On Sunday shows, Russert and Stephanopoulos continued to advance baseless charge of Democratic involvement in Foley scandal
SUMMARY: Tim Russert and George Stephanopoulos advanced the baseless claim that Democrats are behind the scandal involving former Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL), asking their Democratic guests to respond to the accusations despite ample evidence that they are false.
On the October 8 broadcasts of NBC's Meet the Press and ABC's This Week, hosts Tim Russert and George Stephanopoulos advanced the baseless claim by House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-IL) and others that Democrats are behind the scandal involving former Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL), asking their Democratic guests to respond to the accusations despite ample evidence that the accusations are false, as Media Matters for America has noted.
On This Week, Stephanopoulos asked Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-IL), chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee: "All week long, there have been suggestions by -- on talk radio and by Republicans and their allies that this was perhaps a Democratic dirty trick, and I just want to ask you plainly: Did you or your staff know anything about these emails or instant messages before they came out?" In fact, as Emanuel pointed out in response, and as Media Matters for America has noted, ABC investigative reporter Brian Ross -- who broke the Foley story for Stephanopoulos's own network -- reportedly said that the sources for his initial report, to the extent they had partisan affiliations, were Republicans. In addition, The Hill newspaper reported that a House Republican aide provided Foley's alleged emails to the media.
On Meet the Press, Russert quoted Hastert from an October 4 Chicago Tribune interview asserting,"The people who want to see this blow up are ABC News and a lot of Democratic operatives, people funded by George Soros," then added that Soros "has given millions and millions of dollars to Democratic causes." He then asked Missouri State Auditor Claire McCaskill, a Democratic candidate for Senate, "Have any Democratic operatives been involved in spreading this information?" Russert asked McCaskill to respond to Hastert despite Ross's statement and The Hill's report, as well as Hastert's own admission that he has no evidence to support his accusation. When asked to explain his statement to the Tribune during an October 5 press conference, Hastert said, "I only know what I've seen in the press and what I've heard. There's no ultimate, real source of information but that's what I've read." In addition, the Chicago Tribune reported on October 6 that Republican officials rebuked Hastert for advancing the theory that Democrats were behind the Foley scandal:
Comments that Hastert made in a Tribune interview suggesting the scandal had been orchestrated by ABC News, Democratic political operatives aligned with the Clinton White House and liberal activist George Soros were considered a serious misstep in national Republican circles, an official said. Senior Republican officials contacted Hastert's office before his news conference Thursday to urge that he not repeat the charges, and he backed away from them in his news conference.
"The Chicago Tribune interview last night -- the George Soros defense -- was viewed as incredibly inept," a national Republican official said. "It could have been written by [comedian] Jon Stewart."
Democrats ridiculed assertions that party operatives arranged the scandal.
From the October 8 broadcast of ABC's This Week:
STEPHANOPOULOS: All week long, there have been suggestions by -- on talk radio and by Republicans and their allies that this was perhaps a Democratic dirty trick, and I just want to ask you plainly: Did you or your staff know anything about these emails or instant messages before they came out?
EMANUEL: George, never saw them, and I'm going to say one thing: Let's go through the facts right here.
REP. ADAM PUTNAM (R-FL): But were you aware of them? You said you didn't see them.
EMANUEL: Never saw them. Let me go right through the facts. One, Brian Ross, who broke this story on your network, said it came from a Republican source -- very unusual to do that. Fact two: The Hill paper said it came from a Republican source. All the Republicans and staff people who are coming forward are Republicans. Mark Foley, who wrote the emails originally at the bottom of this whole problem, Republican. The leadership of the Congress from [Rep.] Tom Reynolds [R-NY] to [House Majority leader Rep.] John Boehner [R-OH] to Speaker Hastert, who can't come on this show --
STEPHANOPOULOS: So you're not aware of -- no involvement.
EMANUEL: No, we never saw them -- no involvement and she said -- not anything, George, and the fact is this is a wholly --
PUTNAM: Was there awareness? Was there any awareness?
EMANUEL: No, never saw them. The first time I ever saw these things right here when Brian Ross broke the show [sic] and when the Post had the story. What you guys want to do is take your dirty laundry and throw it over the fence and try to blame other people for the problem.
From the October 8 broadcast of NBC's Meet the Press:
RUSSERT: But Ms. McCaskill, Speaker Hastert said this: "The people who want to see this blow up are ABC News and a lot of Democratic operatives, people funded by George Soros," who has given millions and millions of dollars to Democratic causes. Have any Democratic operatives been involved in spreading this information?
