So...the Swift-Boating of Conyers has begun...

[Buddyblazon]

"Two former staff members of U.S. Rep. John Conyers Jr., D-Michigan, say the longtime Detroit congressman made them baby-sit his children, run errands and work on political campaigns while they were on his congressional payroll.

Sydney Rooks, whom Conyers hired as a legal adviser in his Detroit office, recalls the lawmaker brought his two young sons into her office several times, saying, "Rooks, they're your responsibility for right now. I'll be back later."

She said later could be a few minutes or an hour. "Later could be frantically calling around trying to find him because it was now 8 or 9 p.m. or later in the evening and not knowing what to do with the children," she said."

.....


"Deanna Maher, who was deputy chief of staff in Conyers' Downriver office, says her baby-sitting duties turned into a stint as a full-time nanny. "He handed me the keys to his car and his house, take care of my child Carl and everything," Maher told CNN from her western Michigan home.

Maher says she moved into Conyers' Detroit home. She took care of his elder son for several weeks, she says, while the congressman was in Washington and his wife attended law classes in Oklahoma.

Maher, Rooks and two other staffers have filed complaints against their former boss with the U.S. House of Representatives' ethics committee. In 2004, one of those complaints initiated an informal investigation, but a senior congressional aide said that the probe was stopped abruptly."


http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/04/12/griffin.conyers/index.html




So...all these former employees come out all at once. Gee...how convenient. I bet I'll be the only one to see the convenience of these pathetic, unimportant accusations.

Hey...CNN...WE GOT A MOTHERFUCKER IN OFFICE THAT LIED US INTO WAR! WHY DON'T YOU GRILL THAT ASSHOLE!

DO YOUR FUCKING JOB!

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

1. What are you trying to say?

That someone like CONYERS would hire 4 right-wingers as staffers? That he'd be so blind as to hire Republicans by mistake? Or are you saying these 4 are being bribed?

[jedicord]

2. How about "Come up with something that has as much

impact on the US as what the friggin' Republicans are doing!"

I've about had it with their lame attempt at making Democrats look as evil.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

4. I agree with that if you're yelling at CNN.

But the OP says it's convenient that these guys all come out at the same time. I'm not quite sure if they're trying to say these staffers are out to get Conyers or what.

[Buddyblazon]

9. Listen...

All of a sudden...after all these years...here are these staffers with similar stories....all coming out now.

If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck...guess what...it's a duck.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

10. But that just doesn't make any sense.

They'd have had to do some awfully good acting to work on CONYERS staff. I find it rather implausible to think they could masquerade as Democrats for all that time just on the off-chance that several years down the road they'd spring the surprise on a single Congressman that doesn't even have a hell of a lot of power.

[Buddyblazon]

15. Does that mean they can't be bought?

Does that mean a trivial little story should all of a sudden be on the front page? Isn't a bit convenient that it happens to one of the guys putting the most heat on this administration? And don't we know how the WH works? What about Kerry, Richards...McCain?

This is their MO.

So I'm googling trying to find out more about these accusers than just take the media's word for it. I mean, you can't tell me that you're now all of a sudden going to take the media for their word? After all the shit they've reported and NOT reported the last 6 years?

You and I both know that if it's a juicy story that the media wouldn't bother taking the time to do the investigation. They've done it...how many times since * got in office?

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

19. Like I said, if you're claiming CNN is throwing him under the bus

I'm all for that. On your side until the end. This is a bullshit non-story.

However, it's extremely hard for me to believe that one of the most progressive Members of Congress could be so blind as to hire FOUR Republican operatives and have them on his staff. No fucking way. Maybe they were bought off, but I would truly tend to doubt that too. Further, they apparently filed their grievance TWO YEARS AGO. If they were operatives back then, why did the GOP not make a big deal out of it when it occurred? Further, the Republicans run the ethics committee, just like all of the other committees. If they really wanted to investigate the claims and make a big fuss over it, there would've been nothing stopping it. So far as I can tell, they STOPPED an investigation on Conyers.

CNN is drudging this up as news when it's anything but. Blame CNN all you want, that's legit. But attacking the staffers or saying Conyers was set-up by Republicans just doesn't seem to have even a shred of evidence or logic behind it.

[Virginia Dare]

18. They are probably getting the Paula Jones treatment...

and in reality they probably were asked to do personal tasks for him. I guarantee you every low level staffer who has ever worked on the Hill has had to perform a personal task of some kind or another for their boss, that is a fact of life.

I worked for an extremely rich asshole right out of college and part of my duties included babysitting his kid.

It probably happened, but is it worth a major ethics scandal? I think not.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

22. One was Legislative Counsel, the other Deputy COS.

These were not entry level employees by any standard.

But no, it's not worthy of a major ethics scandal. Republicans even ceased the investigation into it. CNN is just being the GOP whores that they always are.

