Matthews let Republican tag team push conspiracy theories about purported

[NNN0LHI]

http://mediamatters.org/items/200610070004

Matthews let Republican tag team push conspiracy theories about purported Democratic role in Foley scand

Summary: On Hardball, Chris Matthews allowed Republican Reps. Jack Kingston and Patrick McHenry to offer up conspiracy theories about purported Democratic involvement in the Foley scandal, challenging their claims only occasionally. In addition, Matthews did not host a Democrat or progressive to balance the discussion.

On the October 6 edition of MSNBC's Hardball, host Chris Matthews allowed two Republican congressmen, Jack Kingston (GA) and Patrick McHenry (NC), to push wholly unsubstantiated conspiracy theories about Democrats' purported prior knowledge of communications former Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL) allegedly had with former congressional pages. While Matthews did occasionally press Kingston and McHenry to support their accusations during the segment, he did not host a Democrat or progressive to balance the discussion.

When Matthews asked McHenry if Democrats "had anything to do with holding information" about Foley's alleged communications with the former pages "and dropping it on ABC," the network that first publicized the story, McHenry replied that "I don't know that they did not," and then noted that he has written a letter demanding that "{House Democratic Leader} Nancy Pelosi {A} and {Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chairman] Rahm Emanuel {IL} ... submit themselves under oath and say clearly, yes or no, did they have prior knowledge of the instant messages and/or emails." When Matthews asked if House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-IL) should also have to take such an oath, Kingston replied affirmatively, because "I think that would exonerate him." But McHenry later stated that "this is not about Dennis Hastert" and added: "{T}he only question that remains is what did the Democrat {sic} leadership know and when did they know it?" Matthews also failed to challenge Kingston's statement that he "would be very surprised if Foley's opponent {Democratic challenger Tim Mahoney} knew absolutely nothing of this."

As Media Matters for America has noted, The Hill newspaper reported that the media received Foley's alleged emails "from a House GOP aide" who "has been a registered Republican since becoming eligible to vote." As Media Matters has also noted, ABC investigative reporter Brian Ross reportedly said that the sources for his initial Foley report -- to the extent they had partisan affiliations -- were Republicans.

[NRaleighLiberal]

1. It's all - and ONLY - about the ratings ($$$$$$$$).

Why does the media hate our freedoms? Why to they enable the lies?

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

[Kierkegaard]

2. If it wasn't for the fact that they routinely allow Repunks to

beat the shit out of Democrats without any rebuttal whatsoever, I might agree with you. There are other ways to get ratings. This despicable garbage is as much about propping up the ring of organized criminals running our government as it is about money. One begets the other.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

3. "I don't know that they did not,"

For that matter, I do not know that the Air Force is not hiding aliens and flying saucers in an underground base in New Mexico.

Great "logic."

[NNN0LHI]

5. But we should be polite and not call Foley a pedophile according to some

Hard to believe.

Don

[never_get_over_it]

8. We're not being polite

those of us who will not call Foley a pedophile unless there is some evidence that he was having these kind of interactions with a prepubescent child are not being polite we're being accurate. Get a dictionary

Foley is a sexual predator, to my mind a pervert, hypocrite and a world class ass hole - but not a pedophile....

Don't you think calling him a sexual predator is bad enough....?

[kentuck]

4. I don't know that I agree with this...

They would love to make it a Dem vs Repub issue. That's what would happen if they offer a Democrat the opportunity to deny the charges of the Repubs. i thought Matthews did quite well making them look foolish. I'm not sure it would have served our purpose to bring a Democrat into this mess? This is a Republican scandal. We don't need a Democrat defending themselves on this issue.

[lapfog_1]

6. I saw this and thought Tweety did a good job chopping them

both up. Kingston looked like all he cared about was House seat once held by Foley, and McHenry was just
a complete idiot "what did they (pelosi, et al) know and when did they know it".

[seabeyond]

7. the only place i see not clear that it is republican is the blog site

where they appeared. this site was out a couple weeks before abc and not where abc got their information. all information that came out was republican.... but the blog site had it and he/she wont identify themselves. crew was the other left leaning the had email and they IMMEDIATELY turned over to fbi, so they, the one leftie, did right in the middle of summer, no oct surprise there