Congresswoman Asks for Probe After 'Gannon' Quits WH Reporting Post

Editor and Publisher ^ | 2/9/05

[KidGlock]

Congresswoman Asks for Probe After 'Gannon' Quits WH Reporting Post

By Joe Strupp

Published: February 09, 2005 updated 2:00 PM ET

NEW YORK Jeff Gannon, the controversial reporter for conservative Web site Talon News who drew complaints for gaining access to White House press events, resigned from his job last night amid liberal blogs' allegations about his real name and his personal and professional life.

Today, Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.) sent a letter to President Bush asking him to "address the matter" in light of "mounting evidence that your Administration has, on several occasions, paid members of the media to advocate in favor of Administration policies."

Last night, in a message on his Web site (www.jeffgannon.com), Gannon announced: "Because of the attention being paid to me I find it is no longer possible to effectively be a reporter for Talon News. In consideration of the welfare of me and my family I have decided to return to private life. Thank you to all those who supported me."

In an e-mail to E&P last Friday, not published until now, Gannon wrote: "Much has been made about whether I use a professional name or not, but I am reluctant to provide information one way or another because of the threats that have been made against my person, property and family in both internet postings ... as well as in e-mails that I have forwarded to law enforcement. I'm sure you understand."

E&P has not been able to reach Gannon again today.

Gannon, whose real name, according to investigators at DailyKos and other blogs, is James "J.D." Guckert, first gained attention several weeks ago when he asked a question at a presidential press conference that some in the press corps considered so friendly it might have been planted. Later it was revealed by E&P that Gannon had been turned down last year for a congressional press pass because he could not prove his employer was a valid news organization. That denial barred him from receiving a White House "hard pass," allowing regular access to White House press events.

But Gannon had been obtaining daily White House press passes, a situation that had irked some veteran White House reporters who also questioned his credentials or considered him to be too partisan in his questioning.

Gannon's refusal to deny he used a fake name sparked investigations by a number of blogs, including Daily Kos, Eschaton, and World O' Crap, that probed his true identity. In addition, those sites posted allegations yesterday that Web sites such as hotmilitarystud.com, militaryescorts.com, and militaryescortsm4m.com, were registered to the same owner as Gannon's personal Web site, according to the blog MediaCitizen.

In her letter to President Bush, Rep. Slaughter charged that "it appears that 'Mr. Gannon's' presence in the White House press corps was merely as a tool of propaganda for your Administration."

Dan Froomkin, the Washington Post columnist, said today in an online chat, "I had less of a beef with Gannon than I did with the folks who actually on him (at press conferences)." He said "the heat should be on" Bush spokesman Scott McClellan: "Why did he call on Gannon? Did they ever pre-arrange anything? Did they have contact with his parent organization?"

Another intriguing issue is his involvement, along with better known Robert Novak, Judith Miller and others, in the Valerie Plame/CIA episode. His name turned up on a list of reporters targeted for questioning by the federal prosecutor in the case. Froomkin of the The Washington Post wrote last spring that "the reason Gannon is on the list is most likely an attempt to find out who gave him a secret memo that he mentioned in an interview he had with Plame's husband, former ambassador and administration critic Joseph Wilson."

The Talon News site today scrubbed its archives of many "Gannon" articles and removed his biography.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Joe Strupp (jstrupp@editorandpublisher.com) is a senior editor at E&P.

[Peach]

You too!

[Puddleglum]

I'll bet the media is riddled with writers, journalists, photographers, producers, etc. who don't use the names that appear on their birth certificates........especially if the names are unspellable, unpronounceable, or too foreign-sounding.

I wonder what "Stone" Phillips' real name is? What parents would name their kid "Stone", unless they were the past tense of "stone."

[conservative in nyc]

I'm sure he is not the only reporter not using his real name. I mean, Wolf Blitzer? C'mon. lol

Interesting question, and one I'm trying to check into, but have found little.

According to americanprofile.com, Wolf Blitzer is Mr. Blitzer's real name.

According to Snopes, Geraldo Rivera's birth name is Gerald Riviera (not Jerry Rivers, as the urban legend goes).

Some female reporters use their maiden name, even if they use their married name in their everyday life. And I'm sure some reporters have ethnicized their names to sound more exotic.

[A Citizen Reporter]

Mark these posts for further reading. Thanks

[gidget7]

some in the press corps considered so friendly it might have been planted.


Are they implying planted like the MSM planted the question to Rumsfeld, by the soldier in Iraq?

[jocko12]

So whats the problem did he make the demwit reporters look bad.

