Secret Service Rejects Dana Milbank’s Claim regarding Press Treatment at Palin Rally
[Guest post by DRJ]
Yesterday I posted in an update to this post regarding Dana Milbank’s claim that the Secret Service was running interference at Sarah Palin rallies to keep the press away from her supporters:
“I wasn’t at the Scranton event, but I have to say the Secret Service is in dangerous territory here. In cooperation with the Palin campaign, they’ve started preventing reporters from leaving the press section to interview people in the crowd. This is a serious violation of their duty — protecting the protectee — and gets into assisting with the political aspirations of the candidate. It also often makes it impossible for reporters to get into the crowd to question the people who say vulgar things. So they prevent reporters from getting near the people doing the shouting, then claim it’s unfounded because the reporters can’t get close enough to identify the person.”
Today the Secret Service denied Milbank’s claim:
“It’s not a function of the Secret Service to prevent or limit reporters from interviewing the people at events,” said Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan. “We’ve never been asked by any campaign to do that.”
Donovan said that at rallies for all the candidates, the Secret Service sometimes separates the press corps that is credentialed to cover the event—known as the pool—from the general public. That is for logistical and security reasons, he said.
“Being in a press pool gives them special access,” said Donovan. “But the other side is that they have to stay together. You keep national press away from the local press for the same reason.”
Any journalist can get around these restrictions simply by attending the rally as a member of the public rather than a part of the press pool, he said.”
Milbank attended an early October rally in Clearwater FL where he also reported a slew of slurs by Palin supporters and was among the first to report that someone at a GOP rally yelled “Kill him.” William March at the Tampa Bay Online raised doubts about this incident, reporting that while one anonymous contact claimed someone yelled “Kill him” regarding William Ayers, two other persons heard a man near Milbank yell “Tell him” which could have been mistaken for “Kill him.”
Milbank’s most recent comments were made, in part, in response to a claim by a Scranton PA reporter that another Palin supporter yelled “Kill him” at a Scranton rally, a claim the Secret Service has since called unfounded.
— DRJ
First!
Official Internet Data Office (4695f2) — 10/18/2008 @ 4:56 pmDana Milbank had better hang onto his orange hat.
Jim Treacher (592cb4) — 10/18/2008 @ 5:03 pmReporters have become part of the Obama campaign and their statements should be given the same weight.
MIke K (d8deba) — 10/18/2008 @ 6:28 pmJust how much fantasy does Milbank think we are going to buy from him?
SPQR (26be8b) — 10/18/2008 @ 6:36 pmSome people actually thought they heard Obumbler reply “spread the wealth” to a query by a plumber who merely asked a tax question of the Supreme Anointed Assclown. It must have been a conspiracy to make Barry Hussein look bad in revealing his far, far left agenda. Of course it did motivate media to get off their knees, wipe the splunk from their mouths and delve into Joe’s background. Tokyo Rose here even suggested Joe was a McCain plant….assh*les of the world unite for Obiden.
LGF had a story from Iowahawk that drew many comments stating “I am Joe” in solidarity with Plumber Joe. Just say NO to the Nobamatards.
I AM JOE also and Obama/Biden can kiss my asp.
madmax333 (0c6cfc) — 10/18/2008 @ 7:05 pmWell, he’s fooled all those layers of researchers and editors at the WaPo for years;
Another Drew (703fa8) — 10/18/2008 @ 7:06 pmhow’s a bunch of hicks from the sticks going to make him accountable?
Remember, they think “the news” is what they say it is.
I think that once upon a time the majority of people had enough common sense to disregard people crying “wolf” too often.
MD in Philly (3d3f72) — 10/18/2008 @ 7:28 pmDana Milbank is an unlicensed hack (journalist) who has never passed any test demonstrating his professional competence.
Perfect Sense (9d1b08) — 10/18/2008 @ 7:40 pmI’ve written WaPo several times to inquire whether Milbank is a journalist or an opinion writer.
Never received a response.
