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We talked yesterday about The Daily Caller's allegations against Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), which appear to be quickly unraveling. As the day progressed, we learned a little more about the story, none of which is helpful to the controversial conservative site.
To briefly recap, The Daily Caller reported in November that Menendez allegedly paid for sex in the Dominican Republic. The article appeared to be based on largely non-existent evidence; the FBI found nothing to support the allegations, and yesterday, the Washington Post reported that a Dominican escort now says she was "paid to make up the claims and has never met or seen the senator."
The Daily Caller has not retracted its report and is now trying to verify the accuracy of the article it ran four months ago. Tucker Carlson, meanwhile, seems delighted to have his often-derided website get so much attention.
The more interesting twist came when ABC News said it was also offered the story, but didn't want it.
Last fall, Republican operatives, who insisted on anonymity, helped arrange the woman's appearance, along with two additional women, in back-to-back, on-line interviews with ABC News and a conservative news website, the Daily Caller.
In the weeks before the women were presented to be interviewed, the operatives also distributed what was described as "surveillance reports" by private detectives reporting on naked pool parties at the Dominican Republic home of a Menendez friend and campaign contributor, Dr. Salomon Melgin, a Florida eye surgeon.
ABC News did not broadcast or initially report on the claims because of doubts about the women's veracity and identity.
ABC considered the allegations and just didn't find them believable. In fact, the network asked one of the women how she allegedly knew the man named "Bob" was a senator, and she replied that she put the name "Bob" into a search engine and a picture of Menendez popped up.
Right. Sure it did.
In an amusing twist, now the right is angry with ABC for failing to run with a story the network found literally unbelievable.
For context, I should note that dubious sources approach major news organizations with "scoops" just about every day. Media professionals with journalistic standards then scrutinize the reliability of the story and decide whether to bring the information to the public. In this case, ABC considered the Menendez story pushed by the unnamed Republican operatives, deemed it unworthy of broadcast, and moved on -- at which point The Daily Caller ran with it.
Carlson's outfit still suggests their escort is a different escort, but ABCs report added that the "attorney who presented the affidavit Monday identified the woman to reporters in attendance as the female wearing a yellow shirt in a video on the Daily Caller website."
So, we're done, right? Wrong. The reporter who originally wrote The Daily Caller story complained yesterday, "ABC News has been holding onto interviews with alleged Menendez hookers for MONTHS."
You see, for some on the right, if a news organization scrutinizes a story and finds that it's lacking in evidence and substantiation, the outlet should present it to the public anyway -- at least if the story involves trying to make a Democrat look bad -- because to do otherwise would be to "hold onto" a potential controversy.
It's the kind of reaction that helps explain why conservative media outlets have fared so poorly recently.
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So Benen, why are you ignoring the corruption charges?
'cuz he knew you'd bring it up
Because those charges are irrelevant to this story.
What do they have to do with trying to smear him? If there is reality to the corruption charges it will be found out. Does that justify trying to smear him with demonstrably false accusations?
Rhetorical question, shooter. Everybody knows that simply targeting a democrat allows for everything in Republican eyes. You show this day in and day out.
??? So as long as you think I'll be along for the complete story, it's OK if Benen just gives you one side? Seriously, you're in favor of being manipulated?
It's not "a complete story", it's two stories. Or can you explain how bribing prostitutes into false claims has to do with the corruption charges? No, you can't! It's just the old "guilty by association" game you troll's love to play.
Alas, I already wasted too many words on him...
I typed in the phrase "frothy mix" into Google Images and guess who's picture came up?
What a coincidence. It just shot right up to the top like some kind of ugly poop shooter. Do you think it's a conspiracy? Hmm... could be.
LOL
Hey shooter dude - why do you live in a zero sum universe? The corruption charges will be there while we take a look at the stinking onion layers of the partisan for pay news media of which Tuckers outfit seems to be the epitome!
Oh, Shooter how you lament for all the wrong reasons! Someday you may learn to accept things you know not of! -Kevo
So, the fact that Sen. Menendez "forgot" to report and pay for $60,000 worth of flights to the Dominican Republic is not related? He just needed to go somewhere for some sun and it slipped his mind that he needed to pay for it?
I don't really think the prostitution story (unless it involved underage girls) is of much issue as well, but it is related.
So, it was just luck that the Daily Caller found women who would say they were with Sen. Menendez, and found records of flights during that time, and turns out Sen. Menendez didn't report the flights as required...that's just all coincidence?
How about Saddam's WMDs?
I cite Iraq's nonexistent WMDs to illustrate how many, especially the Wingers, glom to what they want to believe in spite of there being no evidence for that belief.
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Rob, so, since Bush lied about WMDs this means Menendez is telling the truth? Huh?
Every time I hear stuff like this I can't help but remember the WKRP intro...
"As God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly".
--Les Nessman
Mr Carlson is the one who thought turkeys could fly.
was it?? Im sure you're right but Les was doing the on-the-scene reporting, yes?
"They're hitting the ground like bags of wet cement."
Les didn't know what was going to happen. Carlson sent him out to cover the PR event for the station and the turkeys were supposed to be a surprise. Which is why Les sounds shocked and horrified as the turkeys plummet to their deaths.
