Air America host Randi Rhodes wasn't mugged (oops)

NY Daily News ^

[mnehring]

Air America radio host Randi Rhodes is temporarily off the air, but claims she was brutally attacked near her Manhattan apartment are bogus, her lawyer and a police source said today.

Fellow host Jon Elliott claimed on the liberal radio network that Rhodes had been mugged while walking her dog, Simon, on Sunday night. Elliot, who said Rhodes lost several teeth in the attack, waxed about a possible conspiracy.

"Is this an attempt by the right-wing, hate machine to silence one of our own?" he asked on the air, according to Talking Radio, a blog. "Are we threatening them? Are they afraid that we’re winning? Are they trying to silence intimidate us?"

A police source said Rhodes never filed a report and never claimed to be the victim of a mugging. Cops from Manhattan's 17th Precinct called her attorney, who told them Rhodes was not a victim of a crime, the source said.

Rhodes' lawyer told the Daily News she was injured in a fall while walking her dog. He said she's not sure what happened, and only knows that she fell down and is in a lot of pain. The lawyer said Rhodes expects to be back on the air Thursday. He stressed there is no indication she was targeted or that she was the victim of a "hate crime."

Rhodes started with the Air America when it launched in 2004. Her show airs from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays.

The network released a statement that said Rhodes "experienced an unfortunate incident."

"The reports of a presumed hate crime are unfounded," the statement read by a receptionist at the network's New York offices said. "Ms. Rhodes is looking forward to being back on the air on Thursday."

Still, the tale lived on in the blogosphere.

"What the %$#$ is WRONG with you people?? Are you that SICK in the head that just because you don’t agree with someone’s political views you believe that they deserve to be mugged? Are you on the right that DEMENTED??," a blogger called neddlenosehanty posted on watchingthewatchers.org.

Another blogger shot back, "I very seriously doubt if this unfortunate woman was mugged by a conservative. To jump to the conclusion that she was mugged by someone on the right is bigotry of another kind. Think not?"

[Holicheese]

To prove she was assaulted by Republican thugs, Rhandi Roades posted this picture of herself online today!

[Abathar]

Glad you posted this, I posted the original story where people were claiming it was a “Right Wing Conspiracy”. She probably got stoned and knocked her teeth out while tumbling down a flight of stairs.

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

He said she's not sure what happened, and only knows that she fell down and is in a lot of pain.

Whut? You lose a few teeth by "falling down" and then can't remember how it happened? Something is very fishy here. Does she have a boyfriend or significant other who might have played punching bag with her face?

[jdm]

Well, she missed work yesterday for some reason (this we know), but it sure wasn’t due to a mugging.

[Red Badger]

Tawana.........

[<1/1,000,000th%]

So she mugged herself to get some sympathy.

Sounds like a leftist.

[CedarDave]

There were a couple of FR threads (now removed) that repeated the DU lies about how she was the victim of a hate crime by right-wing extremists. They (DU nutcases) believe these crazy stories because they are much more likely to act violently in response to something they don’t like than those on the right. Just observe the rallies in DC last month and the vandalism of the Vietnam vets memorial.

[Billthedrill]

The evil right-wing Law Of Gravity is to blame, part of the Patriot Act that was snuck in by Chimpy Bushitlermachaliburton.

Sheesh.

[L,TOWM]

Does she have a boyfriend or significant other who might have played punching bag with her face

I would issue an immediate APB for Johnnie Walker, Jim Beam, and or Jack Daniel...

[boop]

Do liberals ever tell the truth about anything? If they really have a legitimate political philosophy shouldn’t that be easy to express? Why would you NEED to keep coming up with hoaxes to blame “the right wing”?

[Vn_survivor_67-68]

while walking her dog, Simon

I think Simon should be given rabies shots, just in case she bit him during her tumble......

[gridlock]

OK. I don’t care who you are... That there is funny!

[Russ]

WOW! Are ALL liberal women ugly? This one has to be in the top ten, right under Helen Thomas...

[freekitty]

Who would touch this woman with a ten foot pole; much less mug her?

I understand she has been known to tip the bottle a little too much.

[prairiebreeze]

she's not sure what happened,

HUH?? Falls that aren't chemically induced can usually be pin-pointed to stumbling over an object, tripping, slipping on something slick etc.

Maybe Rhodes just needs time to formulate a less embarassing account of the incident.

[BurbankKarl]

Well, we see how accurate Air America hosts are...if you didnt know already. I am surprised they didnt say Karl Rove did it.

[wtc911]

Dollars to donuts she was smacked around by somebody she knows personally and is protecting him.

You've got to fall on your face and bounce a few times to do this kind of damage.

[weegee]

[SilvieWaldorfMD]

Now Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi will create another “resolution” in wanting to get to the “truth” and the heart of the matter. Was she mugged by Larry Craig so that he can get the media off his back? Was she mugged by Limbaugh? Bush? Rove? Space aliens? Gen. Petraeus?

[Steve_Seattle]

"She probably got stoned and knocked her teeth out while tumbling down a flight of stairs."

That's probably more likely than her being mugged by a conservative, but it's still more than we know. People DO pass out occasionally, for no apparent reason, and take bad falls. It happened to me last year while riding my bicycle; I still don't know what happened. I just don't think we should imitate the Left and jump to unfounded conclusions.