Dave Barry does better journalism and comedy than this anal-baby.
Uncle Pinky (834163) — 10/18/2008 @ 7:46 pmOMG!-how much lower can they sink?-There’s still 2 weeks b4 the election-dig faster a-holes! THEY MUST BE PRIVY TO OBAMA’S internal polling/they must be very scared
pdbuttons (359493) — 10/18/2008 @ 8:17 pmSome videos for you
one
two
Feel the hate.
This is fun too
And this:
A former top Department of Justice voting rights official — who once worked with John McCain in defense of the senator’s campaign-finance reform bill — has added his name to the growing chorus that is denouncing the department’s investigation of ACORN as a shameful and inappropriate politicization of Justice along the lines of the US attorney firings.”
Nanker Phelge (82bcfd) — 10/18/2008 @ 8:32 pmOh, please. The name alone tells it all.
Anyway, here is the principle that the Obama people had better understand: you must think of the rules and strategies of which you approve in the hands of your bitterest enemies.
It’s the only way you will get fair law.
If McCain was ahead by 4, and a right wing organization in Ohio had been involved with 200,000 improper voter registrations, and several states worth of fraud charges…and the Republican Secretary of State in Ohio refused to give up those records…well, do you think that might be considered to be important?
But what I hear, continually, is the seemingly contradictory:
I don’t see why the Left just doesn’t say, hey, we agree. Requiring ID to make sure NO illegal votes are cast is a good idea. It’s not racist (after all, good luck cashing a check or renting a car or buying liquor without ID). This ought to be agreed upon by both sides.
It’s like Gore nattering on in 2000 about how “every vote should be counted,” but strangely, just in counties where he thought he could scrape up more votes…and Gore’s people tried to quash overseas absentee ballots from the military. I wonder why?
Which brings us all to New Mexico:
http://www.gopnm.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=519%3Afraudulent-votes-cast-in-new-mexico&Itemid=105
Now, you can say that the GOP is “lying.” But at the same time, the MSM seems to accept anything the Obama campaign says as being “true.” Seems a little…cheerleader like.
Anyway, the Obamatrolls will start carrying on as I wrote above.
We should ALL disapprove this kind of nonsense, regardless of party. It’s acid on the political system.
Eric Blair (e60b98) — 10/18/2008 @ 8:55 pmIt’s acid on the political system.
I rather see it as the political system on acid, EB. Just mind-boggling.
Dana (658c17) — 10/18/2008 @ 9:15 pmHey, Nanker, if warranted, anyone involved in that case out of Sacramento should face a trial and, if convicted, the maximum punishment allowed by law.
Will you say the same thing about ACORN? Or how about the Obama campaign lawyer who said it was OK for campaign volunteers who were only in Ohio for a month to register and vote in Ohio?
Rob Crawford (b5d1c2) — 10/18/2008 @ 9:18 pm“Feel the hate.”
I hate the Democrats with a passion.
What of it?
The issue isn’t hate, the issues are the media’s blatant pro-Democrat/Liberal bias, the media’s phony claims to objectivity, and the media’s total inability to tell the truth.
Dave Surls (3139ad) — 10/18/2008 @ 9:23 pmSince when is an investigation a problem?
Yes, the people and organization of ACORN are presumed innocent. However, that doesn’t mean they’re beyond suspicion, especially with at least a six-year history of churning out fraudulent registrations.
Why the drive to place ACORN above the law? Is it just reactionary posturing (if Republicans say X, you say !X)? Or is it fear of what might be uncovered?
Rob Crawford (b5d1c2) — 10/18/2008 @ 9:27 pmDana, so much of life needs to be handled the way things were in kindergarten.
Like the principle of “I cut, you choose.” It’s self-enforcing fairness, since both parties benefit.
They don’t do that much anymore, which is why we can have pundits who say the most amazingly hypocritical things: berating a person with an “R” after their name for something, and yet being silent or even defending a person doing the same thing with a “D” after their name.