McCASKILL: Tim, as a former prosecutor, I had to handle dozens and dozens of heartbreaking cases where children had been sexually abused, where predators had been doing their work. I know this, that when a 50-year-old man is asking a teenage boy on the Internet for his picture, the response needs to be something other than "I better go tell the chairman of the Republican campaign committee." Clearly, what has happened here is an arrogance of power, it's about holding onto power instead of doing the right thing. And Washington is not working. This shouldn't be about power; this should be about protecting kids and calling the authorities, calling the Ethics Committee. They didn't even tell the Democrat on the Page Committee. This was about a cover-up. I think it's wrong. I think it is a great example of how out of touch Washington is and how they've got their priorities all wrong.
RUSSERT: Should the speaker resign?
McCASKILL: Yes.
RUSSERT: Should the investigation be reported before the election?
McCASKILL: Yes.
RUSSERT: And do you have any information that Democratic operatives may have been spreading this information?
McCASKILL: Absolutely -- I'm, I'm, I'm from Missouri. I'm not really in contact with Democratic operatives from Washington, D.C. I know as a former prosecutor and as a mother of teenagers, like [panelist Sen.] Jim [Talent (R-MO)], that, I know that, if my child was that page and I found out they called the head of the campaign committee instead of the Ethics Committee and the authorities, I'd be hopping mad.
It is stunning that either of these news people promoted this baseless claim and here's why:
Let's look at what the Republicans have done to themselves only this year--Duke Cunningham, in Jail, corruption, Tom DeLay, indicted, resigned from the House, Bob Ney, pled guilty to Corruption in Abramoff scandal, not returning to Congress, and look at Republican Abramoff, guilty, serving time, now Foley has 'quit', this is the fourth in ONE year--not one investigation in the House, ever occured under Hastert for any of these scandals, and yet Mr. Russert is going to run with Hastert's baselss claim on the Foley scandal over and above what Mr. Russert's colleagues have stated? Stunning, Amazing!
I must question anyone'ss reasons for even promoting this baseless claim by Hastert, and when they do so, they put their own integrity into question.
Stunning, Amazing,
Hold on! (and let me for the record say that I think MMFA does a bang up job most of the time.)
In my opinion, I think that Stephanopolous and Russert are merely reporting the statements that Hastert and other repoublicans have said. It's also my opinion that they are merely offering up a devils-advocate style question, so that they can ask the guests (both Democrats, mind you) to comment on it.
MMFA is treading on pretty murky ground here, and it's not the first time they've done it. My point? I think that Stephanopolous and Russert aren't simply advancing Hasterts claims (as MMFA contends,) as if they believed them, but rather are simply offering up a counterpoint, so that the guests can effectively state how ridiculous they are (which they both did.)
This is good, because it's the difference between networks that report news, and stations like Fox that take the talking points advanced by Hastert and make them their own. Remaining objective is not a crime, and allowing both sides their opportunities is not wrong. I wish they would find a better way to word their articles and headlines sometimes, because it almost makes Russert and Stephanopolous (WOW, that's hard to type fast!) sound as if they believe what they are saying, which I don't think is the case.
If we worried a little less about this sort of thing and focused on the REAL injustices, such as on The Beltway Boys (A Fox News Show) last night, who again advanced the claim that Foley's emails were merely "friendly" in a critique of Democratic Leader Pilosi's outrage that Hastert and other republicans didn't react the way they should have, and also equating Foleys actions to the fact that he is a gay man.
And the danger is that some Republicans have made accusations that Democratic party was involved in leaking the Foley scandal.. The talking point has been pushed by Fox. Just because Fox and other media outlets have allowed unsubstantiated rumors to be reported doesn't make it a newsworthy story for ABC and NBC. For ABC and NBC to even acknowledge Democratic involvement is nothing more than rumor mongering. If there is proof that the Democratic Party is responsible for leaking this, that's one thing, but it still doesn't mean that the emphasis should now turn away form Hastert and other Republicans who covered this up.
It was a Republican contacting young men and asking them inappropriate questions and it was the Republican leadership that knew and did nothing.
Repeating baseless accusations, which these are, without also reporting the evidence, which is in the public domain, that it IS baseless, is a form of misinformation. If I told your wife that Sally from across the street, was saying YOU were out with another woman, even though I KNEW you were out with me at the time she is claiming but forgot to mention that part to your wife, do you think it might just make you angry? Or would you say, oh well, so you mean you are just telling her what Sally is saying, thats ok then.
I understand that they are asking the question to be devils-advocates or to play both sides, but the questions could be asked more diplomatically...how about to any Repub or Dem: Is there anything to support the claim by the GOP that Democratic operatives had some involvement in the Foley scandal? All this does is ask for some basis to support the GOP's fundamental accusation. Otherwise, as in these cases, it becomes a loaded question already implying that Repubs may be on to something with their accusations. This was a good, and more subtle, catch by MMFA.
