Dick Morris' newest conspiracy theory: Massa investigation is retaliation for voting against health care
March 05, 2010 4:48 pm ET by Matt Gertz
In the real world, extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. If you're a right-wing media figure, extraordinary claims require no evidence whatsoever.
For the last few months, these people have been running around with their hair caught on fire, screaming about the "corrupt" practices the Obama administration has been supposedly using to get health care reform passed, with nothing even remotely resembling evidence to back up their claims.
First, it was former McCain aide and Weekly Standard writer Michael Goldfarb's claim that the White House was "threatening to close" Nebraska's Offutt Air Force Base "to extort" Sen. Ben Nelson's vote - a bizarre, ever-shifting claim that was denied by both Nelson and the administration. (The allegation caused a two day hubbub and then died, probably because no one could come close to substantiating it. Even Goldfarb himself abruptly dropped it.)
Next, The Weekly Standard's John McCormack launched his completely baseless accusation that President Obama is buying Rep. Jim Matheson's (D-UT) vote on health care reform by appointing his brother, Scott Matheson, to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. McCormack provided no evidence to support the allegation, and the White House and Rep. Matheson both denied the claim.
Today, it's Dick Morris launching the baseless conspiracy theory that Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY) is facing an ethics investigation because he voted against health care reform:
Even as Matheson basks in the glow of presidential bribery, Eric Massa, a renegade Democrat from the Southern Tier of New York State faces his wrath. Massa's sin was to vote against Obamacare. So Pelosi and the ethically-challenged House Ethics Committee are investigating him for "verbally abusing" a male member of his staff. In this age of more serious offenses, using "salty language" to express his displeasure with staff work would not seem to rank high on the list of indictable offenses. If it were, Lyndon Johnson would have been impeached. But Massa is being hung out to dry as an example to other would-be independent minded Democrats. The attacks on him have gotten so bad that Massa has announced his retirement after only one term in office.
Needless to say, Morris offers no evidence whatsoever for his claim. But get ready to watch this circulate through the right-wing blogosphere.
After I decided not to run again I was told, for the first time, that a member of my staff believed I had made statements that made him feel "uncomfortable." I was told that a report had been filed with the Congressional Ethics Committee. At no point prior to this had any member of the Ethics Committee communicated with me directly - if fact I first read it on the internet.
So, after his decision, he found out about it. No evidence of the conspiracy theory.
Now, it's pretty darn doubtful that his own staff member is punishing him for the no vote by turning him in, but it's NOT the Obama Adminstration or Pelosi or the Ethics Committee that'd be doing it, which is Morris' underlying allegation. The person who made the allegation is responsible for the allegations being investigated. ANY allegation needs to be investigated, you Dick.