Eat The Press

Noted (Almost) Without Comment

NRO Media Blog |  Hotline On Call |  Posted Tuesday October 3, 2006 at 08:42 PM

NRO Media Blog, 4:21 pm today:

ABC reporter Brian Ross, who broke the Mark Foley story, hinted to The New York Times that his sources on the story have come from the Republican Party[.]
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In this context, it's worth remembering the [sic] Rep. Rodney Alexander -- who sponsored the page who received the e-mails that started all this -- was a Democrat until he switched parties in 2004. What happened to his staff?

Really? It's worth "remembering"? Or parroting?

The Hotline On Call, 5:52 pm today:

Republicans have been conducting a behind-the-scenes campaign to redirect attention away from themselves. Within 24 hours of Foley's resignation, GOP aides and Republican political operatives began pushing a story that Brian Smoot -- who was Louisiana Rep. Rodney Alexander's chief of staff before the lawmaker switched parties to the GOP in 2004 -- might have been involved in leaking the e-mails to reporters. The GOP operatives have been making the argument to a host of reporters that the leaker, by sitting on the e-mails, acted in a way that could enrage voters.
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Smoot adamantly denied any connection to the e-mails or any other aspect of the Foley case.

UPDATE: After the jump, a response (of sorts) from NRO.

Stephen Spruiell has posted an update to his original item in which he trots out something of a non sequitur:

The HuffPo's Ankush Khardori has accused me of being a GOP mouthpiece. Brilliant detective work, Ankush. Was it my post calling on Republicans to oust Dennis Hastert that tipped you off?

For what it's worth, a conversation with another journalist -- not a tip from a "GOP operative" -- got me interested in the Alexander angle. I had no idea the GOP was pushing the story, and I still think Hastert should step down. Nevertheless, I remain interested in who leaked the e-mails to Ross, because it's a compelling media story.

The relevance of Spruiell calling on Hastert to resign eludes me, since part of the point of the GOP's campaign to implicate Democrats is to try to tarnish their image -- playing politics with sexual predators! -- amidst a scandal that everyone sees is engulfing the GOP House leadership. Days ago, Spruiell thought he knew how this information got into the media, and he ended up disseminating partisan spin (knowingly or otherwise) because it fit his preconceived notion of what transpired. Things like that happen, but good journalists express some contrition when they do.

- Ankush Khardori