Ehrlich Aide Ousted Over O'Malley Rumors

washingtonpost ^ | February 9, 2005 | By Matthew Mosk

[TheOtherOne]

Ehrlich Aide Ousted Over O'Malley Rumors

Web Postings, E-Mail Spread Affair Gossip

By Matthew Mosk

Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, February 9, 2005; Page A01

Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley yesterday accused agents of Maryland Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s administration of spreading false rumors that he had an extramarital affair, and Ehrlich responded hours later by dismissing a longtime employee.

The mayor, a Democrat considering a bid for governor in 2006, said he believes that the widespread and persistent rumors were part of a "concerted and orchestrated and sustained" effort and called on the Republican governor to apologize to his wife and children.

"I don't put up with this," Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. said of rumors being spread about the Baltimore mayor. (Chris Gardner -- AP)

[Keith in Iowa]

O'Malley Blames GOP Plot For Rumors (MD GOVERNOR'S AID FIRED FOR FREE REPUBLIC POSTS)

[TheOtherOne]

The mayor said he deliberated for months about how to fend off the rumors and could not come up with a workable strategy.

"The cowardly and hurtful, insidious and vicious nature of this sort of character smear is that there is so little that you can do to defend your family and the integrity of your marriage against these sorts of attacks without aiding those whose primary goal is to spread these falsehoods," he said. "It's a very insidious thing." "I don't put up with this," Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. said of rumors being spread about the Baltimore mayor. Steffen discussed the rumors on the conservative Web site FreeRepublic.com during the summer of 2004. He posted them under the name NCPAC, a reference to one of his early employers, the National Conservative Political Action Committee.

[ken5050]

It's not his fault his paper gets delivered late..(g)

[TheOtherOne]

Or that people change the CORRECT TITLE

"Ehrlich Aide Ousted Over O'Malley Rumors"

[ken5050]

hey, I was on your side...

[TheOtherOne]

I know, I'm just teasing anyway. . .

I did search, but I have been 2nd many times...

of course, I seached "Erlich" so nada came up.

[TheOtherOne]

I know, I'm just teasing anyway. . .

I did search, but I have been 2nd many times...

of course, I seached "Ehrlich" so nada came up.

[ken5050]

I know the feeling.."Search" and I are just not compatable..never works for me...but there are always so many here willing, eager to point out your faux pas..THEY need a life, or a life as an Admin Moderator..

[TheOtherOne]

life as an Admin

That's akin to nursery school teacher...no thanks.

[GeronL]

It was a Freeper.

[TheOtherOne]

I know, just late to the party. . . was at hospital earlier, so I thought I was breaking news.

[lawetzel]

The main point here isn't that rumors were flying about Mayor O'Malley, although I find that deplorable, but rather that they have been going around for 5 years. O'Malley waited until he had a strategic moment to pin the blame on an Ehrlich employee to make a fuss about the rumors. O'Malley does everything that he does in a calculated move toward the governor's race (and he has his eye on that big office in DC). I'm from Baltimore and have watched this guy with dread for a while now.