Discussing Obama's release of Blagojevich report next week, Politico and Hannity ignored Fitzgerald's reported request for delay
SUMMARY: The Politico reported that President-elect Barack Obama "announced he would delay the release of an internal review about contacts between his aides and Blagojevich's office until next week," but did not report that Obama said that while the review was complete, "The U.S. attorney's office asked us to hold off releasing those [findings] for a week." Despite Obama's explanation, Sean Hannity asked: "Why can't we get it out this week?"
In a December 16 article, the Politico reported that President-elect Barack Obama "announced he would delay the release of an internal review about contacts between his aides and [Illinois Gov. Rod] Blagojevich's [D] office until next week," but did not report that Obama said at his December 15 press conference that while the review was complete, "The U.S. attorney's office asked us to hold off releasing those [findings] for a week." Indeed, on December 15, U.S. attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald reportedly issued this statement:
"After the President-elect announced an internal transition team investigation, the United States Attorney's Office requested a brief delay of the release of a report of that investigation to conduct certain interviews."
Despite Obama's explanation, on the December 15 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, Sean Hannity asked, "Why can't we get it out this week?" Hannity added: "You know, considering this has been going on for a complete week here. You know, how long is it going to take? ... [W]hy don't we release it today? Tomorrow? Wednesday? I would think it's doable in this day and age -- not if you want to hide something, though."
From the December 16 Politico article:
Blagojevich faces a short, universally painful list of options as the state legislature and the state Supreme Court weighs measures to oust him, and the Justice Department continues its corruption probe.
He could stay in office and battle it out. He could step aside temporarily. Or he could resign - but only after trying to strike a deal for leniency with prosecutors, according to interviews Monday with eight Illinois legal experts.
Almost no matter what he decides, the case shows little sign of a quick resolution.
That's no help to President-elect Barack Obama, who would prefer nothing more than to get his home-state governor out of office, and out of the headlines.
Ensuring further distractions for the presidential transition, Obama announced he would delay the release of an internal review about contacts between his aides and Blagojevich's office until next week.
A criminal trial could bring to light - in all their tape-recorded glory - whatever conversations took place between Obama aides and Blagojevich over filling Obama's Senate seat.
Blagojevich talked tough Monday about staying in office, repeating that he'll fight the charges all the way to the courthouse. He's retained Ed Genson, a respected criminal defense attorney who is known in Chicago for taking cases to trial.
"Technically, he has very few options," said Dennis Rendleman, an attorney and assistant professor of legal studies at the University of Illinois at Springfield.
From the December 15 broadcast of ABC Radio Networks' The Sean Hannity Show:
HANNITY: Now, Obama says that he's going to be releasing all of the details of his staff's contacts with Blagojevich, quote, "sometime next week." Now, you got to admit this is pretty good stuff. Now, remember when the Reverend Wright story broke? Remember, the Chicago Trib, the Chicago Sun-Times, all of a sudden they got the call that they had been wanting answers to questions involving Tony Rezko and this corrupt land deal for the longest time. But as soon as the Jeremiah Wright stuff broke, they got a call from the Obama camp -- "By the way, today's a good day. Why don't you guys come down; we'll give you all of the details you need on Tony Rezko, not on Jeremiah Wright."
Now, why did they do it that way? 'Cause it got buried. Because the Obama campaign knew that the Rezko deal would not be a big story and it got buried. And they were successful.
So Obama says he's going to release all the details about his staff contacts with Blagojevich, quote, "sometimes next week." All right, so let's think. Next week -- when's the big day? When's the big release coming? Is it going to come on Wednesday or Thursday? Now, let's see. Let me look at my calendar. Oh, that's right, next week is Christmas week. Oh, that's right, Hannity's off next week. Most of talk radio's off next week. Oh, it's Christmas week. Let me see.
Christmas Eve would probably be a good time -- a lot of people paying attention on Christmas Eve. Then, of course, we could always release it early Christmas morning, when everybody's tuned into the news on Christmas morning. I mean, if you had damaging information to release, when do you think you'd want to release it? Christmas Eve? The day before Christmas Eve? The day after Christmas? Do you think most people are paying attention to the news? No, they're not.
