So are the Repubs trying to pin this on the Dems?
Earlier Hastert and Shimkus made a statement regarding the Foley investigation. They related they didn’t have the Instant Messages but want to know who did. In the video below an MSNBC reporter on the Hill says there is subtext to their statement of a whisper campaign by Republicans, specifically that Dems had this and held onto it until the last minute before the midterms. He stated “there’s a whole convaluted conspiracy theory that’s already forming by Republicans pinning this on Democrats. That was part of the subtext here.”
But it has beenreported that Brian Ross received the IM’s from former pages within hours after the first story. It appears the only way the Repubs conspiracy story goes anywhere then is if they allege the Dems put the pages up to it? Is that really going to be the focus of this investigation? They’re going to go after the very kids they didn’t protect in the first place?
Good luck getting Brian Ross to name his sources. He doesn’t deal
UPDATE:Firedoglakehas more on blame the victim…they egged Foley on! Heckuva bunch of “people”
Here is the video of the end of Hastert/Shimkus statement and MSNBC reporter on the Republican whisper campaign.
UPDATE: John from Crooks and Liars on the MSNBC reporter Mike Viqueira’s in question here…
I watched with amazement Mike Viqueira’s GOP talking point messenger job right after Hastert’s press conference this morning. Never have I seen a correspondent recite verbatim what Rove would like you to hear.
SNIP
MSNBC needs to look into Viqueira’s ties in his reporting. Could he cram in anymore cover for the GOP over a sexual predator? Mike, you should be ashamed of yourself.
UPDATE: The convoluted conspiracy theory never got far andthis should kill it…
Mr. Ross dismissed suggestions by some Republicans that the news was disseminated as part of a smear campaign against Mr. Foley.
“I hate to give up sources, but to the extent that I know the political parties of any of the people who helped us, it would be the same party,” Mr. Ross said, referring to Republican.
The IM were sent to ABC by the VICTIM (the Page). Can’t blame dems for that.
I knew they would start the vast left wing conspiracy crap. Listen, my congressman is William Jefferson. I’m a registered Democrat. I could be whining about how the Republican justice department set him up, blah, blah, blah. But I don’t care how they caught Jefferson, I just want him out of office. Jefferson is even denying he did anything, and I don’t believe him because I know about his past and his associates. Foley isn’t even denying it because he is caught red-handed, so who cares who turned who in? Let the FBI figure it out. You and I would rather have a Republican than a sleaze like Jefferson, but the RNCC prefers a sleaze like Foley to a Democrat (or even another Republican with less fund-raising ability). These priorities do not represent me at all, and I don’t think they represent most Americans.
I don’t see it gaining much traction, nor do I see them pushing the story line very far. It does make sense that they’d assume this was a “dirty trick”, as that’s how they (the Republicans) play this game. In fact, I am quite pleased, if in fact they believe that this was a trick. Because that would be convenient, if they really were scared of the “timid” Dems. Because an imagined dagger can be just as useful as a real one.
Oh, yes. Please, let this story out. In full. All sides. Please Please Please!!!
Tell me something: If you were holding damaging information about the other party in order to release it before the election, don’t you think 6 weeks is too early? That sort of thing isn’t my style, but if it were, I’d do it about two weeks before the election so the entire news cycle for those last two weeks was about my opposition.
In fact, I expect Bush and Rove to lay us on with an “October Surprise” that is just something like that.