Posted on 02/19/2005 8:34:22 AM PST by Isara
Jervis S. Finney, chief counsel to Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., has questioned members of the media - including two Sun reporters - about "MD4BUSH," an anonymous contributor to a Web site that posted adultery rumors about Mayor Martin O'Malley. Finney said he was asking the questions as part of his investigation into the activities of Joseph Steffen, an aide to the governor who was fired February 8 for his involvement in spreading the rumors about O'Malley's personal life, The (Baltimore) Sun reported. O'Malley has denied the rumors. MD4BUSH had several Web log exchanges with Steffen about the O'Malley rumors and gathered a number of Steffen's most damaging postings on the Web shortly after the story reporting Steffens' connection with the rumors broke on a media Web site. In a Feb. 16 letter to Sun reporter Michael Dresser, Finney cited a federal appeals court panel's decision this week that undercuts reporters' right to shield their sources. In a separate letter to Sun columnist Michael Olesker, Finney asked "whether you are in fact 'MD4BUSH."' Olesker and Dresser said they had no knowledge of MD4BUSH. "Of course I'm not that guy," Olesker said in an interview. "It's not me, and I have no idea who it is." Dresser said, "I am not MD4BUSH, and I would not care to speculate who MD4BUSH might be." Finney's questions followed Freedom of Information Act requests by The Sun and other media about details of the administration's investigation into Steffen's activities. Dresser made The Sun's Freedom of Information Act request. Olesker and Dresser appear to be the only ones to have received written questions this week as part of the investigation. Finney said that he "verbally" asked other media members about MD4BUSH and intends to follow up in written form. He said the decision to question the media is part of his effort to conduct a thorough investigation into the spreading of the rumors about the mayor. "I am trying to seek information that is relevant to the governor - whether a state employee or official might be MD4BUSH," Finney said. In support of his decision to question the media, Finney cited the U.S. Court of Appeals case involving reporters Matthew Cooper of Time and Judith Miller of The New York Times, who face contempt-of-court charges for refusing to tell prosecutors about their confidential talks with an official or officials in the Bush White House who revealed the identity of a CIA operative. In that case, he said, it was suggested that there are times when it is appropriate for the media to reveal information and sources. "It's up to the newspaper whether this is one of those times," Finney said. "It's entirely appropriate for me to ask the question. If you all are going to decline to answer the question, then so be it." On Friday, the Ehrlich administration supported Finney's decision to question reporters and promised that the investigation would continue to be aggressive. "Inquiries related to the identity of MD4BUSH is part of the investigation requested by Governor Ehrlich," said Shareese N. DeLeaver, a spokeswoman for the governor. "This is intended to be a thorough investigation that will include leaving no rock unturned." Several other media organizations, including WBAL have been contacted by the governor's office, regarding MD4BUSH.
Maybe it needs to be put directly in the lap of a major investigative reporter who doesn't work for a liberal news agency. Now who could that be?
Maybe it needs to be put directly in the lap of a major investigative reporter who doesn't work for a liberal news agency. Now who could that be?
Thanks yall. My problem was I was just doing a genral search for posts outside of FreeRepublic. Most people use a similar user name on different sites they 'roam'. Its interesting that the user name is just here on Freep. I have a strange feeling (as I see many others do) that this was a set-up to discredit freep or the the congressman's opponent.
My eyes are gushing blood now.
Sure seemed like MD4BUSH was fishing for responses to his 'rumor' remarks.
Dan Rather?
After all, he no longer works for CBS. LOL!
Am I the only one who thought to follow FR protocol and ping the subtect of the post?
Are we loosing our humanity here?
Is that so? Does that include the father and brother of Ms. Pelosi? I'm shocked, and she such an honest, straightforward person.
Chances are, JimRob only knows (1) an IP address and (2) a (probably free) email address. It's kind of moot, although the IP would probably tell something useful.
MD4BUSH is decidedly not a FReeper and came here with malicious intent, so if Jim wants to roast him with a positive I.D. then I don't think that's breaking any pledges.
Line up the power brokers. Win at any cost. Never look back. That's the political environment that my one-time neighbor, Nancy D'Alesandro, grew up in.
Billybob
MD4BUSH...Who Are You?
Tuesday, February 15, 2005
Chip Franklin
snip
Sometime between last summer and last Tuesday, someone brought this to the attention of the Washington Post. (pt 1). Also while Steffen was posting, someone appeared on the site, MD4BUSH, who pushed and prodded to Steffen to tell more. Steffen and MD4Bush spoke in a private room (pt2) and exchanged thoughts about O’Malley and again MD4Bush pushed and prodded Steffen. Who was MD4Bush?
Jump ahead to November when O’Malley referred to rumors about himself. (pt3). The media didn’t bite, since apparently no one except the Post knew about Steffen’s postings. But Rob Douglas and I received a tip that the Post was going to print with a damaging story about Ehrlich. It came from a Democratic insider. (pt4). And in the hours before the story broke, more tips that it was coming. It was going to really damage Ehrlich, said the source.
And then the story broke. Followed up ridiculous accusations that Ehrlich lied about ever hearing rumors, no one is asking the important question.
1-Who gave the story to the Post? It could only be Steffen, The free Republic, very unlikely, or MD4Bush.
2-Who is MD4Bush? If the Democrats knew about this as far back as August, when did O’Malley know? How could the mayor have not been informed of Steffen’s actions back last fall? Why doesn’t someone ask him?
3-and what if MD4BUSh is a Democrat with ties to O’Malley? What does that say about the timing of his heart-pulling press conference? Where is the press on this?
http://wbal.com/stories/templates/commentary_franklin.asp?articleid=28290
I know the protocol. I pinged Jim.
Bump
Exactly. In its first article, based on information given to them by MD4BUSH (who was not mentioned in that article) the Washington Post flat out lied. They claimed that NCPAC had been spreading the rumors. He had not. He did not initiated any of the threads nor did he make any comments that, to my eye at least, are completely innocent and do nothing to spread or confirm the rumors.
The Post also claimed in that first article that they had an email (date, sender, recipient, and context withheld) that implicated NCPAC in spreading the rumors. They have said nothing since. Because they lied about publicly available posts, it's likely enough that they lied about this private email, which has never been released or quoted from.
Moreover their possession of the email may (or may not) involve criminal violations on the part of the person who gave it to them, and themselves as accomplices in a crime.
It certainly goes way beyond the worst liberal caricatures of McCarthyism to publicly accuse someone of malice, slander and political dirty tricks on the basis of an anonymous message which is neither quoted from nor summarized, and which for all we know doesn't even exist. And then to accuse the Governor of being responsible for directing or sponsoring these supposed dirty tricks, which never occurred.
Yes, but I pinged MD4BUSH.
Unless you are saying Jim is MD4BUSH????? ;)
Shades of Bush being "Deep Throat!" ;))
UH, no...
:-O
Thanks!!!
These "freepers" are also questionable:
VelmaCruther
terrapinfan
Gerry Jarcia
De Valera
All are newbies to the original rumor thread:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1190972/posts
Via google, terrapinfan is a named found posting to other forums. One terrapinfan poster lists their residence as Maryland. The majority of posts on another forum have been deleted.
http://www.google.com/search?tab=gw&q=terrapinfan&hl=en&lr=&
Yes, the IP will give useful information, if requested legally and according to procedure. I'm nore than a little disgusted by the publication of private emails, both by MD4BUSH and the Washington Post.
Some bounds appear to have been overstepped and internet privacy laws broken, and I believe FR is one of the victims, not the perp.
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