After Announcing Retirement, Rep. Weller Aide Pushes Political Reporter Down Stairs
By Nicole Belle Thursday Sep 20, 2007 7:51pm
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What a horrible, terrible, very bad, no good day Rep. Jerry Weller (R-IL) is having. Facing questions about ethics over some Nicaraguan investments, Weller announced this morning the old stand by of wanting to spend more time with his family and opting not to run again.
If Weller had hoped that taking his ball and going home would stop the questions about his ethical failings, he was wrong. Chicago's CBS2 Political Editor Mike Flannery followed after Weller to get a statement on his investments in Nicaragua. The raw video is hard to make out, but Flannery is claiming that one of Weller's aides pushed him down the stairs and into a woman in the stairwell. He has said he will press charges.
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Having just been named one of the most corrupt MOC, I don't think he was in any frame of mind to take questions--his staff was most likely all panicky because they will be out of jobs.
I saw the tape of this on another site (actually, the station covering this). This kind of behavior cannot be justified, it is deplorable, but it demonstrates how the repugs act when they are cornered.
I hope his family can join him
The aide committed alleged assault? So why is this "aide" still on the Congressional Staff Payroll: Conduct does not appear to bring credit upon the Congress. Where's the ethics investigation, Pelosi: Or is that off the table as well?
Time for the DNC Controlled COngress to conduct an ethics review of thsi staffer. Do it, or the STate AG's can prosecute the Members of Congress who obstruct investigations into alleged illegal activity by Congressional Staff counsel.
Pelosi brought this on herself. Put impeachment back on the table; and prosecution remains an open option. Will the Staff spend "alot" of time making excuses not to comply with the requirement to investigate? Surely, such arrogance raises questions whether the US Congress is serious about the rule of law.
Is this the model for Iraqis or American school children? Obvriously, because the Afghan children are tearing up over their new pencils. What a glorious revolution this has been, Speaker Pelosi. Perhaps one day you'll get a real job.
"Not assaulting people is off the table. Also, the table is off the table."
Well, CBS2 is notorious in Chicago for provoking things. If the video worked, we might be able to see what happened.
CLTV is reporting that the aide was arrested.
Republicans. What did anyone expect? We've put the worst of us in office. We kept doing it. We've done nothing about it. We've gotten what we deserve.
Unimpressed @ 3:
Ummm... because it just happened earlier today. Congress ain't a fucking 24/7 convenience store. Patience young grasshopper.
I'm Unimpressed with Unimpressed.
Was this Nigerian land deal initiated through an unsolicited email?
the repugthugs strike again. what a bunch of fascists hypocrites.
AndrewK @ 10:
It was Nicaraguan. Actually, Nicaragua is starting to boom as far as real estate... it's about to become the next Costa Rica. Most Americans aren't investing there yet because they still think it's the fucked country of twenty-five years ago that was plagued by US covert operations.
rogera @ 6:
Is there any way you could post a link to that?
dadams @ 11:
Come on, say what you want about republicans, they know how to make themselves money.
Caren @ 5:
Did the vid not work for you, or was that a comment on the fact that it's hard to tell from the vid what really happened? Both the qt and wmv played fine for me.
Blue Buddha saying "Patience young grasshopper"
perfect!
lmao
Belle you might want to post this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9kRgISW7Mw
McCain seems to be confused about what type of Religion he is.
It's not hard to imagine what actually occurred here for anyone having at least graduated middle school.
That's the level at which this aide was non-thinking, no doubt.
Disgusting, thuggish and dangerous behavior on his part. Hoping that this cretin will have the book legally thrown at him; metaphorically speaking of course.
justabill @ 13:
Actually, it's in the article that C&L posted above.
Blue Buddha @ 19:
doh! ok thanks ;)
FYI from the story:
The man who shoved Flannery and another television reporter was identified as John Dusik, an aide to the congressman.
Caren @ 5:
Works on raw story feed... another example of the war against terror...stop the questions, stop free speach, end the constitution.
Glad I am a expat...hehehehe
from watching the video, it looked like the bald guy with a mic in hand tried to dive through the door before everyone else. I doubt an aide would be holding a mic, or am I not seeing this correctly?
Anxiously awaiting a comment from Mr. O'reily to the effect of, "...and why didn't the officer TASE her for getting in the way of a government official?!?!"
if this case holds up, i would like to know why mike stark got the shaft?
there is no difference
the USA is so fucked up it's almost impossible to understand how it gets a veto on the UN security council right now ;)
I lived in Will county. This guy is one of the bihhest assholes in Congress. How stupid are the voters to put this guy in 7 times. What idiots! Too bad the democrats never got a good person to run against this idiot.
The Senate and House will now pass a resolution condemning the reporter for daring to question a Republican in Congress....
I'm waiting for the day when Bush announces he wants to spend more time with his family in Paraguay. Hope springs eternal.
This may be the closest thing to a manly brush with the law they Repugs have had in years.
It is good training for the congressman's upcoming prison term. You have to be able to mix it up.
No one in the Congressman's party was packin' a taser so the only option left was to do the shove down the steps thing.
What? Only corruption and unprovoked violence? No pedophilia or rape? Looks like we just lost one of our more upstanding Republicans.
The GOP hates freedom of the press.
I watched this video on the Chicago site. The woman was Weller's driver.
more repub violeance. It's their food, clothing and shelter protecting them from reason
There seems to be confusion as to what is going on in the video, which is understandable.
The point at which the reporter appears to be violently forcing himself through the door to the stairwell is actually the FIRST push, which was done off camera by the big guy who comes into frame wearing glasses. Before the camera catches up, he pushes the reporter AGAIN inside the doorway, pushing him down the stairs and into the woman walking with Weller.
I miss the old Mike Wallace ambush interview days.
Makes me weepy for Bob Dornan, republicans are so sweet.
the guy is unethical at the least. possibly will spend some jail time on this, but a court will decide. My beef is with the reporter who hounds and nips at the heels to get that story or to get that unique shot that will propel him or her into the upper extremity of news reporters. it sickens me that when there is a tragedy, these guys are invariably there first and unwilling to leave and they are constantly throwing a mike in the face of the pursued, "Sir, your daughter was brutally raped and murdered by that convicted felon, do you have a comment?" Yeah, i've got a comment, but you really don't want to hear. Each pushes the envelope beyond the bounds of common decency. and now this "reporter" gets pushed and fortunately, he now becomes part of the story. It'll mean bucks or prestige or perhaps both. Lucky sob. sick.
more criminal behavior from the wrong wing.
Rep. Jerry Weller: The Way NOT To Retire From Politics
When Richard Nixon lost his bid to become Governor of California in 1962 he angrily told the press: “You won’t have Nixon to kick around anymore.” (Actually the press DID and Nixon became President and the press REALLY did have him to...
[...] the video HERE. The reporter has filed a [...]
No sympathy from me. The sad joke of it all is that political reporters like Flannery are more likely to end up giving cover to repugs like Weller, no matter how badly the repugs abuse them. That's just the way our "political press" rolls anymore.
Ruthless People @ 34:
And the press loves them for it ...
Trust me folks. Liberals are not the only ones enraged by this SOB.
When Republicans push reporters down the stairwell, do they have top pull themselves up by the bootstraps?
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