Joe Visconti, who petitioned his way onto the ballot in the gubernatorial race, greets Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy at the Brooklyn (Conn.) Fair on Aug. 24, 2104. Contributed photo.
What started out as a political statement — or publicity stunt — could land former gubernatorial petition candidate Joe Visconti in hot water.
By posting a video on YouTube of himself calling Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s office Tuesday to protest higher taxes, Visconti exposed himself to potential legal action by the Democrat’s administration for alleged eavesdropping.
“We were made aware of the video and it was referred to our legal team for review,” a Malloy spokesperson told Hearst Connecticut Media.
Connecticut law prohibits the recording of a telephone calls unless everyone in the conversation knows that it is being recorded, with some exemptions for law enforcement. Treated as a felony, it carries a fine of up to five years in prison.
Visconti did not actually speak to Malloy, to whom he finished a distant third in last November’s election. He reached a secretary after a brief hold.
“Are they gonna call the FBI? Shoot, there goes my political career,” Visconti said.
Visconti characterized his brief conservation with a unidentified female member of Malloy’s staff as cordial, saying he was only trying to illustrate the process for complaining about the proposed budget. He offered to remove the video from YouTube if asked.
“We weren’t trying to eavesdrop,” Visconti said. “I think they’re being petty over it.”