The Grand Old Pervert Party ( a new cartoon) When I saw the Fox news picture of Foley, with a (D)below his face, and then the Right Wing Blogs that were brought to my attention by www.democraticwarrior.com , my blood started to boil. Damn these Lies and lying liars. I've had enough of this disinformation. That's why I tackled these Family Values hypocrites in my latest toon. Including the lies from Fox news that Foley was a Democrat! (arggg)! It's my hope that these brainwashed Family Value Voters will wake up and see the light, and either vote these monsters out of office or stay home hiding in shame over the fact that they decided to vote for someone over a few crummy slogans. to see my Folly GOP cartoon, go to my website www.whatnowtoons.com
Also had on its website a reference to the two Congressmen in 83 whom they identified as 'Two Democrats, Studds, and Crance who were censured for having sex with pages'.
Crane was a Republican, so this adding a (D) to identify ALL sexual allegations to the Democrats is catching on, it seems and spilling over into CNN as well.
Now it's one thing to make such a 'mistake 'initially, but two such 'mistakes' on two different news channels, in the same type of manner, that isn't so coincidental. Disinformation, why we used to call this merely a typal Republican 'dirty trcik' back in the 70's, 80's. There guys have been doing the same types of things for decades, nothing new.
What is new is Media Matters and all of us calling them on the carpet for it to let them know they can't get away with it any longer.
George Stephanopoulos did not "advance" anything MMFA.
I watched the entire exchange via crooksandliars.com, and here's what happened, which apparently MMFA doesn't understand.
1. Repubs make (baseless) claims that Dems are part of the smear campaign against Repubs, that it's some sort of October Surprise conspiracy.
2. George Stephanopoulos asks if this is true to Rahm Emanuel.
3. Mr. Emanuel is provided an opportunity to go through, point by point, how the story was broken and how the Dems had nothing to do with it. He demonstrates the Repubs are clearly lying. He references the individuals and organization that broke the story so that viewers can verify his facts.
4. The Repubs talking points are demonstrated to be false, and the viewers are left better informed.
I don't understand at all how MMFA construes this exchange as George Stephanopoulos "advancing" anything. Given the context of the past week, it was a perfectly reasonable question to ask. Would MMFA prefer that the baseless claims of conspiracy advanced by Repubs go unchallenged and ignored?
A more apt headline and framework for discussing this exchange would have been "Republican claims of Democratic conspiracy in creating the Foley scandal are demonstrated to be false on ABC's This Week with George Stephanopoulos."
No need to worry. The Repukes have tried to blame gays, fear of gay bashing, alcohol, friendliness, Democrats, molestation by a Catholic priest, the page boy himself, the buck stopping here, there, everywhere, Clinton's pardon policy, the weather outside. None of it has worked and none of it will work for the Repukes are going the way of the dinosaur and all that will be left before all is said and done is a few fossils.
All this Repugnicant desperation and no Rovian solution hahaha I can barely contain my joy.
ROFLMAO and sipping champagne
Brian Ross already had stated that a Republican had provided the emails and initiated this issue. The 'Hill" had also backed that claim up.
Why wasn't that included then in the statements?
No, this is definitely a typical Republican spin job--baseless claims in hopes to spin away the fingers pointing where it belongs-- On the Republicans.
because there really wouldn't be a point of bringing it up in the debate, discussion etc with the guests, if they were going to answer their own questions. The format of the show is different ... you bring people on because you believe they have a point of view to share, so you ask them questions, and you allow them to elaborate, rather than feeding them the information you would like them to say. That sounds a lot like a certain network owned by Rupert Murdock, and we don't need any more of that, ... no thanks!
Isn't confined to just one show, or two shows, as MMFA has noted on the homepage, it began with Harball Last week, and is making the rounds.
What MMFA does know, I am sure, is that old propaganda point, 'repeat a lie often enough and it becomes the truth" which is why this has been flagged, I think, as 'promoting' the lie.
The Republicans have a history in this type of thing which stretches way back even during Nixon's time. This is nothing new, for the Republicans it is their typical 'dirty trick' playbook style of campaign.
Keep this spinning around and around this lie will become 'truth' while the 'truth' is totally kept out of the lie.
Good comments though, interesting discussion all the way around.
MMFA has gone a little overboard on this one, at least with George Stephanopoulos. I thought it was a great segment and George simply provided his guests the opportunity to refute the (almost immediate) Republican claims that this whole thing was orchestrated by Dems.