Who would have believed that even Bob Woodward was at his heart a Wes Nessman.
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The Watergate reporting was not a due to a savior wearing journalist's clothes, or due to a man with a conscience wearing the clothes of a cop. Nixon would have gotten away with his fiction were it not for the ambition of a man who believed he would be a better FBI chief.
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We were saved by the darkness of ambition, whose interests happened to coincide with the greater public good. Isn't it time those of us in leadership use our positions to reward those motivated by conscience and punish those motivated by dark inclinations? Because it seems to me the whole thing is backwards. Bradley Manning is being court martialled for revealing the truth about the coverups-such as the the crew of Crazyhorse 21 who murdered the Iraqi civilians and 2 reuters reporters who were assisting the wounded. It isn't a crazy conspiracy. The video Manning released clearly shows the crew killing unarmed civilians not retrieving arms, but the bodies of the wounded, giving misleading reports to commanders in order to gain permission to fire. These are incontrovertible facts. It is also a fact engagement rules forbid firing unless combatants are engaging allied troops. After all of this comes out, where is the results of the internal investigation of the actions of the Crazyhorse 21 crew?
Is the law being brought to bear as harshly on them as on Manning the truth teller? It is not cynical to simply observe the facts. This culture rewards the participants in prevarication, and punishes the truth tellers.
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There were helicopters, there was a reporter on the ground, and stuff fell from the choppers. Bags of wet cement were on the ground.
The chopper crew laughed at the turkeys. But it wasn't very funny.
And where is the reporting on Crazyhorse 21?
Sorry. Les not Wes Nessman.
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By the way, the "Turkey Drops" that WKRP was lampooning continue to this day in Arkansas. Who would have guessed such stubborn sadism could persist so in a Red State despite the attention in the late 80s from the media and animal rights protesters? (Story on 2011 FAA warning to pilots not to participate in the tradition)
Really, some things just don't change until you put a gun to the head of the morons and force them to stop. Yeah, Mr. President- there really are red state lunatics, and they don't want to be part of the United States unless they are in control.
So what do you do with them. You confront them, and strip them of power- take all the sharp objects from their reach.
Swerver, I linked to a clip from the WKRP episode in question. That's why Mr Carlson is boldfaced and underlined, it's a hyperlink, so you don't have to take my word for it or try to rely on your memory.
All of this is fun (kicking Tucker Carlson is always a plus), but really, why do we care, and just one word: Vitter
Menendez is single, Vitter not; sketchy/retracted testimony against Menendez; Vitter in the black book
So, I say throw the book at Menendez. Subject him to the same terrible punishment as Vitter. Oh, wait...
IOKIYAR!
They're jonesing for a false equivalence to Rush Limbaugh. Isn't Rush Limbaugh having sex terrifying enough for every media outlet?
Shame on you media!
Ewwwewwweeee.....Ick Ick ICK!!!
I need a shower now!
Ack! Now I have to squeegee my monitor...
Rush is still looking for his pecker, hasn't seen it in years.
One idly wonders how ABC covered "Diaper Dan" Vitter's misbehavior.
Oh, they didn't? That was left to CNN's Ashleigh Banfield.
Thanks, Trollop. Gonna need some mental Comet and SOS pads to get THAT image outta my mind *shudder*
"the only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about."
oscar wilde
Just reading the words Tucker Carlson makes me want to take a shower...
It's not like he had that far to go, but damn Carlson has sunk so low, so fast. Wasn't it just last week that the Daily Caller ran a retraction admitting they were punked by Bob Woodward? They're a joke.
<i>Last fall, Republican operatives, who insisted on anonymity, </i>
And just why is ABC allowing these "operatives" who a) tried to burn them with a false story and b) may have committed or be complicit in an illegal act remain anonymous?
The Daily Crawler?
The Daily Caller has been BUSTED! Now the rest of the media should pile on everyone and anyone who is associated with this false story including the blog. Fox and the conservative media will run away because they do not want to get tainted for fear that it might spread to their audience.
Maybe if Menendez was a member of a group with a historical pattern of tawdry behavior – like Family Values Right Wing Conservatives – ABC would have had a basis to follow through on their investigation.
ATTENTION: In the interest of keeping this great blog free of "circus-like" diversions, I propose that we just ignore our dear old friend Shooter and his off the wall posts. Otherwise we will be exhausting ourselves rebutting his ridiculous remarks instead of commenting on the important issues of the day.
I've been ignoring shooter for months. He just repeats the same stupid "talking points" over and over. If he ever had an original idea, I have't seen it. Just a bunch of regurgitated fox.
Trolls are funny people, and rarely have enough insight beyond what they are told by the Alpha Male they've a crush on. Trolls aren't leaders, they are followers in every sense of the word. Seriously, if you can't laugh at them, then you need to reassess your own values.
If Shooter ever has an original thought in his head, it will die of loneliness.
Tucker Carlson's Daily Caller Website Funded by Climate Change Denier Foster Friess | MyFDL
Would it be possible to get an opinion from Foster Friess on the Tucker Carlson Odyssey, does he think he is getting his $3,000,000.00 dollars worth of electrons?
Somehow I knew the Wing Nuts would have a problem with the "Liberal Media" NOT covering fake news ... No, not even fake news, something pulled from someones ass ....
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