Probe Sought Of O'Malley Affair Rumors

[UCSBLiberalCat53]

Probe Sought Of O'Malley Affair Rumors
Assembly Democrats Doubt Ehrlich Aide Worked Alone

By Matthew Mosk and Allison Klein
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, February 10, 2005; Page A01

Maryland's legislative leaders said yesterday that they do not believe that a longtime aide to Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R) worked alone to circulate rumors about the personal life of Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley, and they called for an independent investigation.

Sen. Brian E. Frosh (D-Montgomery) said he will ask top lawmakers to grant him subpoena power to conduct hearings into what he called "the Watergate-style dirty tricks" used to smear O'Malley, a Democrat who is laying the groundwork to run for governor in 2006.

"I really think people ought to be hauled in here, put under oath and asked to explain what went on," Frosh said.

...

Ehrlich told reporters that he would preserve and make public those records. He said he believes that Steffen was acting on his own when he sent the e-mails and posted messages spreading gossip about the mayor on a conservative Web site, www.freerepublic.com.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A10953-2005Feb9.html

[sasquatch]

1. Perhaps they can sue the FReepers for libel!

:bounce:

[UCSBLiberalCat53]

2. Perhaps they're going to play the victim again just as the FMR does best..

heh, if the site got sued, that'd be more proof that the freepers and their ilk are just oppressed just like the rich and corporations. :eyes:

[flygal]

3. heeeeyy

I just learned a new dirty word in German - at least I'm sure you weren't calling mm "rosebud" :7

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

4. When posting in LBN you have to post the actual article tite

So you may want to edit your header. :hi:

"Probe Sought Of O'Malley Affair Rumors"

[UCSBLiberalCat53]

5. Will take note of that...

done...

[GetTheRightVote]

6. Rosebud is my nickname for my daughter so I hope it is not to bad

:kick:

[GetTheRightVote]

7. Rosebud is my nickname for my daughter so I hope it is not to bad

:kick:

[NVMojo]

8. it's about time everyone starts to fight back on this Rovian bullshit!!!

[radfringe]

9. nothing to see...move along...not my fault

here we go with sweeping it under the rug, not my fault and move along nothing to see....

--snip--
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A10953-2005Feb9_2.html
rug sweeper: House Republicans said they would resist efforts by lawmakers to launch hearings into the matter. "I don't think we need anything to investigate anything," said House Minority Leader George C. Edwards (R-Garrett). "The governor found out. He fired the person immediately. He's not involved in any grand scheme . . . to discredit the mayor of Baltimore."

not my fault:Steffen did not take calls or answer the door of his Baltimore apartment yesterday, but someone using his "handle" signed on to the freerepublic.com Web site to give his version of events.

move along--nothing to see:Ehrlich said he believes that the controversy will prove to be a momentary distraction. "It is just an unfortunate incident that you have to take care of and then you go on," he said.

--------------

stay tuned -- tomorrow they blame it all on Clinton

[LynnTheDem]

10. Deliberately spreading lies about a Dem is ok, but telling the TRUTH about

Falafal Dild O'Reilly and Joe "HotMilitaryStud.com" Gannon are just "librul conspiracy", "leftwing smear tactics" and "treason".

Heh. Some day the hypocrisy-load will be too much for rightwingnuts to bear. May they then experience spontaneous internal combustion. :)

[FreeStateDemocrat]

11. Baltimore Sun: Steffen worked in dark behind political scenes

Steffen worked in dark behind political scenes
By Jonathan D. Rockoff
Sun Staff
Originally published February 10, 2005
Joseph F. Steffen Jr. left Reisterstown's Franklin High School and quickly found a home in the rough-and-tumble world of politics, working mostly behind the scenes as a self-described "Prince of Darkness" on behalf of favorite Republicans - including, for more than a decade, Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.
As the Ehrlich administration distanced itself from Steffen's rumor-mongering, a picture emerged yesterday of a committed conservative crusader whose tireless work pleased his bosses while enraging their opponents.
Adding to the intrigue is the mysterious figure that Steffen cut. Former colleagues said he preferred to wear dark clothing and work behind closed doors, with the lights off. Away from work, he writes horror and science fiction stories.
"He's a character," said Ehrlich, who employed Steffen while he was a U.S. congressman from 1995 to 2003 and then in various state jobs since assuming Maryland's governorship.
(cont.)

Sewer level political operative working for a true Nazi in Ehrlich. He will probably get a payoff job with someone like Sinclair Broadcasting, one of Ehrlich’s corporate clients.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bal-te.md.steffen10feb10,1,2445500.story?coll=bal-home-headlines&ctrack=2&cset=true

[Ian David]

12. Free Republic named in O'Malley smear campaign scandal

From http://www.crooksandliars.com

Free Republic named in smear campaign!

WaPo: Baltimore Mayor Asks for Apology from Md. Governor
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A10953-2005Feb9.html

Aide fired by Rep. Gov. Ehrlich for spreading false rumors.

Mayor Martin O'Malley and his wife briefly told a crowd of reporters today that they have a faithful, loving marriage, a day after the mayor accused agents of Maryland Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s administration of spreading false rumors that he had an extramarital affair. The emotional press conference came in response to a report in today's Washington Post which disclosed that a longtime aide to Ehrlich, a Republican, had sent e-mails suggesting there was an orchestrated effort to spread a rumor that the mayor had committed adultery.

Ehrlich fired the aide, Joseph Steffen, from his state job last night. And the governor said yesterday he would be open to an independent investigation by the Maryland State Prosecutor to see if Steffen's actions were part of a broader conspiracy to smear the mayor.
<snip>

Just another usual day in republican politics. Is O'Reilly going to do a segment calling on Hugh Hewitt to discuss Free Republic's roll in this scandal? Doubt it.

More:
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2005/02/09.html#a1543


See also:

From FreeRepublic:


"How in the world did they find out he was NCPAC?"

No one can figure that out.

What can I say other than the Governor had no knowledge whatsoever of any postings on FR. For the record, I offered to resign before being asked to do so. And, no, I have not spoken directly with the Governor about any of this.

The Baltimore Sun will be running a piece on this as well on Wednesday. They called Tuesday night and were ready to pin the whole thing on the Governor, and I couldn't let that happen because it simply isn't true. The Governor had no knowledge of anything involving O'Malley or the "rumors."

Also, the Baltimore Sun has a list of FReepers they read off to me to see if I was "also" posting under those screen names. I don't remember all of them, but CrushKerry was one.

It's been one wild ride, FRiends.

46 posted on 02/08/2005 9:29:48 PM PST by NCPAC ("I believe the very heart and soul of conservatism is libertarianism." - Ronald Reagan)


For more discussion:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x1583998

[gratuitous]

13. Steffen admitted his guilt yesterday

But when someone asked him if he was part of an orchestrated effort to "get" O'Malley, he suddenly developed lockjaw.

There was a time in the United States, boys and girls, when a journalist (a fancy-pants name for newspaper reporter) would have pricked up his ears at that and done a little digging, to find out what the answer to that question is.

I hope someone smells Pulitzer on this, because it appears there's a roiling cesspool just below the respectable surface of the governor's office in Maryland.

[rocktivity]

14. Thank you, Jeff Gannon!

Steffen was acting on his own, my :kick:!

ANOTHER nail in the Bush media manipulation empire! There's enough going for a full-scale investigation here!

:headbang:
rocknation

[Rockholm]

15. Drip, Drip, Drip.