The storyline has now taken a new, absurd turn with Republican operatives in the press claiming that Sen. Patrick Leahy, during today's Judge Sonia Sotomayor hearings, “lied” when referencing the quote today. Will the press let conservatives get away with the spin? Even money says, and how!

From NRO:

Leahy's Wise Latina Lie [Robert Alt]

After accusing Republicans of twisting Sotomayor's quote, Leahy then misquotes her, saying that she said that she “hopes a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experience would reach wise decisions.” Of course, that's not what she said. What she actually said was: “I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life.” Leahy conveniently distorted “better,” a word that Sotomayor is obviously trying to distance herself from.

The irony here is pretty much inescapable. Conservatives, with plenty of help from the press, have been purposefully mangling the meaning of Sotomayor's “Latina woman” quote for months now, claiming the judge made a “racist” statement about how a minority on the bench would make better decision than a white male on every case brought before them. That's not what she said.

Yet now conservatives are crying foul because Leahy accurately summed up the meaning of the Sotomayor quote, although used slightly different wording to so. Sadly, I'm guessing the press, which has already gone all in on the “Latina woman” misinformation, will simply echo the GOP claims about Leahy.