A Philadelphia man falsely told Wallace he "(files) for Bucks County Courier" while questioning him on camera as a part-time tracker with Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick's campaign, which cut ties with him after learning of his behavior. Five videos Ariel Benjamin Mannes shot at campaign events were uploaded to a YouTube channel housing more than 600 videos of Democratic candidates for dissection by opposition researchers.

Editor's Note: New campaign finance records filed with the Federal Election Commission and released Monday night show the Fitzpatrick campaign made two "wages" payments to Mannes — for $1,739.13 on Aug. 27 and for $4,000 on Sept. 24.

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The man in black looked the part. He came armed with camera equipment and lots of questions.

But unlike a reporter or a cameraman covering an event, he also had an agenda. He was a tracker.

In today's high-stakes political landscape, trackers are there to catch politicians in their less-guarded moments. Both parties enlist trackers under the radar, hoping to cultivate and capture footage of their opponents off the stump speech. One memorable slip-up — highlighted in a campaign ad or a viral video — could swing an election.

Last month, "Ben Mendelson" showed up at a Falls event, where Scott Wallace touted the importance of food stamps in Bucks County, and asked the congressional candidate multiple off-topic questions on camera. Nearly a week later, Wallace's answers surfaced in a Washington Examiner editorial and a press release from the National Republican Congressional Committee.



This news organization learned Wednesday that the videographer was working for Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick's re-election campaign. But unbeknownst to campaign representatives until a reporter reached out, that man submitted a guest opinion to this news organization last month under a pen name, then weeks later falsely identified himself to Wallace as a Bucks County Courier Times reporter while shooting video.

The man can be heard telling Wallace, "I file for Bucks County Courier in Philadelphia" before trailing off, in a YouTube video shot at a campaign event Sept. 15. The video was uploaded Sept. 25 to the channel "Democrat Tracking," an anonymous depository for footage that opposition researchers can mine for soundbites to use against candidates. Previous finds have been spotlighted in conservative media outlets and Republican campaign ads.

The speaker identified himself both to newspaper editors and the Wallace campaign as "Ben Mendelson," of Philadelphia. But a phone number he provided the campaign belongs to Philadelphia resident Ariel Benjamin Mannes, a self-described subject matter expert in public safety and security and a writer published on multiple news sites, including The Hill and the Daily Caller.

Shane Fitzgerald, executive editor for the Courier Times, The Intelligencer and the Burlington County Times in New Jersey, said he received a phone call Wednesday afternoon from Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, hours after a reporter contacted a spokesperson to confirm whether Mannes had been working with his campaign in any capacity.

The congressman indicated Mannes' behavior was "completely unacceptable" and that the campaign's working relationship with him immediately ended, Fitzgerald said.

"I appreciate that Brian took the time out of his busy day to call me right after he got wind of what happened and apologize for Mr. Mannes' behavior," Fitzgerald said. "I feel Brian was absolutely genuine, and I certainly felt like he was mortified that someone posed as one of our employees. It's not like Brian just calls my cellphone for the heck of it. He has staff that could have taken care of it, but he realizes how unethical that behavior is and seemed to feel an obligation to talk with me directly. I'm glad it was as unacceptable to him as it was to me."

Fitzgerald said neither Mannes nor a "Mendelson" had ever worked for the Courier Times. The newspaper's editorial policy requires guest opinion authors to provide their real full names, hometowns and phone numbers to be considered for publication — a measure Fitzgerald said helps the paper keep accountable as well as provide the authenticity of the author. "But that's obviously not foolproof," he said.

In an emailed statement Thursday, Fitzpatrick communications director Genevieve Malandra said, "We have a zero-tolerance policy for any such conduct. We looked into this and this individual joined the campaign six weeks ago and was terminated immediately upon discovery. His actions were completely unauthorized and completely unacceptable and we will not accept any such conduct by anyone even remotely affiliated with any campaign. Period."

In a follow-up email, Malandra said Mannes had approached the campaign seeking work. He was not a payroll employee but received approximately $4,000 for part-time work, similarly to the campaign's door canvassers, she said.

Campaign finance records filed with the Federal Election Commission and released Monday night show the Fitzpatrick campaign made two "wages" payments to Mannes — for $1,739.13 on Aug. 27 and for $4,000 on Sept. 24.

Mannes did not receive any training from the campaign, and all of his video and posting activities were "completely unauthorized and unsanctioned," Malandra said.

In an emailed statement, Wallace campaign manager Eric Nagy said, "I can't say I'm surprised that Republicans would send somebody to our events and ask them to pose as a reporter so they can record Scott undetected — with the lies and smears they're spreading about Scott on TV, this is just one more unethical tactic to add to the list."

Nagy said his campaign is used to trackers — "that's just the game these days" — but that its representatives work to be transparent and accessible to the press. He said he finds someone introducing themselves as a local reporter, using a fake name, and then taking home a paycheck "shockingly unethical."