[Rightly Biased]

On an earlier thread Lazamataz discussed that he just leased the space he didn't own the porn sites.

Why are you so quick to believe the Boston Globe et all?

[Trippin]

This is a LYNCHING of a conservative reporter. Let's call it by it's name.

DailyKos and the rest of the leftwing cabal have consistently demonstrated that they are fascist, racist and now apparently homophobic as well.

Make no mistake folks. They are not concerned with minority rights. They are only concerned that minorities VOTE FOR THEM. They HATE them otherwise.

Is it possible he's gay? Sure. But that doesn't matter, but it does to DailyKos. I say we amplify this, and make sure that the world knows that Gannon is being persecuted for both his conservative views, and if he is gay, for his sexual preferences.

If liberal reporters can sit there in the same room as Gannon and call the president a liar (and worse) WITHOUT any blow back, then Gannon has every right to be there as well. Don't tell me Helen Thomas is "objective".

It's time to marshall the troops and get to work on this.

[Clemenza]

Thank you, Laz, you are da man!

[Rightly Biased]

I'll try to find it on the other thread it was a long one 700 or so posts.

[eyespysomething]

http://jerome-armstrong.fromtheroots.org/

[Rightly Biased]

To: Miss Marple

Interesting...there is another thread up on this subject in which another new registrant is telling us about how all this dirt on Mr. Gannon was uncovered in the blogosphere. I am growing increasingly suspicious.

First of all, Gannon is not the registrant of the gay web sites. His site and many others are registered by a J. Daniels and the Bedrock Corporation. People often register their domain names through a professional organization who's only occupation is to do just this.

Secondly, here's the link.

posted on 02/09/2005 8:29:58 AM CST by (Proudly Posting Without Reading the Article Since 1999!)

[ | | | | ]

Interesting...there is another thread up on this subject in which another new registrant is telling us about how all this dirt on Mr. Gannon was uncovered in the blogosphere. I am growing increasingly suspicious.

First of all, Gannon is not the registrant of the gay web sites. His site and many others are registered by a J. Daniels and the Bedrock Corporation. People often register their domain names through a professional organization who's only occupation is to do just this.

Secondly, here's the link.

[kcvl]

If the KOS is lying about Jeff I hope he sues their pants off!!!

******



Jeff Gannon aka Jim Guckert, and gay smut
by kos
Tue Feb 8th, 2005 at 14:47:46 PST

Oh man, reality is truly stranger than fiction.

"Jeff Gannon", the White House press propagandist "correspondent" for the fake "Talon" news service, turns out to be using a nom de plume.

A group of dKos diarists have been peeling away the layers of Gannon's fake persona, summarized by World O'Crap. In one of those diaries, this revelation is made by Radically Bitter: Among the domains owned by Gannon/Guckert are these:

jeffgannon.com
Hotmilitarystud.com
Militaryescorts.com
Militaryescortsm4m.com

[eyespysomething]

Ding ding ding:


>>snip
The $400 million operation of the DNC will be Armstrong Zuniga's personal feeding trough with Dean in the chair. Even if all they get is the DNC internet fundraising contract, the payday for Armstrong and Zuniga will be massive. Throw in a little “internet consulting”, “netroots organizing”…and to paraphrase Jerome, let the singing begin!!

link: http://democracyguy.typepad.com/democracy_guy_grassroots_/weblogs/


SO what we have in effect is the DNC trying to affect the press pool at the White House.

[Rightly Biased]

see 92

[Rightly Biased]

He's a freeper as well

[Clemenza]

Am I the only one around here who is getting SICK of bloggers?

[mystery-ak]

I just thought a freeper may know him and could talk privately with him....instead of Jeff posting and answering questions here.

[Rightly Biased]

So many of them just make up crap and expect us to belive it cause they said it.There are a few credible Freepers that have blogs and I trust them because they verify verify verify

[eyespysomething]

and the donations to Dean:

Armstrong Zuniga, LLC, Vancouver, WA

$7,000

11/20/2003

Consulting/Technology
____________________
Armstrong Zuniga, LLC, Vancouver, WA

$3,000

11/4/2003

Consulting/Technology
_______________________
Armstrong Zuniga, LLC, Vancouver, WA

$3,000

1/28/2004

Consulting/Technology
________________________
Armstrong Zuniga, LLC, Vancouver, WA

$3,000

1/28/2004

Consulting/Technology
______________________
Armstrong Zuniga, LLC, Vancouver, WA

$373

2/27/2004

Consulting/Technology


link:http://www.opensecrets.org/presidential/expend.asp?ID=N00025663&cycle=2004&Sort=N&Page=24