Posted on 10/05/2003 6:00:14 PM PDT by FairOpinion
While the Los Angeles Times wallows in slime about Arnold Schwarzenegger's alleged groping and Gray Davis suggests that Arnold has committed "crimes," the paper has been strangely silent about charges that Davis himself had a nasty habit of physically abusing his staff. The charges have been around since 1997, when reporter Jill Stewart first published them in the now defunct New Times Los Angeles, in Nov./Dec 1997 under the title "Closet Wacko Vs. Mega-Fibber."
Stewart wrote she had "this file, labeled Gray Davis" and was stuffing it "with all the bizarre little tales that are quietly shared among journalists and political insiders about the man who, though probably viewed as a blandly pleasant talking head by most Californians, is in fact one of the strangest ducks ever elected to statewide office."
The stories, which she said had long been ignored "by editors at the Los Angeles Times -- who have nixed every story Times reporters have ever tried to develop about Davis's storied history of physical violence, unhinged hysteria and gross profanity -- the baby-faced, dual personality Davis has been allowed to hold high public office with impunity."
Her file, she said contained numerous and widely known stories about the penchant of then-Lieutenant Governor Davis "for physically attacking members of his own staff. "His violent tantrums," she wrote, "have occurred throughout his career, from his days as Chief of Staff for Jerry Brown to his long stint as State Controller to his current job."
Hurling Phones and Ashtrays
Davis, she charged had a long history of hurling phones and ashtrays at frightened government employees and personally shoving and shaking horrified workers -- "usually while screaming the f-word with more venom than Nixon."
She quoted a former Davis staffer as saying, "I guess Gray's biggest lie is pretending that he operates within the bounds of normalcy, which is not true. This is not a normal person. I will never forget the day he physically attacked me, because even though I knew he had done it before to many others, you always want to assume that Gray would never do it to you or that he has finally gotten help."
As Stewart recalls, the staffer was explaining to Davis that his perpetual quest for an ever-larger campaign chest (an obsession she says led Davis to routinely break fundraising laws by using his government office resources and non-political employees to arrange fundraisers and identify new sources of money) had run into a snafu.
A major funding source had dried up. Recalls the former staffer: 'He just went into one of his rants of, 'F... the f....ing f..., f..., f...!' I can still hear his screams ringing in my ears. When I stood up to insist that he not talk to me that way, he grabbed me by the shoulders and shook me until my teeth rattled. I was so stunned I said, 'Good God, Gray! Stop and look at what you are doing! Think what you are doing to me!' And he just could not stop.'"
But that wasn't the worst of it. Another incident she wrote that was long known to "Davis-adoring editors of the Los Angeles Times but never published by them--was Davis's attack on a loyal aide in Los Angeles who for years acted as chief apologist for his 'incidents.'"
The woman, Stewart reported, would not discuss the assault on her with the media, "but has relayed much of the story to me through a close friend. On the day in question, State Controller Davis was raging over an employee's rearranging of framed artwork on his Los Angeles office walls. He stormed, red-faced, out of his office and violently shoved the woman, who we shall call K., out of his way. According to employees who were present, K. ran out clutching her purse, suffered an emotional breakdown, was briefly hospitalized at Cedars Sinai for a severe nervous dermatological reaction, and never returned to work again."
"According to one close friend, K. refused to sue Davis, despite the advice of several friends, after a prominent Los Angeles attorney told her that Davis would ruin her. According to one state official. K. was allowed to continue her work under Davis from her home "because she refused to work in Davis's presence."
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I beg to differ. The National Enquirer is bottom dwelling feeder and prevacator. The Los Angeles Times does not have near the honesty and integrity of The Enqirer.
In addition it is quite offensive to call the LA Times FISH WRAP The offended party is the fish.
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