We wrote here and in several follow-up posts about the New York Times’s outrageous front-page smear of Darrell Issa, Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Times reporter Eric Lichtblau falsely accused Issa of using his Congressional office to enrich himself. Lichtblau’s piece was so fact-challenged that it has given rise, so far, I believe, to four corrections. There should be several more, but the Times has dug in its heels and refuses to correct any more of its obvious errors.
The Times piece started with a left-wing web site; indeed, some have accused Lichtblau of plagiarism. This is common: reporters for Democratic newspapers like the Times and the Washington Post constantly troll far-left web sites for story ideas. When they come across a slander they think they can sell, they jump in. That is what happened here.
The Times story blew up like an exploding cigar. You might think that would cause the Left to abandon it in shame, but you would be wrong. Today The Hill reported that a left-wing group has asserted ethics violations against Issa, based on the Times story. That was the plan all along, of course. The Hill writes:
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Connecting the Dots: How the Left Works
3 more murders linked to Gunwalker
Weapons linked to ATF's controversial "Fast and Furious" operation have been tied to at least eight violent crimes in Mexico including three murders, four kidnappings and an attempted homicide.According to a letter from U.S. Assistant Attorney General Ronald Weich to Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), the disclosed incidents may be only a partial list of violent crimes linked to Fast and Furious weapons because "ATF has not conducted a comprehensive independent investigation."
When added to the guns found at the murder scene of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry in the U.S., the newly-revealed murders in Mexico bring the total number of deaths linked to Fast and Furious to four.
According to the Justice Department letter:
One AK-47 type assault rifle purchased by a Fast and Furious suspect was recovered Nov. 14, 2009 in Atoyac de Alvarez, Mexico after the Mexican military rescued a kidnap victim.
On July 1, 2010, two AK-47 type assault rifles purchased by Fast and Furious suspects were recovered in Sonora, Mexico after a shootout between cartels. Two murders were reported in the incident using the weapons.
On July 26, 2010, a giant .50 caliber Barrett rifle purchased by a Fast and Furious suspect was recovered in Durango, Mexico after apparently having been fired. No further details of the incident were given.
On Aug. 13, 2010, two AK-47 type assault rifles purchased by a Fast and Furious target were recovered in Durango, Mexico after a confrontation between the Mexican military and an "armed group."
Feds Wrongly Raid Home Of CBS Correspondent In Alameda
Some new parents got an unexpected scare Wednesday morning when they awoke to a team of armed Federal Bureau of Investigation agents attempting to raid their home.CBS News correspondent Priya David and her husband Alex Clemens were at their home with their newborn child on Lina Avenue when they heard a banging on the door just after 7 a.m.
“Our first thought was the neighborhood is on fire,” resident Alex Clemens said. “I see what turns out to be eight uniformed, armored, armed officers – four of which are pointing guns through the window at my face.”