So -- oh, there you go, Hannity. You're just -- you're asking for the -- everything to be released. Well, it's Monday of this week. Why can't we get it out this week? You know, considering this has been going on for a complete week here. You know, how long is it going to take? How about every member of the Obama staff give every email, every contact that they can remember, and every phone record that they can get, and why don't we release it today? Tomorrow? Wednesday? I would think it's doable in this day and age -- not if you want to hide something, though.
I realize that these "Hannity ignored..." or "Hannity failed to note..." threads may seem tedious to the WITHers, but they provide valuable documentation of the Troglodyte Talkers' favorite propaganda tactic.... omitting relevant information.
Pukes like Hanniturd and Pigboy Limbaugh got away with this crap in the 90s because there was no one to call them on it.
Hannity and the other ilk seem to forget that this is the google, you tube age. They can't lie and get away with it anymore.
I think they're happy as long as they can "get away with it" with a certain number of people. This very issue was in an item at this site, just yesterday, and more than one conservative poster left comments showing that they still believed the BS that was just debunked in front of their own eyes.
Besides, their target audience is still in the silent movie age.
Aw, be fair, Wookie, they're at least up to the mid 20th Century.
Yes, it is possible to misinform someone by way of omission.
Hannity and the rest of the professional right-wing liars want to plant any seeds of doubt they can find in hopes that it festers into a prevailing view of Obama as a sinsister and secretive despot.
Yes, it is possible to misinform someone by way of omission.
Not only possible but EASY. Read the transcript or watch the clip. The comments sound reasonable and even true IF you don't already know the facts. Quite believable.
meant to break that up in paragraphs . .. the quote is Hannity's. I thought it was pretty funny . ..
Yeah, Sean does seem pretty excited about it.
"Why can't we get it out this week? You know, considering this has been going on for a complete week here. You know, how long is it going to take?"
Geez, I'd hate to be his mother this week, trying to tell him not to open all of his presents.
I imagine she got him some oliver north action figures
But he really wanted the anatomically correct Fawn Hall Doll, complete with working paper shredder (Batteries not included).
Too bad they weren't as concerned about "timely" release of information in regards to the bailout. These idiots really are putting politics above policy. Anything to score a point...
"Now, let's see. Let me look at my calendar. Oh, that's right, next week is Christmas week. Oh, that's right, Hannity's off next week. "
Right, it's all about Hannity. I'm surprised he can get his shirt on over that head.
Rush Limbaugh claims that his audience is far more intelligent than liberal listeners! I say if they believe that than Obama did not win the last election. Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Bill Cunningham......and all others of that Ilk will continue to say anything and hope that that "Intelligent Audience of theirs will continue to swallow it "HOOK LINE & SINKER"!
The Voters did not buy any of that ridiculous dribble!
It must be so nice for Hannity to have an audience that only gets its news from him. He can say whatever he wants and they have no idea they've just been fed a pile of craap. Hannity is certainly evil for the lies and misrepresentations he spreads but he couldn't keep doing it unless his audience was so hopelessly stupid. Stupidity is the real problem here. Hannity just takes advantage of it like a thief who drives away in the car of someone who always leaves the keys in it so they won't have to look for them every time they want to use the car. Easy pickings for Hannity. Now I understand his smirk a little better.
There have been times that I refrained from using the word, "stupid" to describe the people who get their "news" ONLY from Fox. But, gee-whiz, it is so HARD to find another word. So, in apologizing to all the stupid people out there, I am sorry that I called you stupid. Your stupidity serves a valuable purpose. It guarantees the likes of Hannity, O'Reilly, Savage, and others employment. Without stupid people, they would be on the street, yelling at passersby and bumming for change.
No, not THAT kind of change.
Nahhhhhh, Faux news is replete with echo chamber of the Hannity spin.
This confirmation that Obama and his staff had no innappropriate contact with Blag is pretty important, so hopefully they'll delay it until the first week of January when more people are paying attention.
It's amazing that this knucklehead has any audience at all...
I guess it just shows the great dumbing down of America.