[Virginia Dare]

26. That's my guess as well...n/t

[texastoast]

13. Quacks like Rove

This has Rove all over it. Rove boogers. Sorry, I couldn't resist.

[K-W]

12. Of course they are out to get Conyers.

That much is obvious. Why they are going after Conyers is the more interesting question. Legitimate gripes, personal grudges, or political motives, it would be interesting to know. But regardles of thier personal motives they are pawns on the chessboard for the Republicans now. Conyers is guilty of the capital offense of being progressive in Washington and he will be made to suffer for it.

[blm]

24. CNN devoted less time to Downing Street Memos than they did this story

about Conyers.

And did you hear the reporter speaking about Conyers with such contempt on these babysitting charges while none of that emphasis, deliberation or detail was ever put into covering Downing Street Memos?

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

27. CNN fucking sucks.

It's sad that I have to watch BBC news for anything meaningful.

[populistdriven]

3. this is pure revenge for Delay

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

8. Probably, but what do you think of the staffers?

Are they lying for the Repugs? Or are they telling the truth?

I mean, this isn't an outside allegation made by the GOP here - this is from within his own inner-circle.

And yes, CNN is way overblowing this. This shouldn't be nearly as big of an issue as it is, even if it is true. Yes, it's shitty, yes it's unprofessional, no it's not worthy of this much attention.

[dogday]

16. If someone is going to take issue

with something, they don't wait years to do it, cause if they wanted to get him in trouble, could of done this years ago when this alleged incident occurred....

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

21. They filed the report 2 years ago according to the story.

Which means CNN is just drudging up old news for the fuck of it.

[dogday]

29. The lawyer said I wrote him a memo but

I don't have it anymore.. I have my email from 1997, and I am not even a lawyer who knows the value of written documents.... She would of kept that as part of the case they filed would you not think?..

The piece is an intentional slant piece looked like it was done by ETV not CNN

[0007]

25. What a great great video. Every American should watch this

from beginning to end.

[Buddyblazon]

6. Yeah...gee....

isn't that convenient. Four wingers...all of them forced to babysit.

We should do a little background research on the four accusers.

Lets see...we've got:

Sydney Rooks
Deanna Maher

RELEASE THE HOUNDS!!!
:nuke:

[reichstag911]

7. It's another preemptive strike...

...if the Dems take over the House after the November elections, Conyers will head up the Judiciary Committee which will be charged with investigating the impeachment issue.

[fooj]

5. This is an OLD story.

Pathetic little weasels.

[spuddonna]

11. "Wolf, I wanna get the 'Bomb Iran'/'W Lied' stories off the headlines..."

"...would you be kind enough to run this hatchet job on Conyers? Thanks, buddy! You're the best!!!!

Kisses and hugs,

KKKarl

PS - Don't listen to that nasty Cafferty fellow - he's just jealous because he's not hosting the "Situation Room"! Wait til he sees the audit he gets slapped with in a few weeks! Ha ha!"

[jrw14125]

14. has anyone checked into the former staffers? who do they work for now?

[Dinger]

23. Yeah, I Have The Same Question (nt)

[bunkerbuster1]

17. I also hear tell of a black Congresswoman wot hit an PO-leece ossifer...

Theys Dems is just as bad as Republicans!

Go get me a beer!

</Joe Stupid>

[dogday]

20. Not only that but I read her bodyguard

shoved a reporter and told him he was a police office, when in fact he is retired from the force... Oh my :sarcasm:

[Mr_Spock]

28. Waaaahhhhh!!! Waaaaaahhhhh!!!

Whining babies - they take a thankless ass-kissing job and then complain about getting some lousy duties as part of their job??

Fucking whiners.

:cry:

[Generator]

30. Thank you, smart Generator, you don't watch CNN

Yes, I congratulate myself for this. This story came out awhile ago-read about it on DU.

A couple things, I know it's popular, and everybody uses it and it's not going away but I FREAKING HATE that term "swiftboating." It lets those that did that to Kerry continue on in some way-like being memoralized. I know my compliants will never stop it, much like "It's a Rove, plot!" is a Pavlovian response around here. But yuck, I hate the term.

I'm sure Conyers isn't perfect. But of course this is bullshit. CAN you imagine what they would have done if MLK was alive in this age of CNN? I don't even want to imagine.

And DAMN, the PRESDIDENT is trying to take away all our liberties. The liberties of women, of Gays, of people that get in his way. Conyers allegedly made some staff babysit, and they apparently couldn't say no. I guess he has too much charm. What a comparison. ALL our liberties-being spied on, dying for sham wars versus overtime babysitting-yes--that's what CNN is all about. Which is why, I beg of you do the smart thing and don't watch. Propaganda is not good for you.