Responding to an emailed inquiry, Paul Conner, the Daily Caller's executive editor, said Mannes had submitted three opinion pieces since June, as an unpaid contributor whose views do not represent those of the outlet.

"In the same way that the Courier Times is not responsible for the behavior of everyone who submits an op-ed, we are not responsible for the behavior of opinion contributors for work not done on our behalf," Conner said.

TRACKING TRACKERS

Multiple searches of public records yielded no information for a "Ben Mendelson" living in or around the Philadelphia area.

But his provided number appeared in Mannes' name in a public record search; it also matched a number this news organization published in a 2013 brief, for readers to call with any questions on an active shooter incident forum. That event was organized by the Philadelphia chapter of InfraGard, a national nonprofit and intelligence-sharing partnership between the FBI and private sector participants. Mannes is listed as a board member on the Philadelphia chapter's website.

Mannes also was the videographer behind four other "Democrat Tracking" videos of Wallace at events, starting at an Aug. 22 meet and greet, his campaign confirmed. In one video, filmed Aug. 28 and published Sept. 12, he can be heard telling a woman he writes and submits to political publications, including The Hill and Daily Caller. Earlier in the video, Mannes also tells a campaign staffer, "I'm not the first guy to use a pen name, I'm not gonna be the last."

Robin Kolodny, professor of political science at Temple University, said forms of opposition research date back decades, and are practiced by Republicans and Democrats alike. Modern video and audio technology lend new "immediacy" to political tracking, but "to me, that is the only thing that's different" from traditional research, she said.

One could argue the research, including tracking, is an obligation for campaign staff in finding out what the opposing side is up to, Kolodny said.

"If you're backing a particular candidate for office, it would be irresponsible not to know what your opponent has to offer or what their abilities are," she said.

Kolodny said a tracker falsely identifying as a reporter might be unethical but probably is not uncommon. In fact, she said, she might actually expect it.

"These days, look at how many online venues there are. Who would possibly go ahead and check all of them?"

It is not clear how Mannes' videos found their way onto the "Democrat Tracking" channel, and whether any external groups were involved in that process.

Mannes did not return multiple requests for comment from this news organization.

At least one previous "Democrat Tracking" contributor — a New York intern whom North County Public Radio identified as the source behind a secret video of a candidate discussing assault weapons — received $979.57 in three payments for "research materials consulting" from the National Republican Congressional Committee earlier this year, according to records filed with the Federal Election Commission.

"Democrat Tracking" houses 642 videos dating back to April 2017, organized into 84 playlists for congressional races in 28 states as of Friday afternoon. Many resemble Mannes' video, depicting candidates at campaign events or fundraisers, while some involve questions called out to candidates in passing. Others include a candidate's Facebook Live session, another candidate's appearance on a political podcast and a third candidate's rap video.

On a recurring basis, within days of congressional race videos appearing on "Democrat Tracking," individuals residing in the corresponding states would receive NRCC payments, the commission website shows. Most of the payments were in the several hundred dollar range, with a few individuals earning slightly over $1,000.



Mannes' name is not among those to whom the NRCC made 456 other payments as of Friday afternoon, each pertaining to "research materials consulting," since 2017, per the commission website.

The NRCC also recently paid $50,000 for "research materials" to America Rising LLC, an arm of Republican PAC America Rising focused on sharing video with campaigns and committees. Though the limited liability corporation is not required to report its payments to individuals, it employed 25 full-time trackers and over 200 part-time trackers nationwide as of March 2018, RealClearPolitics reported that month.

But Sarah Dolan, spokeswoman for America Rising, said in an email her group does not contribute footage to the "Democrat Tracking" channel. America Rising is not working with Fitzpatrick's campaign and Mannes "does not and has not ever worked for America Rising in a paid or volunteer capacity," she said.

This news organization was unsuccessful in reaching an NRCC spokesperson for more information.

Democrats have at least one national group dedicated toward political tracking, too. The America Bridge PAC employed 44 trackers in 41 states, with an annual budget close to $18 million, the Washington Post reported in 2014.

On its website, the committee quotes political commentator Michael Kinsley in saying "the definition of a gaffe is when you catch a politician telling the truth," adding, "That's exactly what we plan to do."

The group's YouTube channel, American Bridge 21st Century, features 1,146 videos uploaded since May 2011, as of Friday afternoon. In contrast with "Democrat Tracking," which largely features tracker footage of congressional candidates, America Bridge's channel also features campaign ads. Its videos also encompass Republican candidates for governor, the U.S. Senate and the 2016 presidential nomination.

The NRCC and America Rising both have their own official YouTube channels with non-tracker political videos. The channels boast a respective 591 and 319 clips since October 2010 and December 2012, as of Friday afternoon.

In Mannes' Aug. 28 video, a Wallace volunteer can be heard telling him, "We've had problems in the past with trackers and stuff like that."

"That's actually pretty funny. ... That is hilarious," Mannes replied, recalling his response to a previous inquiry on the matter. "At first, I said 'What's a tracker?' I went home and Googled the (expletive) out of it."

He did not deny working as a tracker in the video.