Congressman Darrell Issa Hits Back at NYT's Front-page Attack
The New York Times's Eric Lichtblau published a front-page hit piece on the House oversight committee chairman, Rep. Darrell Issa, on Monday, titled "Helping His District, and Himself." The piece opened with an attempt to paint a corporate image of the entrepreneurial congressman, saying, "Here on the third floor of a gleaming office building overlooking a golf course in the rugged foothills north of San Diego, Darrell Issa, the entrepreneur, oversees the hub of a growing financial empire worth hundreds of millions of dollars," going on to attempt to forge a connection between Issa's public service and private business. The errors began in the lede, as Issa's office is not located in a ritzy building near a golf course, and continued for the rest of the article.
Issa's office has called for a "front-page retraction of the story due to the inaccuracies that fully undermine the premise of the article," describing the piece as an "error-ridden front page story." Issa's director of communications, Frederick Hill, explained that the three central examples the Times used to justify their claims are "wildly inaccurate," citing 13 inaccuracies in the article that reflect incorrect information or baseless assertions. With only one exception, the Times has yet to correct or retract any of the errors in the article.
According to the press release from Issa's office today,
The central claim in the New York Times story is an allegation of self-dealing on the part of Rep. Darrell Issa, as the story describes, "with at least some of the congressman's actions helping to make a rich man richer" and "specific actions that appear to have clearly benefited his businesses."
The first major claim Lichtblau made in his front-page Times article was that a medical complex purchased by Issa in 2008 supposedly appreciated in value from $10.3 million to $16.6 million, a 60% increase, due in part to "government-sponsored road work" Issa supported. Lichtblau was entirely wrong here, as the property was purchased for $16.6 million, which is the exact same value listed its current tax assessment, an appreciation in value of 0%. Furthermore, the road work Lichtblau mentioned has not even begun yet, and Issa's support of the project came before the property purchase.
The next factual inaccuracy was that Issa "went easy" on Toyota during the 2010 hearings on the unexpected acceleration experienced by some Toyota car drivers. This was supposedly because Issa's electronics company played a "role as a major supplier of alarms to Toyota." In fact, Issa's former company, Directed Electrics, is not a supplier to Toyota, nor does Issa still have a personal financial stake in the company.
The third disputed claim with the Times article is that Issa's charitable foundation made a 1900% profit on a less than $19,000 investment, selling it only seven months later for $357,000, mere months before the stock market crashed. This is once again a reporting error. According to Issa's press release, "the Issa Family Foundation's initial investment in the AIM Small Company fund was not $19,000 but $500,000. The asset was later sold for $375,000 resulting in a $125,000 loss - not a 1900 percent gain...".
The one error the Times has corrected was the assertion that Issa had "multibillion-dollar businesses." Issa does not own any multibillion dollar businesses, which the Times has updated in the article, noting Lichtblau "misstated the worth of the companies involved in [Issa's] splitting up of a holding company. The split entailed separate multimillion-dollar companies, not multibillion-dollar ones."
The Daily Caller reached out to the New York Times on Monday for a comment on the story, and spokeswoman Danielle Rhoades-Ha explained that the Times is sticking to its article.
“We believe the story to be an accurate and fair account,” she said in an email . “Of course we will have a look at any factual issues his staff has raised. However, there is nothing in the Congressman’s complaint that questions the heart of the story. The Times has made several attempts to reach the Congressman — by phone and by email — to get his comment. And he has declined.”
Rhoades-Ha has not responded to TheDC’s latest request asking if the Times will run a front-page retraction of the story, now that Issa has documented its factual inaccuracies.
According to Issa's press release, the Times is currently reviewing other errors cited by Issa's office and official request for retraction, and has promised to respond to Issa.
- Aubrey Vaughan's blog
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Comments
The Times lied in a story?
Submitted by UpNorth on Fri, 08/19/2011 - 3:57pm.
Say it isn't so!!! Would this be the same NYT that offered the story that McCain was having an affair?
As for Issa not talking to the Slimes, I wouldn't either. They've demonstrated a habit, over the last 40 or more years of not being able to print the truth about anything, why expect that trait to be corrected any time soon?
This was nothing more than an
Submitted by ricklail on Fri, 08/19/2011 - 4:03pm.
This was nothing more than an attack prompted by the Obama folks. Issa is getting very close to the truth on Fast and Furious. If, BIG IF, they can get the documents it will bring down Holder and assure that Obama goes back to Chicago.
The NYT: a lapdog of Barack
Submitted by Beukeboom on Fri, 08/19/2011 - 4:05pm.
