Republicans spied on Democrats' House polling data

The National Republican Congressional Committee snooped on a polling meeting of its Democratic counterparts when they left the blinds open at their headquarters.

The Republicans walked across the street to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee offices on Wednesday to stake out candidates when staff members noticed they could see valuable information on key House contests, according to Politico.

Staff members stood by an outdoor ashtray and smoked for an hour so they could photograph a slideshow and take notes on Democrats' polling data.

“There is an area next to where we were standing with some landscaping, and there is a walled patio that exits the meeting room and faces the street where we stood. We were conscious not to ever step off the sidewalk,” one of the staff members said.

Later on, the GOP staff members walked past the front of the building and realized they had a better view of the presentation from the front sidewalk “because the blinds were so sheer.”

The Republican staff members took more than a dozen photos during the Democratic meeting.

The two sides have differed on where to draw the line for opposition research. The Republican committee, for instance, has not agreed to decline the use of hacked information in campaigning.

“When you have no ideas or accomplishments to run on, you creep in the bushes, take pictures through people’s windows, and invade their privacy. The next time the NRCC is looking for tips on running winning campaigns, all they have to do is call us — we’ll be more than happy to explain why Kevin McCarthy is the Minority Leader,” DCCC communications director Cole Leiter said.