While I lean conservative on most economic issues and libertarian on social ones, you're dead on...whether you agree with what's said, the fact that Fox is killing the ratings game by hours and hours of opinion by talking heads is maddening.
I agree, Dex. They should let the investigation run its course. Besides, why ruin Hannity's Xmas, he can get a lot more wild speculation out of this in the next few weeks,and even if none of his wishes come true, he can spend weeks analyzing the troubling question of why it didn't happen sooner.
Honestly do you think it's best for democracy and public access to information for it to be released during the biggest holiday week of the year?
And unless my reading comp sux and I missed it, are we even going to have access to it when it's released to Fitzgerald? I just thought of that.
I don't know why Fitzgerald would ask them to delay releasing it to him for a week. Whether he got it today or next week, he would still have it, so I don't see the difference. It sounds like he's talking about release to the public.
Yeah it must be a public release for that reason. good point.
Why are you guys even worried about this? Obama's got no connection to the "scandal" and it looks like Rod is gonna skate on this one anyway. Buchanan, San Fran willie brown and Mathews tell us this is normal politics. What's the fuss? I'm waiting for Jindel to tell us he loaned the 90k to william jefferson. Case closed.
Who's worried? I'm not sure what quotes you're talking about regarding "normal politics", but I don't see Blagojevich getting away with anything. It's as hard to rationalize his behavior as it is to rationalize Jefferson's 90K in a freezer, and I haven't personally seen anyone defend either of them.
I'm not sure what any of this has to do with my post.
Libs are wringing their hands over the timeline of Obama's release of his aide's contact with Rod. MSNBC and Chris Matthews had Willie Brown and Pat Buchanan on "hardlyball" tuesday claiming that after re-reviewing the dialogue tapes of Hotrod Blago, they considered this a lot of bluster..."this is just the way things are gotten done in politics". The 90k remark was to illustrate that maybe we all have this way wrong, according to some media pundits, and that there was a perfectly reasonble expectation to find 90k in Jeff's freezer and it just aint his doing---I was trying to be funny, Brab. I've been told to lighten up.
I'm just not clear on the context here, that's the thing. Are they talking about what Blagojevich did, or are they referring to Emmanuel talking to him about who's going to fill the vacant seat? I just find it hard to believe that anyone really finds Blagojevich's actions remotely acceptable.
I took your post as sarcasm saying that Blagojevich is corrupt, no matter what the pundits say. I'm just not sure what the pundits have actually said here.
I was shocked, also, to hear Buchanan suggest that this was politics as usual. Matthews seemed a bit taken aback by the remarks of Brown and Buchanan and then I read that the Illinois state supreme court was saying there wasn't enough to Impeach and that criminality was a longstretch(paraphrasing). The politics as usual was referring to verbage used by politicians, in instances like this, citing favors or money, in the form of contributions(yeah) for consideration of choosing a replacement, or building a highway, yadda, yadda.....
Wait, Wait
Before you call Hannity on this -- you have to realize that the Right is so use to the White House (or in this case the near future White House) ignoring or manipulating the DOJ that actually having an administration that works within the boundaries of the legal system may confuse them.
I am happy to wait, just means that Fitzgearld has more time to go through the 300 hours of phone calls that were taped, including the 22 phone calls that Rahm made or was apart of during the last month or so. If I remember correctly, Obama said "no one from his office", oh wait he said "he did not have contact with the Illinois Bad Hair boy". So next week is fine, as much as Obama wants it to go away, it will continue to play out. Again, like I have said from day one, I think this just needs to play out, if Obama has nothing to do with it, GREAT. If he is apart of this then lets see how open this administration really is in the future. This is what he ran on, being open and honest. We Shall see.
Has anyone actually heard the U.S. attorney's office say they requested the information be held? Should we just shut up and fall in line because Obama said so? After the last 8 years I tend to make my own decisions.
Sean deliberately withholds the facts and lies to his audience. You have to be a sick individual to do something dishonest like that. But fibbing is not new to Sean. He's been doing this since childhood, according to him. Ask him about the paper route story or the one about how he got his first paid radio show. If you paid a nickel for every lie he's told, we can wipe out the U.S. debt.