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5g8-DEMtAE9q4i4ySQ0eV_qZefmRQD93SL5J00:
Do re-read the last sentence in that AP report:
Where is Inigo Montoya when you need him?
We should ask Mark Foley his opinion on the equity of this, yes?
Yes, it is always different when it is “your” guy or gal doing it. Actually, it isn’t. And I hope that the public will wake up and make that clear at some point.
Pelosi and Reid were going to run “...the most ethical Congress in history…”
Hmmm.
Eric Blair (e60b98) — 10/18/2008 @ 9:28 pmI Am Joe
Hawks, I am Joe
This “free” society of ours seems to be turning rather ugly and displaying strong tendencies towards being not so free at all.
TC (0b9ca4) — 10/19/2008 @ 12:38 amMilbank is an excellent example of what’s wrong with established journalism today. He’s poorly informed, highly opinionated, overtly disingenuous, and condescending. Milbank is the poster boy for corrupt journalism.
It would be an interesting study to track instances of media bias against the decline in the prices of common stock in media organizations. Then compare that with the rise in numbers of home computers sold at retail. Would both charts show the same data, or would bias outrank technology as more closely related to falling values?
My guess is that bias is the primary driver. Who in the world would expect people to buy a so-called “newspaper” which is at least 24 hours behind the news cycle, and is filled with both inaccurate and misleading articles?
Ropelight (a857b4) — 10/19/2008 @ 7:04 amSpeaking of the “fair and impartial” media, check out the following link from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which chronicles an issue that every informed MUST know about before election day: the “unlikely love affair” between Sen. and Mrs. Biden.
If you can make it through this story without losing your most recent meal, compare its tone to what the MSM has reported (and continues to report) about Gov. Palin.
Fair and impartial, my arse.
http://www.ajc.com/news/content/shared/news/stories/2008/10/JILL_BIDEN19_COX.html?cxntlid=inform_artr
Bubba Maximus (456175) — 10/19/2008 @ 7:13 amMcCain nailed the MSM with his crack at the dinner in NYC about how “fair and objective they are – just like ACORN.” The crowd, which was made up of Manhattan libs, went nuts over that one – even they know a fix is in when they see it.
Dmac (cc81d9) — 10/19/2008 @ 7:47 amDana, so much of life needs to be handled the way things were in kindergarten.
Like the principle of “I cut, you choose.” It’s self-enforcing fairness, since both parties benefit…
And if that doesn’t work:
Where is Inigo Montoya when you need him? Eric Blair — 10/18/2008 @ 9:28 pm ,,,
Legalize dueling
MD in Philly (3d3f72) — 10/19/2008 @ 12:38 pmDamn, these reporters are so in the tank they are now hearing things. They really really believe the vilest things about conservatives and republicans, and so when in the midst of the white noise of a McCain/Palin crowd, they swear they hear someone somewhere shouting “kill him!”. Not because anyone actually said that, but because the idea is already firmly rooted in the reporter’s own mind. So when these media weasels report these phony stories we are really getting a deep peek into the rotten recesses of the reporter’s mind.
Brad (127310) — 10/19/2008 @ 3:47 pmMore from our left wing media machine
Nanker Phelge (bec964) — 10/19/2008 @ 3:49 pm[Trying again]
More from the SCLM
Nanker Phelge (bec964) — 10/19/2008 @ 3:51 pmYou really busted that myth wide open, Pheltch. The other 99% is just a fluke.
Jim Treacher (592cb4) — 10/19/2008 @ 5:23 pmNow we see that someone really shot at a McCain bus. Contrast that with the fantasies about violence toward Obama.
SPQR (26be8b) — 10/20/2008 @ 6:56 pmMilbank wasn’t liberal enough to keep his Olbermann gig. Let that sink in for a minute.
I just played online poker against someone from Wasilla. She seemed kinda fed up with the New York Times going through her trashcan, stopping her kids on the street, and striking up conversations at the diner. She closed the conversation with “go Sarah!”
carlitos (e833de) — 10/20/2008 @ 6:59 pm