The point is to get you to question things where there really is no question. Create doubt in the viewers mind. "Well maybe the Democrats had something to do with this.."
On CNN’s Late Edition republican Rep. Patrick McHenry tried to make this same baseless charge and Blitzer did what most reporters have failed to do: He asked McHenry several times to provide evidence. When McHenry for some reason or another couldn’t provide the evidence, he asked Blitzer out of desperation for evidence that the baseless charge was not true. Blitzer should have asked him if he was still having sex with animals even though he had no evidence to corroborate it.
A video of old Mr. Neo con himself, Newt Gingrich, saying the exact same thing that McHenry had said, and Wolfie didn't comment upon that video, so in my mind it canceled it out and let stand the baseless claim.
So, the Dems outed one of their own, for I saw on Fox that Foley is a Dem.
Therefore, the neocons should be proud of the Dems for outing one of their own for the sake of children.
they aren't smart enough to have concocted this.
yes, i know, that's a brutal assessment, but let's be realistic:
they've lost the white house to g. bush twice, arguably not the brightest bulb in the box.
they've utterly failed to take advantage of the ongoing trainwreck that is the bush administration, and the republican congress.
it's a sad commentary that in spite of all the death & destruction to people, property and civil rights, wreaked by bush and the republicans, since jan. 2001, it may well take dirty IM's & e-mails, from mark foley to an underage male house page, to finally wake up the american voters.
shame on all of us!
it's hard out here for a Dem. Seriously, it is very difficult to take advantage of the "trainwreck" that is the bush (lowercase intentional) administration precisely because of the unfair media treatment that MMFA is trying to expose. The right loves to cry "liberal media bias". This is a myth. Even in the days before faux news, there was no "liberal bias". Just because there is unfavorable reporting doesn't mean there is a "liberal bias". I don't recall Clinton getting a free pass from the media during the Lewinsky mess. Until the media understand that the American people are sick of these weak-kneed and collaborative "reporters" mindlessly parroting the right-wing talking points, we will continue to find it difficult to make any headway.
there are the voting machines...
Let's just tell it as it is: Tim Russerts STINKS! The corporate mainstream media has a bunch of really lousy reporters, who are all past their prime with huge contracts. They are really, really baaaaaaaad. I switched exclusively to watching viewer-supported news on LINK-TV and Free Speech TV, DISH 9410 & 9415, about a year ago. It will change your life, if you do this, see the real news on TV, not the corporate-controlled news. Viewer-supported news, no commercials, uncensored/unfiltered/unbiased news.
If you have cable, get rid of it for DISH, for LINK-TV & FSTV. Democracy NOW! news is on LINK & FSTV, with Amy Goodman.
For example, here's today's Democracy NOW! news headlines, compare them to CNN & FOX & ABC/NBC/CBS.......
- North Korea Tests Nuclear Weapon - Brother Of Iraqi Vice President Murdered - Injury Rate for U.S. Soldiers in Iraq Soars - James Baker Considers Carving Up Iraq - NATO Commander: Afghanistan at a Tipping Point - Rove’s Top Aide Resigned Over Ties To Abramoff - Canadian PM Asks Bush to Come Clean About Maher Arar - Germany Accused of Housing Secret U.S. Prison - 1,400 Prisoners in New Jersey Threaten Hunger Strike - Journalists Secretly Helped Shape Bush’s Response to 9/11 - The Start of An Asian Nuclear Arms Race? North Korea Tests First Nuclear Weapon
-North Korea says it has carried out its first-ever test of a nuclear weapon, sparking a wave of condemnation from the international community. We talk to independent journalist Tim Shorrock, who has covered U.S.-Korean relations for over 20 years.
-Anna Politkovskaya, Prominent Russian Journalist, Putin Critic and Human Rights Activist, Murdered in Moscow
-On Saturday, Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya was shot dead at her apartment in Moscow. Police Shoot Protesters With Tasers at Pittsburgh Demo Against Jeb Bush & Sen. Rick Santorum
CNNMoney: Stocks seesaw on nuke test news
Report: Foley warned about teens in 2000
U.S. Nobel winning streak now at six
Witness: Hussein men 'buried inmates alive'
Diabetic survives on crackers, dew after crash | Video
Boy wakes after 22 months in coma
Sisters caught on tape beating girl on bus
Police find torture chamber in man's basement
SI.com: Steinbrenner -- Yankees a 'sad failure'
Anna Nicole's son mourned in his Texas hometown
Jessica Simpson taking charge of 'normal' life
Thief stomps gerbils and mice, steals snake
All that's missing is Elvis, Batboy and a page Three girl!!!
