Tucker Carlson’s Internet Kavalcade of Krayzeee seems poised to take over Breitbart’s Propaganda & Donut Den for this year’s Crimes Against Journalism Award. But really, there are so many nominees this year, how can one choose?
The conservative media’s latest liberal-smearing scoop that ended up being an exploding cigar was the Daily Caller’s career-killing revelation — with video! — that Sen. Robert Menendez had sex with prostitutes in the Dominican Republic. Sadly for Tucker Carlson, it all appears to be a big, fat lie:
An escort who appeared on a video claiming Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) paid her for sex has told Dominican Republic police that she was instead paid to make up the claims in a tape recording and has never met or seen the senator before, according to court documents and two people briefed on her claim.
The woman identified a lawyer who approached her and a friend to make the videotape, according to affidavits obtained by the Post. That man has in turn identified another lawyer who gave him a script for the tape and paid him to find women to fabricate the claims, the affidavits say.
The escort was one of two women who taped videos that seems to support a tipster’s allegations that Menendez had patronized prostitutes while vacationing in the Dominican Republic.
This is some serious ratfucking here, like, criminal ratfucking. Slander and libel-lawsuit-generating ratfucking. Now who would do such a thing? Why Bob Menendez? Is it the Latino surname? Is this some kind of New Jersey politics thing? WTF? Who are the anonymous “Republican operatives” ABC names? As they say, more shall be revealed.
I must say, conservatives appear to have that touch of merde these days; all of their attempts to smear figures on the left seem to be backfiring worse than a 1970s gas guzzler.
There was the Tennessee Republican Party’s attempt to smear Memphis-area Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen over his Tweets to his daughter, followed by the infamous Chuck Hagel “Friends Of Hamas” smear, and Bob Woodward’s “the White House threatened me” lie.
What a difference a few failed hot scoops make. The right-wing is notorious for fabricating scandals (let’s not forget Breitbart’s Shirley Sherrod/ACORN/Muslim NPR crap). Seems like not too long ago the mainstream media would have jumped all over stuff like Menendez’s prostie-gate. At least this time when the WaPo was finally pulled into covering the story they didn’t parrot the conservative talking point but did their own investigative work.
Looks like some lessons have been learned.
Is O’Keefe allowed to leave the country? Seems like his travels were restricted after the “let’s bug Mary Landrieu’s office” debacle.
Tucker and the gang are currently having a meltdown over having seen Ashley Judd’s breasts on film. This according to him leaves nothing left for her to show “us” and thereby disqualifies her to hold public office.
They really are very very skeered of her, aren’t they.
Is it irresponsible to speculate? It would be irresponsible not to.
For the record, when I wrote this post I had no idea that the Crimes Against Journalism Award was a real thing:
http://wonkette.com/504336/friends-of-wonkette-help-us-decide-which-of-our-epic-blunders-to-submit-to-the-breitbart-awards
RE Ashley Judd, “This according to him leaves nothing left for her to show “us” and thereby disqualifies her to hold public office.”
LOL. So in other words, there’s an expectation that Senate candidates who haven’t stripped nekkid for the cameras will in the future?
And by the way, I seem to recall Scott Brown stripping nekkid for the cameras. Don’t recall Tucker having the vapors then. Oh, I forgot, IOKIYAR. Also, boys do it all the time …
I do declare, I might have to demand the smelling salts over the exposure of Ms Ashley’s “assets” on the cinematic screen where it seems the delicate soul of a certain yellow journalist was pierced by the vulgarity of those delicate and, I must say, desirable lady parts.
And to think that the dastardly US senator, Mr McConnell has refused to denounce this pusillanimous and outrageous effrontery upon the honor of this fine lady. He is no gentleman. In a more genteel era, Mr McConnell would have been tied to a carriage wheel and thus horsewhipped as due punishment for this reprehensible insult.
Talking Points Memo is unfortunately correct — they say “Washington, D.C.” but it’s really the general establishment — anyway, it’s hard-wired for conservatives. For example, ACORN is STILL being attacked by the Rethugs
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/05/acorn-gop-budget-bill_n_2810345.html
But Carlson et al won’t even be required to recite an Act of Contrition.
The link above is from Charles Pierce, who also linked to a Boston Phoenix report on Nadia Naffe, who’s embroiled in a big-time controversy involving James O’Keefe, Andrew Breitbart’s shade, and a number of conservative bloggers.
http://thephoenix.com/Boston/news/152325-trials-of-nadia-naffe/
Just as an aside, the story says O’Keefe’s travel restrictions have been lifted.
“Yes, he was restricted to his parents’ home state of New Jersey (oh, yeah, funny, uh, isn’t that where the Democratic Senator Menendez is from?).”
Well, well. I hadn’t thought of that! Duh!!!
the rite ARE gullible.
Your post was very informative thank you for that
I’ll bet a steak dinner to a doughnut that somewhere in this there’s James O’Keefe and/or his Veritas crew.
If the FBI were at all clued in (which they likely aren’t), they’d be looking at the passport records of O’Keefe and his known associates. Hookers reading from a script while being surreptitiously videotaped? Jaysus, that’s O’Keefe’s modus operandi.
Veritas? Why not just show a little truth in advertising and call themselves Ratfuckers `R Us?
“Is O’Keefe allowed to leave the country? Seems like his travels were restricted after the “let’s bug Mary Landrieu’s office” debacle.”
Yes, he was restricted to his parents’ home state of New Jersey (oh, yeah, funny, uh, isn’t that where the Democratic Senator Menendez is from?). The condition of his parole was that he had to get approval from the court for any travel outside the state, but, hell, there’s some evidence that he violated that in doing his little dance routine on voting fraud in NH.
He doesn’t have to leave the state to set up the evidence gaming. Any of his friends or Veritas “associates” (meaning, fellow thugs) could have done the videotaping, and/or hired the lawyers. Who paid for it all is quite another matter.
Did he do it? I dunno. However, this is not only right up his alley, but the style of it has his fingerprints all over it. By now, he’s got a track record of ratfucking, and it all follows a particular pattern. If I had to pick a person who’d be good for it, he’d be at the top of the list.