A political consultant used his clout as a donor to a Baltimore treatment program to have treatment clients bussed in to swell the audience at a Senate candidates' event, the Washington Post reported July 26.

Twenty patients from the I Can't, We Can treatment program were driven to a University of Maryland at College Park candidate's forum to work on behalf of Democratic senatorial candidate Josh Rales. Adrian Harpool, president of the consulting group 21st Century Group and a supporter of I Can't, We Can, arranged for the group of recovering addicts to post signs, wear Rales t-shirts, and wave banners in support of the candidate.

The clients were not paid to participate, but Harpool's firm paid about $1,000 for bus transportation and food expenses. "I have responsibility for getting the job done, and I sought to use these guys to help get it done," Harpool said. "This probably was an error in judgment on my part to do it to begin with."

Alyson Chadwick, communications director for Rales, said the campaign did not authorize Harpool's actions. "We had nothing to do with that," she said. "This is something the campaign didn't know anything about until after."

Ari Bazinski, deputy campaign manager for rival Democrat Allan Lichtman, said that it "became apparent that [the treatment clients] were not at the debate on their own volition. One woman informed me that she was a former drug addict who was canvassing for Rales under the direct instruction of her halfway house."

"This is actually a common practice of some candidates to use addicts, homeless people and otherwise downtrodden individuals to boost their campaign," added Audra Miller, a spokeswoman for the Maryland Republican Party. "Is it tasteful? Probably not. Is it appropriate? Well, that's for the candidates and the individuals to decide."