The NYT: a lapdog of Barack Obama's
Did the NYT reporter use google maps?
Submitted by E.S.Blofeld on Fri, 08/19/2011 - 4:03pm.
Looking at the satellite view where DEI holdings is located in San Diego, there is a golf course nearby within the confines of Shadowridge Country Club. I think it would be a stretch to think one could "overlook" anything from a 3 story bldg located a half mile away. Pretty sleazy reporting.
Ernst
"Isn't it pretty to think that way?"-EH
Shadow Ridge area of Vista
Submitted by Injest on Fri, 08/19/2011 - 8:41pm.
A stretch is even an overstatement. I used to live the “Shadow Ridge” area of Vista.
What Google Earth doesn’t show is the topographical heights
"VISTA, Calif. — Here on the third floor of a gleaming office building overlooking a golf course in the rugged foothills north of San Diego, Darrell Issa, the entrepreneur, oversees the hub of a growing financial empire worth hundreds of millions of dollars."
Rugged foothills should have been a clue!
Darrell Issa California District Office • 1800 Thibodo Road, #310 • Vista, CA 92081 ...
Use Google Earth
From his Office building to see the Golf course, you would have to look “South East” Up a Hill, way up a hill, at the top of the hill is a Ridge line (tops of hills do that ya know), you would then have to look “Over that Ridge” down a Valley known as the “Shadow Ridge” area of Vista to see a golf course.
BTW, there is a reason why the area is called “Shadow Ridge”, the Sun goes up and the Sun goes down, when that happens and it crosses a “Ridge Line” Shadows are formed that how the came up with the clever name “Shadow Ridge”!
Didn't Jayson Blair fired for this from the NYT?
The New York Times has
Submitted by Beukeboom on Fri, 08/19/2011 - 4:04pm.
The New York Times has deteriorated to being nothing more than a sleazy tabloid with delusions of grandeur.
Is "Eric Lichtblau" the pseudonym for Jayson Blair?
Submitted by Galvanic on Fri, 08/19/2011 - 4:24pm.
Blair was the celebrated African-American reporter for the NY Times who wrote stories with info gleaned from other media reports plus his own fiction -- all under a byline that implied he was on the scene of the story.
One of his more notorious articles was in regard to former Army PFC Jessica Lynch, who had been captured in Iraq and rescued from a hospital by US special operations troops. Blair's story included an totally inaccurate description of the Lynch family residence in West Virginia, and an alleged dream he attributed to Lynch's mother recounting, though he had never met the lady let alone interviewed her.
If Lichtblau's physical description of Issa's office is inaccurate, I'd be suspicious.
NY Times motto rephrased?
Submitted by Robin Green on Fri, 08/19/2011 - 4:33pm.
So many obvious inaccuracies? I know a few people who teach journalism and love to use the NY Times as a classic example of how a paper should be done (the people in the business and finance classes would probably take issue over that since the Times is not exactly raking in profits in recent times). Perhaps their motto was corrupted by a typo in an internal document: "All the new spit to print"?
Mexican Slim
Submitted by TheReal_mojo on Fri, 08/19/2011 - 4:41pm.
Time to dig into the NYT's sugar daddy's background, Congressman?
It is the leader of the Propaganda Media Print
Submitted by John21 on Fri, 08/19/2011 - 4:43pm.
The New York Times gave up being a news organization a decade ago. They are just (part of) the Public Relations department of the Democrapic National Committee. They gave up even pretending that facts or evidence matters, to them the only important thing is that the story meets and supports the far left agenda. They print and support the DNC talking points without question. The Obama talking point are referenced like they came from the burning bush or was brought down from the mountain by Moses.
The Times makes Yellow Journalism look Respectable
Submitted by gmonsen on Fri, 08/19/2011 - 4:58pm.
The Times makes Pravda look objective. They say whatever will advance theirs and Obama's agendas with no regard to the truth or facts. They also harshly censor comments and cut off comment when it suits them. Their active moderation staff only publishes less than half the comments I submit and they are never egregious or vulgar, just aggressively conservative rebuttals. I have complained to Arthur Brisbane, the Times Public Editor, and now am getting more comments published.
G
Don't let facts get in the
Submitted by deerjerkydave on Fri, 08/19/2011 - 5:42pm.
Don't let facts get in the way of good stereotyping.
------------------------
"The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the Federal Government are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State Governments are numerous and indefinite. -James MadisonThe NYT is a obama whore,
Submitted by LAM SON 719 on Fri, 08/19/2011 - 5:56pm.
The NYT is a obama whore, ready and willing to take it up the ass for th magcian negro. They don't relealize that come 2012 when they have served their purpose they will be thrown under the bus.
