Republican bad Deeds for 10-11-06

Rumsfeld Sat On Board of Company That Sold Reactors to North Korea
Rumsfeld in 2000: director of a company which wins $200m contract to sell nuclear reactors to North Korea Rumsfeld in 2002: declares North Korea a terrorist state, part of the axis of evil and a target for regime change

Compassionate Republican Asks if Critically Injured Girl is an Illegal Alien
Monday afternoon, what would become one of Weld County’s worst accidents, a 17-year-old girl ran a stop sign on a country road and a large pickup truck demolished her car. She’s still trying to stay alive in the hospital. And today, they are burying her two little brothers and her 3-month-old baby. The family donated their children’s organs to other children so they can live. Then, Republican Representative Dave Schultheis e-mails the newspaper asking, “Was this person the child of parents in the U.S. illegally? Or was she here illegally?”

In Hour of Need, Hastert Turns to — Nut-Job Evangelist?

Rep. Charles Taylor (R-NC) has a remarkable talent for steering federal dollars to benefit properties that he owns

J. Kenneth Blackwell, Republican nominee for governor of Ohio, campaigning with one of America’s leading white supremacists
As Secretary of State, Blackwell was the Republican point man for getting the Ohio 2004 presidential vote that gave George W. Bush a second term.

Michael Savage (radio) declared that former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright is a “traitor” who “should be tried for treason, and when she’s found guilty

The Navy lawyer
who led a successful Supreme Court challenge of the Bush administration’s military tribunals for detainees at Guantanamo Bay has been passed over for promotion and will have to leave the military

Republican Makes Up Quote for TV Ad
Washington Republican Dave Reichert hit the airwaves this week with his first TV spot, and it’s an attack ad against his Democratic opponent with a fabricated quote.

Republicans Lie About Role of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington in Foley Scandal
You may have heard some of the following claims on conservative radio or TV programs. The Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) has responded with the following:

LIE:
The email messages between Rep. Foley and a former page have been in CREW’s possession as far back as April.
FACT:
CREW received the emails on July 21, 2006 and promptly sent them to the FBI, and no one else, that same day. CREW did not discuss the email messages or their content with anyone else. The only call CREW’s Executive Director Melanie Sloan made regarding the matter was to the Washington FBI agent to whom she sent the emails to confirm receipt of the messages.

LIE:
CREW provided the FBI with incomplete information and heavily redacted emails. CREW refused to disclose the page’s name and contact information to the FBI.
FACT:
The emails Ms. Sloan sent to the FBI were not edited or redacted in any way. The page’s full name and email address were in the emails, as was the name and email address of the Congressional staffer to whom the page was sending the emails.

LIE:
The FBI investigation into Rep. Foley was hampered because CREW refused to comply with the agency’s request for additional information.
FACT:
After CREW sent the emails to the FBI, CREW’s only subsequent contact with the Bureau was one telephone call from the special agent to whom CREW had sent the material confirming that the emails were from Rep. Foley. CREW had no further contact with the FBI.

According to several government officials, the FBI sent the emails to three squads: a public corruptions squad, a criminal squad and a cyber-squad. After reviewing the matter, the FBI determined that there wasn’t enough evidence at the time to suggest any criminal activity and did not move forward with an investigation.

LIE:
Fox News’ Sean Hannity said on October 5, 2006 that CREW had “been bragging about [the emails] on its website as early as July 21st.”
FACT:
CREW first posted the emails on September 29, 2006, one day after ABC News reported them.

LIE:
CREW has been working with ABC on the Foley story and was reporter Brian Ross’ source for the emails.
FACT:
Ross told The New York Times he received the emails from Republicans. CREW was not involved in the broadcasting of his story. In fact, Ross didn’t even know that CREW had the emails until after he broke the story.

LIE:
Rep. Mark Foley resigned from Congress after CREW posted some of his email exchanges with a former page.
FACT:
Brian Ross has reported that Foley resigned hours after ABC questioned him about the sexually explicit internet messages.

LIE:
The blog Stop Sex Predators is owned and operated by CREW.
FACT:
CREW does not own, operate, or have any connection or involvement with the Stop Sex Predators blog. CREW first heard of the blog in media reports after the Foley scandal broke.

LIE:
One of CREW’s funders, George Soros, was behind the Foley scandal and has been directing CREW’s involvement in the case.
FACT:
George Soros had no knowledge that CREW had the Foley emails, nor does he have any input over CREW’s day to day activities. CREW has not discussed the emails with any donors or Democratic operatives, strategists or staffers. All CREW did was send the messages to the FBI. After ABC broke the story, CREW posted the messages to its website.

LIE:
Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA) called CREW a “partisan 527 organization” on the October 8, 2006 edition of Fox News Sunday.
FACT:
CREW is a nonpartisan and nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization.

And in the Election Integrity Corner…
What shall we make of this? Is it real?…
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