Parsing The Sleaze, Right And Left
I love this little correction from MSNBC about Senate Dem bigwig Harry Reid and his involvement in L'Affaire Ambramoff:
MSNBC's Witt falsely claimed Reid received campaign contributions from Abramoff
Summary: MSNBC Live anchor Alex Witt falsely claimed that Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid received political contributions from former lobbyist Jack Abramoff.On the February 10 edition of MSNBC Live, anchor Alex Witt falsely claimed that Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) "collected nearly $68,000 in campaign contributions" from former lobbyist Jack Abramoff. In fact, as Media Matters for America has previously noted, a Center for Responsive Politics breakdown of Abramoff's donations shows that Abramoff made contributions only to Republicans, not Democrats.
The $68,000 figure that Witt cited, in fact, refers to contributions Reid received from Abramoff partners and clients, but not Abramoff himself.
Oh, well that changes everything!
From the 1 p.m. ET hour of the February 10 edition of MSNBC Live:
WITT: Now, records show that Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid had closer ties to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff than initially thought. The documents show Reid wrote at least four letters to Indian tribes represented by Abramoff, and his staff was in close contact with the lobbyist's office. Reid collected nearly $68,000 in campaign contributions from Abramoff over three years. Reid has not been accused of any wrongdoing.
Why not?
Why not? Because he isn't guilty of any wrongdoing. Those contributors are allowed to make campaign contributions to anyone they see fit. If they believed Reid represented their interests, they can donate to him all they want.
Patrick at February 24, 2006 6:50 AM
Because he isn't guilty of any wrongdoing.
Yes he is, whether it's illegal or not. Just because something's legal doesn't mean it's not wrong (e.g., adultery) and just because something's illegal doesn't make it wrong (marijuana).
It should not be legal to donate to any candidate one isn't eligible to vote for. I shouldn't be able to donate to a California candidate, and GM shouldn't be able to donate to anybody at all, period.
And It should not be legal to "donate" to more than one candidate. If I bribe 'em both (no pointy shovels here) your vote is meaningless.
Don't hold your breath waiting for this to happen.
steve at February 25, 2006 10:06 AM
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