SENTENCE THE ZEITUNI LEECH TO HARD LABOR THEN DEPORT THE WHORE!
“We believe the story to be an accurate and fair account,”
Submitted by ThePickle on Fri, 08/19/2011 - 6:05pm.
They NYT says: “We believe the story to be an accurate and fair account,”
I say: "I believe your newspaper to be engaged in malicious libel in an attempt to forward your not so hidden political agenda."
Lets have a show of hand as to how many believe my statement to be the more "accurate and fair"
the new york
Submitted by ohio granny on Fri, 08/19/2011 - 6:45pm.
Just refer to the NYT as the New York Slimes from now on.
Soros
Submitted by grammajane on Fri, 08/19/2011 - 6:14pm.
Does Soros have any connection to the nyt? It is very obvious Mr.Issa is a very determined gentleman and very determined to figure out what this present day white house is hiding and lying about. The nyt's will do anything to try and bring down anyone who does their job of investigating liberals.
NYT Transparently Tries To Shut Down Obama Investigations
Submitted by OxyCon on Fri, 08/19/2011 - 6:46pm.
That's what this is all about. The NYT is trying to neuter the investigational arm of Congress that is charged with keeping the Obama administration's actions legal and ethical.
Translation...
Submitted by retrocon on Fri, 08/19/2011 - 7:01pm.
New York Times 2010 = Pravda 1960
A propaganda rag.
From Wikipedia: Issa was
Submitted by stratman on Fri, 08/19/2011 - 8:28pm.
From Wikipedia:
Shouldn't the NYTimes be castigated by Leftists for the obvious bigotry displayed in its attack on a non-Jewish Middle Eastern ethnic person from one of the most Liberal cities in Cleveland? (Cleveland Heights - first to become "Nuclear Free", has its own version of Haight-Ashbury called Coventry Road, must be fingerprinted and permitted to own firearms, etc) Then again, maybe the Left is OK with the Times hit piece because Issa's Rabbi boss was not secular. And aren't Liberals supposed to adore anything related to Marlo Thomas - wife of talk show host Phil Donahue?
(Sarcasm/off)
I didn't know Issa was from my area.
to close to call
Submitted by Injest on Fri, 08/19/2011 - 9:20pm.
Cleveland Heights - first to become "Nuclear Free", has its own version of Haight-Ashbury called Coventry Road, must be fingerprinted and permitted to own firearms, etc)
Hmm, Might be to close to call, but Delmar ca. Has a $500.00 fine if you detonate a Nuclear device within the city limits.
Not exactly sure where one would go to pay the fine.
Only $500? So It's Sort Of OK To Detonate A Nuke?
Submitted by stratman on Fri, 08/19/2011 - 10:58pm.
I guess Delmar wanted to make it economically painful for unemployed terrorists but not so much for fat cat CEO's to detonate a nuke while riding around in their corporate jets. Must be eevil Republican corporatists that made that law.
Clarification - Cleveland Heights was the first to go Nuke Free in the area, not in the country.
Addition: Cleveland Heights was an early adopter of the Domestic Partner Registry.
I'm puzzled
Submitted by Chaitealover on Sat, 08/20/2011 - 12:27pm.
It wouldn't surprise me if CA has 2 cities with similar names [because I know of 2 cities in this state that had the same name for a while], but I can't find a Delmar, CA on the web. However, I'm quite familiar with the lovely city of Del Mar, just north of San Diego.
If Del Mar currently has an ordinance regarding the detonation of nuclear devices within city limits, I can't find any reference to it on their very extensive website. How about some more info?
BTW, I wouldn't be surprised if they did pass such an ordinance in the past, I just can't find anything about it existing now.
What? The NYT lied again? *yawn*
Submitted by SaguaroJack on Sat, 08/20/2011 - 8:34am.
Those of us who remember the Times of Abe Rosenthal's day can only wonder how this thing that today calls itself by the same name gets away with it. To refer to the NYT as birdcage liner doesn't do justice to its roll as the nation's toilet paper.
This hit piece was inevitable
Submitted by ladycatnip on Sat, 08/20/2011 - 10:22am.
Issa is hitting the DOJ and Obama admin hard over Fast & Furious, so NYT is just doing their job in trying to destroy and annihilate the messenger. Khrushchev promised they would bury us and that the United States would be destroyed from within, which leaves the imagination free to roam on the scenario unfolding before our own eyes. It's horrifying.
Can Issa put a time limit
Submitted by hbnolikeee on Sat, 08/20/2011 - 11:07pm.
on the NY Slimes retracting their lies or is the word now misspeaking?