WHAT THE F*** ARE YOU WATCHING CNN FOR? ....INSTEAD OF DEMOCRACY NOW!!!!!!!! ??????
than a lot of us more verbose posters have been able to express in page after page of whining. Good job!
Repeating baseless accusations is just as bad as dreaming up new baseless accusations. There is no moral difference. The idea is to spread disinformation. Russert and Stephanopoulos are guilt as charged.
If the "Blame the Dems" attack isn't refutiated, then where does that leave us?
Are taking notes from the GOP? Responding or acknowledging something = defeat or failure
.....is not that Tim & George did anything to help "bring out the charges for refuting" they clearly brought out the charges to try and make them stick.
What was a pleasant suprise was to watch a prepared Democrat go all Clinton on them for doing it. Even as both George and the other Neocon tried to talk over him to get him to stop.
Unfortunately it was one and one as McCaskill was not as quick on her feet. You can bet even now they are quoting...
Watch for that snippet to be on Fox, Cnn and local campaign mud near you.
want to say next instead of listening to the question. You're right, it will come back to haunt her and others.
"What you guys want to do is take your dirty laundry and throw it over the fence and try to blame other people for the problem." My, my, my. Has President Clinton provided an example of how to handle the loaded question for those who have attended the Chris Wallace school of journalistic questioning?
If this weren't typical of Russert's questioning I wouldn't have as much heartburn over it, but if nothing else in the show has revealed the overall context of the charge before the charge is repeated, it emphasizes the allegation. Why not say "our own investigation has not only failed to uncover any evidentiary source for this claim, but thus far rebutted it, and Hastert himself has given none. Do you have any insight on whether the allegation has merit, or whether it is a false charge created from whole cloth?" Anything less than words to this effect leaves this exactly where Russet's show wants it: he said she said with the listener scratching his/her head and thinking, "gee, do you suppose it's true? Where there's smoke there's fire, after all."
It is a way of life among tv journalists that is long overdue a change.
STEPHANOPOULOS: All week long, there have been suggestions by - on talk radio and by Republicans and their allies that this was perhaps a Democratic dirty trick,
{stop right there . . . George, since when does "suggestions on talk radio by Republicans and their allies" constitute EVIDENCE??}
. . . and I just want to ask you plainly: Did you or your staff know anything about these emails or instant messages before they came out?
EMANUEL: . . . Let me go right to the FACTS. One, Brian Ross, who broke the story on YOUR NETWORK, SAID IT CAME FROM A REPUBLICAN SOURCE [empahsis mine]. . .
See, George, it wouldn't have been necessary for you to even ask this same question {that's been "asked" all week by the rightwing noise machine} if you had bothered to do one simple thing: CHECK WITH A SOURCE ON YOUR OWN [EXPLETIVE]ING NETWORK!
Its called RESEARCH, George . . . DO SOME!! Or, if you find that too hard, send an audition tape to Faux News - they'd love to have you . . .
Seems to me the congress is full of people who never do any wrong, according to them, and of course, always do all kinds of wonderful things for all of us! Kinda reminds me of grade school. Remember - "Oh I didn't do it!' or' Trust me" KARLY
It really does not matter who leaked what to the press, all this is smoke. The American people really should be unconcerned about the leak, or if there ever was a leak for that matter. Anyone could have come forward with this information and should be given a medal for doing so, simply for the fact of getting a child predator off the street or in this case out of the halls of corrupted Congress. I think that the G.O.P would have looked better for outing Mark Foley than they look now, trying the cover-up as usual and pointing a finger at someone else they seem to be very good at doing this. Hastert came out and blamed everyone but himself and I am glad to say that America is starting to see into just what these people are made of, Reynolds who is now trailing his opponent has came out recently with an ad saying he is sorry for not doing more, I would venture to say a lot of people knew about this thing for awhile now. As we look at poll after poll I am sure that the American people's only concern is that a predator has been ousted and gone are the days when you can 'shoot the messenger.'
"RUSSERT: And do you have any information that Democratic operatives may have been spreading this information?
McCASKILL: Absolutely -- I'm, I'm, I'm from Missouri. I'm not really in contact with Democratic operatives from Washington, D.C. I know as a former prosecutor and as a mother of teenagers, like [panelist Sen.] Jim [Talent (R-MO)], that, I know that, if my child was that page and I found out they called the head of the campaign committee instead of the Ethics Committee and the authorities, I'd be hopping mad.
so this is information.....I see it as her opinion and PURE speculation. Please show me a MOM who wouldn't be pissed off and on the rampage if slime like Foley were preying on their child. They would have the best care possible....just like Terri Sheivo, cause they would be incapable of anything after I was done with them! Death would be too damn good and the easy way out!