Illinois insider: New page scandal is bogus, being pushed by “high-up Democrats”; Update: Craig “outing” smear goes mainstream
posted at 8:28 pm on October 19, 2006 by Allahpundit
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Jerry Weller, call your lawyer:
Weller, [his spokesman] said, flatly denied any such thing had ever happened, couldn’t understand why the rumors were flying around and insisted that nothing would ever come of it.
The spokesman called back a half hour later or so and said the office now believes that the rumor began when reports surfaced that “one of our pages or interns was hit on by another congressman,” and then morphed from there.
So, the rumors that Weller is holed up somewhere and is “about to resign any minute” don’t appear to be true. The rumors that he is being pressed to resign by House GOP leadership also don’t appear to be true. The page rumor itself seems unsubstantiated at best and malicious at worst. There was even a rumor posted on some blogs that Weller had pulled his campaign website offline this week. Not true…
Now, I can’t guarantee you one way or another if The Rumor is true or not, of course, but I do have more than just serious doubts about it. What I am sure of is that some high-up Democrats have been pushing the heck out of this story and they ought to stop it or produce some real evidence. It may have begun as a well-meaning leak, but it certainly isn’t that now.
Er … which congressman was Weller’s spokesman thinking of, then, when he said someone else had been accused of hitting on a page?
Update: They’re not reporting the smear. They’re reporting the controversy surrounding the smear.
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Foley?
RightWinged on October 19, 2006 at 8:33 PM
Whether reporting the smear or the controversy surrounding it, I think their motives are still the same.
thedecider on October 19, 2006 at 8:51 PM
“high-up Democrats have been pushing the heck out of this story”? Where were these guys when Democrats Studds and Barney were hosting late night apartment politics for a decade?
IntheNet
IntheNet on October 19, 2006 at 8:51 PM
Truth is irrelevant. If its not, it won’t be known till after the election. Foley was guilty, so any Republican accused now is guilty by association. It’s only a few weeks to the election; when have facts mattered in the past 6 years, much less in the next 2-3 weeks.
Democrats make an unsubstantiated claim. Media supports it. Facts come out showing it’s bogus. Media don’t cover the facts (or give a token story acknowledging the error). Truth hasn’t mattered in oh-so-long.
lorien1973 on October 19, 2006 at 8:52 PM
Names please.
HerrMorgenholz on October 19, 2006 at 8:54 PM
Someone’s got to get sued. This crap has to end before many lives are ruined. Some already are. These sick pedophiles should be jailed. But if innocent folks are accused maliciously, the accusor/outer/leaker should be jailed or lose lots of money.
shooter on October 19, 2006 at 8:54 PM
I’d love to see the “old” media report how the Donks have run out of ideas and are trying to get elected by exposing sex scandals and smearing the reputations of Republican congressmen.
hahahaha, what was I thinking. Like that would ever happen.
Mallard T. Drake on October 19, 2006 at 9:04 PM
They always use the word “alleged”. Makes it easy to say anything you want.
BacaDog on October 19, 2006 at 9:16 PM
I still don’t get where the libs think they’re going with these trashy, tabloid allegations, but win or lose, I think it is going to get a lot worse in the coming years.
By the way, this is my first post. Hello to everybody.
bert169 on October 19, 2006 at 9:21 PM
When did the dems become so obsessed with who is boinking who. Geebus……the new dem platform “We’ll check your sheets for ya.” (no, Mr. Byrd, not THOSE sheets)
toottles on October 19, 2006 at 9:25 PM
Why report the smear when the controversy could do as much damage. You don’t have to produce evidence if it’s just a controversy.
Troy Rasmussen on October 19, 2006 at 9:58 PM
Call your local networks, and offer them the inside story. I’m sure they will appreciate how people continue to learn the truth.
I’ll be calling my local networks tomorrow.
DannoJyd on October 19, 2006 at 11:34 PM
Using unnamed sources ought to be illegal. I don’t mean in these matters exclusively. Making claims of unethical or criminal behavior based on anonymous sources does not allow the presumed innocent to face his/her accuser. It, as we know, presents a efficient “poo flinging” avenue for stirring up the emotions of the voting public who in many cases deem the accused guilty by the mere sensationalism of the report.
I’m certain that if conservative blogs flooded the net with outrageous claims of sexual misconduct against democraps; that the msm would discount them as unreliable, right-winged smear.
The Monica incident does not apply (I know that some will try to make the similarity) because there was evidence and the source was named.
Way to go there msm. Unbiased, fact reporting my a$$.
jarhead05 on October 20, 2006 at 9:56 AM
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