Mourdock campaign accused of 'electronic break-in'

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - The Richard Mourdock campaign is being accused of conducting an electronic break-n at state Republican headquarters. It has been denied access to a GOP database as a result.

The state Republican Party maintains a database of voters and contributors using a software program known as Salesforce. To access it, users must pay a fee and sign a user agreement. The state GOP is investigating whether the Mourdock campaign violated the agreement.

The campaign of Sen. Richard Lugar, Mourdock's Primary opponent, is providing encouragement.

"Someone is electronically attempting to break into intellectual property that belongs to the state committee," said Lugar campaign spokesman Andy Fisher. "I think this is a very serious issue."

Mourdock campaign manager Jim Holden sent an email that led the state party to cut off Mourdock campaign access to the database. The email encouraged staffers to "start pillaging email addresses like a Viking raider attacking a monestary (sic) full of unarmed monks."

The Mourdock campaign said both Holden and Mourdock were unavailable Thursday. The only reaction was a statement that says the campaign never accessed the software in question and nothing was inappropriately done.

State GOP Chairman Eric Holcomb won't say anything either, but he's looking into the matter. His spokesman, Pete Seat, told 24-Hour News 8: "We're not commenting because it is an in-house discussion."

The Mourdock campaign said Holden's email was a sarcastic joke taken out of context. The Lugar campaign, meantime, is using the database to inform voters about this controversy.