Committee Chief of Staff Leah Daughtry may not have been entirely honest with Washington DC.

The New York-born Pentecostal minister turned politico allegedly exploited DC's property tax exemptions. That's not a scandal, of course. Countless citizens use the Homestead Deduction to cut their tax rates nearly in half. The district's law states, however, that to take advantage of the deduction, you must vote in DC. Some say Daughtry didn't get the memo, because she's been registered to vote in New York City since February 21, 1996. The original deduction law said nothing about voting in DC, but lawmakers changed the rule back in 2002.

If this story sounds familiar, it should: Bush henchman Karl Rove played the same game back in 2005 until the Washington Post exposed his illegal exploitation.

One would think that an insider such as Daughtry would have noted Rove's outing, but the DNC staffer must have been distracted - she's voted in New York four times since the new law went into effect. Daughtry's property is currently valued at $239,250. That price doesn't include the land, which boosts the total to $341,780.

Daughtry isn't alone, either. As The Washington Blade reported, Gay and Lesbian Leadership Council chair Claire Lucas also stands accused of manipulating DC's laws to her financial advantage.

Ms. Daughtry did not reply to our comment inquiries by press time. We'll definitely let you know if and when she offers a statement. In the meantime, you can pour over all the evidence, which we've included below.

Update: The DNC just sent over this statement. They claim Daughtry had no knowledge of the deduction:

Rev. Daughtry has made clear that her legal residence is in New York, that she did not believe she was entitled to the Homestead Deduction, and that her accountant is correcting the error. Once again, while the DNC has consistently refused to comment on this case out of respect for the legal process and to protect the interests of everyone involved, the plaintiffs continue to use dishonest and increasingly desperate smear tactics to try their case outside the courtroom.

We wonder if she'll be paying DC the money she owes…

Daughtry's Homestead Deduction Record PDF

Washington Blade editor Kevin Naff and his staff better watch their backs. The National Stonewall Democrats are, like, totally pissed the weekly paper published emails between DNC's Brian Bond and an anonymous Stonewaller. Those emails, which we also published, accused DNC Chief of Staff Leah Daughtry, as well as other prominent black leaders, of homophobia and a racialized bunker mentality. Read the Wallers' wails, after the jump.

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Earlier we reported on some less than flattering internal DNC emails about potentially racist staffers. While the Washington Blade only published excerpts, we've included the actual files, after the jump…

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It's a big day for Howard Dean and the Democratic National Committee! Chief of Staff Leah Daughtry takes the stand today in the ongoing discrimination discovery hearings. Daughtry allegedly asked former staffer Donald Hitchcock to resign after Hitchcock's boyfriend, Paul Yandura wrote an open letter criticizing the DNC.

Confused? Yeah, we are, too. That's why we've compiled a list of all the witnesses testifying during the case's discovery period. Get to know the DNC players, because you may be hearing a whole lot more from them.

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