The arrest of an alumnus charged with allegedly attempting to bug the office of a United States senator is garnering national media attention, and the story landed on the front page of Sunday’s New York Times.
GW alumnus and former editor in chief of The GW Patriot, Stan Dai, 24, was one of four men arrested and charged with a federal felony last week for allegedly seeking to tamper with the office telephone system of Sen. Mary L. Landrieu, D-La.
National media outlets have mentioned Dai’s ties to GW and his history of conservative activism, including his stint as an editor at The Patriot, which the Times described as an “irreverent” publication.
University spokeswoman Michelle Sherrard declined to comment on Dai’s actions or ties to student groups, but confirmed that Dai did receive a degree in political science from GW in 2006.
The Patriot’s current editor in chief, senior Hunter Patterson, has publicly distanced the current staff and publication from Dai, posting on the group’s blog and Twitter and giving interviews to stress that Dai’s views do not represent The Patriot’s beliefs.
“I’ve never met Stan Dai, and nobody who currently writes for The Patriot has met him either,” Patterson said. “We don’t support breaking in or whatever he was trying to do.”
In a Jan. 27 blog post, Patterson called the actions of Dai and the three other alleged culprits “reprehensible and stupid” and not “any sort of intelligent, thoughtful way to further conservative thought.”
Other conservative students on campus have also distanced themselves from Dai.
Brandon Hines, chairman of the College Republicans, said he did not know Dai, nor does he know anyone who remembers Dai.
“It’s regrettable that he apparently flunked or didn’t take an ethics class while he was at GW,” Hines said. “He should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law if the allegations prove to be true.
Before graduating GW in 2006, Dai was involved with a range of conservative groups including The Patriot, the Young America’s Foundation, the GW College Republicans, and Colonials For Life, according to a biography of him found at The Phillips Foundation. Dai was a recipient of the foundation’s Ronald Reagan College Leadership Scholarship in 2005.
