Steffen Apologizes, Ehrlich Launches Investigation

Democratic legislative leaders, skeptical that a longtime aide to Governor Ehrlich acted alone when he spread rumors about Mayor O'Malley, say it will take more than an inquiry by the governor's legal adviser to resolve questions about the incident that has roiled state political waters.

But Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller said Thursday Democrats won't rush into any investigation of their own.

"We are going to let the matter percolate for two or three days. We're going to see what else comes forth, analyze what steps the governor is taking," Miller said.

He said he and House Speaker Michael Busch will then try to come up with a way to resolve the matter that will be acceptable to Republicans and Democrats.

Ehrlich asked Jervis Finney, a former state senator and head of his legal staff, to investigate the role Joseph Steffen played in spreading rumors about O'Malley's personal life and whether his Internet postings were done with state equipment on state time. Ehrlich fired Steffen and asked him to apologize to O'Malley.

In an e-mail to O'Malley, which Steffen provided to The Associated Press Thursday, he said he was "truly sorry, ashamed and remorseful and I ask that you and your family please find it in your hearts to forgive me."

"I have no excuse for joining web (or other) conversations that are reckless, mean-spirited and personally damaging in nature," the e-mail said.

Raquel Guillory, spokeswoman for O'Malley, said the mayor received an e-mail "through the Baltimore City Web site allegedly from Steffen. The mayor has no further comment at this time."

O'Malley and his wife, Catherine, held a news conference Wednesday to say that rumors that the mayor has been unfaithful to his wife were untrue, with O'Malley describing them as "despicable lies."

Miller said an apology from Steffen was not sufficient and that the governor also should apologize for the actions of someone who was on his staff when he was in Congress and then came with him to state government.

"It happened on his watch. If he didn't know, he should have known," Miller said. "If he would apologize, maybe we could put an end to this."

Ehrlich said Wednesday he would not tolerate what Steffen did, but also would not apologize personally for Steffen's actions. The governor refused to answer questions about any topic at his one public event Thursday, a ceremony to dispense to charities $20,000 donated by state employees for tsunami relief.

House Majority Leader Kumar Barve, D-Montgomery, said he believes an inquiry outside the governor's office is needed to look at Steffen's actions and whether other members of the administration were involved, but he said House leaders had not discussed what form the inquiry should take.

But some key Democratic leaders, include House Speaker Michael Busch and Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee Chairman Bryan Frosh, also think an inquiry should be expanded to look into the way the Ehrlich administration has carried out what Frosh described it as "a statewide purge of people who are politically undesirable."

Busch said one of the Steffen's main duties was to go into state agencies and root out people who might not be loyal to Ehrlich so they could be fired.

"They removed long-serving employees, nonpolitical employees, put armed guards at offices, posted pictures of (fired) employees in the lobby of the building where they worked," the speaker said. "That's the police state mentality that state government is now in."

Busch said an independent inquiry is needed into whether Steffen had spread rumors on state time on state equipment and whether other people were involved.

"I certainly don't think it should be left to some kind of investigation done by the administration," he said. "That's the ultimate fox guarding the hen house."

I've said it before: I'll say it again ...

To: Timeout

I stated (at length in discussions) on a thread a couple days ago that this is now not only a battle between the SwiftVets and the peaceniks of the 60s, but that this campaign has become a battle - a great battle - between the Old Media Fraudcasters and other mediots, and the New Media - with talk radio/ internet/ blogs.

This has become a battle to the death. Only one will be left standing. The 'Nam Vets (including me and many of my fellows in arms) are not going to be able to be silenced by the President or by the Demodogs or by the Fraudcasters. We know the truth. There is a great well of support we can draw on, and righteous anger about the way we have been treated. Many others are just as angry about how they have been misled by the Fraudcasters and the NYSlimes, et al, and they are now seeing a way to "get a bit of their own back."

The Old Media and the Fraudcasters have gotten away with lying for so long now, and the critical mass of people has been reached who understand it and now are fed up with that. Don't be surprised if some of those outlets are no longer "news" outlets four years from now.

It is a monumental struggle now. Many realize it, too. It will result in monumental changes in the way the bulk of people get their news.
/

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1204754/posts?page=3683#3683
3,683 posted on 09/02/2004 1:08:14 AM EDT by AFPhys ((.Praying for President Bush, our troops, their families, and all my American neighbors..))

Our enemy will use every weapon and trick they can in an attempt to lower our influence. The FRAUDcasters of the Old Media are out to get us --- don't ever forget that, and keep it in mind as we carry on our First Amendment assault against the Fourth Estate, which has become a "fifth column" against Traditional America and traditional values.

I am dead serious about this being a major war.

You and I and other FReepers are in the dead center of this battle - whether we realize that or not. The Leftists who "went into journalism" in the 60s and 70s to "change the world" are at war with traditional values of traditional America. Their major obstacle now, and for some years, has been the internet.

It is only since Drudge's "blue dress" report that they became even peripherally aware of that. The 'net carrying the SwiftVets to prominence, and the rapid destruction of CBS' FRAUDcast, to name only two recent battles, has brought the Old Media to realize that they are under attack, at long last. Their walls are crumbling, and their empire is failing. Bush's victory despite FOUR YEARS of bashing by the Old Media talking heads and transparent bias of the MSM news to those of us who have worked toward understanding the truth, was a severe blow to them. They will be reeling for two years from this and won't be able to believe it.

They don't like it, and they will fight this as hard as they can. They'll do all they can to deter more people from joining the ranks of those free from their influence. But - they will lose in the end.
/

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.