Posted on 03/29/2005 4:36:21 PM PST by conservative in nyc
The WBAL-TV 11 News I-Team has learned that an Ehrlich aide met with an O'Malley cabinet member concerning rumors being spread about Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley.
--Snip--
I-Team reporter David Collins said Michelle Lane, another aide to the governor, met with Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Peter Beilenson in March 2003. Beilenson said most of the conversation dealt with her concerns over the state's foster care system.
"She implied that (Steffen) was sort of, I guess the best term to be used would be, like a mole" in the Ehrlich administration, Beilenson said. "I'm not sure why she brought him up to me. There's nothing I can do about it particularly."
Beilenson said he passed the information onto Michael Enright, one of the mayor's closest confidants at City Hall.
--Snip--
Lane's attorney said there was no romantic relationship between the two aides [NCPAC & Ms. Lane].
--Snip--
The governor has since tried to focus attention on Lane, who was forced out of the Ehrlich administration last year. She's now threatening to release damaging information about the governor, Collins reported.
The governor seized on the revelation that Lane talked to O'Malley cabinet members, suggesting Tuesday it helps prove his theory.
"It continues to incrementally lead back to the Democratic party and Democratic operatives," Ehrlich told 11 News Tuesday.
O'Malley said he finds it curious that the governor seems more upset about who snitched out, in his words, "a dirty trickster" than the fact that he had one, Collins said.
(Excerpt) Read more at thewbalchannel.com ...
MD4Bush Ping!
(Freepmail me if you want on or off the list)
Can you just post a synopsis of what this is all about?
RE: It now appears that Ms. Lane ran to the Democrats even before she was let go.
Or was she well esconced with the Dems even prior to being hired? Hmmmmmm!
Good summary. What an ususual comment for Ms. Lane to make to to the health commissioner. Too bad he didn't see fit to comment on the context of her remark.
Thanks for the ping.
In a way reminiscent of the manner that the Dems, media, and a few disgruntled former Bush administration officials (e.g., Richard Clarke, Paul O'Neill) ganged up to try to deprive President Bush of a second term, Dems, media, and a disgruntled former Ehrlich administration official (Michelle Lane) are trying to block Maryland Governor Ehrlich from a second term.
There was a media firestorm based on Dem contentions that Ehrlich administration official Joseph Steffen (FReeper NCPAC) was part of an organized campaign to smear Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley (likely Dem primary candidate to contest Gov. Ehrlich's re-election bid) by circulating rumors that O'M was cheating on his wife, most notably with a former Baltimore TV news anchorwoman. Steffen quit or was fired shortly after stories tying him to the rumors broke.
The evidence against Steffen was based on his public posts on FR under his screen name NCPAC and on FReepmails from him to a FReeper named MD4Bush, who apparently was a Dem activist or operative out to goad and entrap NCPAC (see below for more info on MD4Bush). As the story about Steffen was about to break, MD4Bush publicly posted NCPAC's FReepmails (previously sent to MD4Bush) on dormant, totally-unrelated threads.
In spite of media claims (especially the Balt Sun and Wash Post) that Steffen admitted to spreading the O'Malley rumors, it appears that the closest NCPAC (Steffen) came to an admission of "spreading the story" was when he referred to his "commenting on/propagating a story already out there." Not what the BS, WP, and the rest of the press are erroneously describing as his role.
NCPAC stands falsely accused of spreading rumors. He commented, in a responsible way (albeit not as cautiously as he should in view of his position) on a thread started by another.
NCPAC has fallen on his sword for his leader, but the available record shows that the only propagation of the rumor by him was (1) responsibly commenting on a thread by another and (2) mentioning in an email or FReepmail that a lot of effort was made by "a few folks" (not him) to "float the story."
NCPAC should have been more circumspect about some comments (easy to say with 20/20 hindsight), but he sure didn't spread a rumor, at least not on the available record.
The post on FR, responded to by NCPAC, was simply asking people to figure out what the truth was. (In contrast and before any known mention of the rumor on FR, people had promoted the rumor on the talk forum of the Baltimore Sun {click here for discussion}, a newspaper ironically now using the story to trash both the Ehrlich administration and Free Republic. The rumor had also been previously promoted at DCRTV.com [search for paternity to find a 6/18/04 entry] and various usenet posts [e.g., here promoted by "Billy D".)
The BS, WP and the media now erroneously describe NCPAC as spreading the rumor, but the facts of the Post story do NOT support that conclusion. Instead, NCPAC commented on the rumor and said that a lot of effort was made to float the story.
NCPAC even praised a prior post that shredded the credibility of the rumor.
You can read the original thread itself by clicking here, but below are two posts that made it crystal-clear that NCPAC was NOT trying to spread the rumors. Otherwise, why would he praise VelmaCruther's highly skeptical post?
To: ElkiejgThis rumor has been around for over three years ... and the identities of the anchorwoman (and the affiliate) AND the alleged father change every few months. At least seven anchorwomen in Baltimore have supposedly had the mayor's kids, or a police commissioner's kid, or a local professional athlete's kids ... too bad "The X Files" was cancelled ... Spooky Mulder was probably the only one who'd pay any attention ...
10 posted on 08/13/2004 10:17:17 AM PDT by VelmaCrutherTo: VelmaCrutherWelcome to FR, VC.
Nice first post.
If NCPAC was trying to spread the rumor, he would have posted something like this in response to the highly skeptical post of VelmaCruther: "Sure different versions are out there, but those in the know believe that the O'Malley version is the truth." Instead, he praised the post that shredded the credibility of the O'Malley rumor.
FReepmails show that FReeper MD4Bush, most likely an undercover Democrat party official or activist, was trying to goad and entrap NCPAC. NCPAC did NOT take the bait.
The FReepmails revealed in this WashPost story (last two paragraphs) , discussed in this thread, include:
MD4Bush: If some of my friends and I were interested in keeping the story floating, do you have suggestions for us on how best to do it?NCPAC: I am sure you will understand, I cannot and will not offer suggestions that may be considered unethical concerning what you should do, campaign-wise. This is especially true concerning MO'M's personal life.
Clearly, if NCPAC was trying to promote the rumor, he would have responded differently both to the skeptical VelmaCruther post and the provocative MD4Bush FReepmail.
Although it is possible that MD4Bush is an O'Malley-supporting Dem out to discredit the O'M infidelity rumors by falsely tying them to Ehrlich-admin official Steffen, it is more likely that MD4Bush is a supporter of Montgomery County Executive Douglas Duncan, the likely Dem primary opponent of O'M in the governor's race. By spreading the rumors, the Duncan people discredit O'M. By tying the source of the rumors to Ehrlich, the Duncan supporters immunize Duncan from responibility for them and smear Ehrlich for dirty tricks by falsely implicating him as the source of the persistant rumors of O'M infidelity.
At any rate, FR founder Jim Robinson has described MD4Bush as a " Maryland Democrat Party dirty trickster that setup Steffen." Jim Robinson apparently has IP (internet protocol) addresses from the FR logs. IP addresses can sometimes be used to identify computers which are the source of a posting on FR or other internet communication. It appears that MD4Bush IP addresses have a connection to the MD Dem Party or an entity related to it.
Thanks for the reply.
Did you see, as was reported on the BS web board, that the the O'Malley rumor appeared on that board numerous times before its appearance on FR? And the BS board administrators were constantly trying to purge the rumor from the board?
Do you have a theory, who were heavily pushing the O'Malley rumor?
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.