Only Couric Notes Hsu Sentencing, 'Looming Recession' Leads CBS

Photo of Brent Baker.
By Brent Baker (Bio | Archive)
January 4, 2008 - 20:45 ET

Of the three broadcast network evening newscasts on Friday, only the CBS Evening News squeezed in a mention of how a California judge sentenced Norman Hsu -- the fugitive donor to many Democrats including Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama -- to three years in prison on a 16-year-old fraud conviction. Unlike ABC and NBC, CBS's Katie Couric didn't lead with the Iowa caucus results, but with “more signs of a looming recession.” Couric's brief item on Hsu:

In California today, Norman Hsu, the so-called fugitive financier, was sentenced to three years in prison. Hsu was convicted of fraud back in 1992 but fled before he was sentenced. While on the run for 15 years, he contributed millions to political campaigns, including $850,000 to Hillary Clinton's campaign which she has since returned.

Hsu, however, also helped Barack Obama, the big winner in Iowa, but that didn't make it into Couric's brief or prompt any interest from ABC or NBC. Back on October 16, the Los Angeles Times reported “a political action committee for Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill) received $24,500" from Hsu associates.

Story Continues Below Ad ↓

An excerpt from the LA Times article:

The full extent of accused swindler Norman Hsu's political network was revealed for the first time Monday in campaign finance reports filed by presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), who refunded $804,850 in contributions from 249 Hsu associates...

In the 2005-2006 election cycle, the 249 donors gave as much as $670,000 to federal candidates other than Clinton, a comparison of the names with other campaign records shows. Among the other recipients, the largest appeared to be the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee at $78,000, followed by Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill with $43,000, and Harold Ford, a Tennessee Democrat who lost his race for the U.S. Senate, at $42,000.

Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy (D-R.I.) received $28,000 and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee received $27,000. A political action committee for Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill) received $24,500, and California Sen. Dianne Feinstein's campaign got $19,000....

Couric opened the January 4 CBS Evening News with a subject ABC and NBC got to later in their newscasts:

Good evening, everyone. Well, no rest for the weary in a presidential race. All the candidates have moved on to New Hampshire today after big wins in Iowa by Barack Obama and Mike Huckabee. We'll have a full report on campaign '08 in a moment. But, first, the economy, something that's of paramount concern to voters. In fact, according to our latest poll, it's the number one issue after Iraq. With good reason. Tonight there are more signs of a looming recession. Unemployment edged up to five percent last month, the highest rate in two years. That news sent the Dow into a nosedive. It fell 256 points. The NASDAQ lost 98. And there's real concern the economy has essentially stopped creating jobs. More now from Anthony Mason....

—Brent Baker is Vice President for Research and Publications at the Media Research Center


Comments Policy

All comments are owned by whoever posted them and are subject to our terms of use. They should not be assumed to represent the views of NewsBusters.

Viewing options

Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.

and that's the last we'll hear...

January 4, 2008 - 21:28 ET by Gary Hall

and that's the last we'll hear... of that. The AP wire stories will be printed in a few national newspapers. Couric reported on a brief of one small part of the story.

Dozens of journalists over the next 48 hours will have ample opportunity to ask questions of Obama and Hillary Clinton of the issue. One could ask Clinton if in reflecting back on James Riady, perhaps this marked the end of yet another chapter of corrupt fundraising for the Clintons and the Democrats, but instead, we will be greeted with silence. Protectionism. Of the Democrats.

Imagine what would have occurred if Hsu was a Republican fundraiser. Surely, even the expectation last night that he was to be sentenced today, would have soured the returns. 

    

 

HsuGate Update: Good job,

January 4, 2008 - 21:56 ET by Britcom

HsuGate Update:

Good job, you beat me to the punch.  And I thought I was the only one following the Hsu story.  :)

 

BIAS...

January 4, 2008 - 21:57 ET by danybhoy

Katie, some people say that they don't trust the MSM because they see it as biased, how would you respond to those people?

"Some of us are wise, some of us are otherwise"  Mark Levin

Looming Recession my a$$

January 4, 2008 - 22:29 ET by HypocriteHater

I just happen to have the tv set to CBS when the evening news came on and when I heard the "looming recession" tag line, I couldn't turn the channel fast enough.

As far as the MSM is concerned, we're going to have a recession, dammit, no matter what the reality is!  

Of course there's a looming recession...

January 4, 2008 - 23:08 ET by SouthernRoots

It is a presidential election year, after all.  Besides, everyone knows that only GWB has the power to "talk" us into a recession.  The MSM is only "observing".

Now where did I put the airsick bag?

 

I won't be wronged. I won't be insulted. I won't be laid a-hand on. I don't do these things to other people, and I require the same from them. - J.B. Books (John Wayne)

Hsu Knew

January 4, 2008 - 22:45 ET by Lame Cherry

Why bloggers here take it personal when the MSM uses a recession scare to try and elect Democrats, looses a great deal of the fact that the US economy is in the process of constricting as I blogged on in the main forum asking the Newsbuster editors to expand and explain that there are forces trying to implode certain aspects of the economy.........fails to notice the real points hopefully Mr. Baker was trying to make.

This is a high stakes poker game in hedge funds, political control to implement global control of the United States and not the United States in control of the globe..........and it is in the microcosm of Hsu.

ALL of the Democratic candidates are fail safe candidates. Hsu is the perfect example of the criminal charges just looming to explode on Hillary and Obama..........I will not include Edwards in this as he has only been placed in the race to prepare the way for Al Gore.

Understand this, that a constricted economy can be uncoiled easily when the MSM has everyone thinking it is a recession based economy which indeed has parts that are generationally recessive. What the US is facing though is more akin to the Carter stagflation situation which crippled US business. In saying that, this has no attack on Bush, Conservatives nor Newsbusters.........but until Newsbusters starts informing people of the elephant we as a Conservative people are dealing with instead of challenging it with the correct fixes..........we are going to be led around by cartels who are going to leverage more control.

Hsu is key in this and is why Couric featured him. The groundwork is being laid.......Hsu is a crook, and he has crooked money going to Obama and Clinton. Now when all the weak ducks of the DNC get lined up, the super delegates are going to say:

Baby we are in big Boston trouble as our candidates either got video of them with crooked funds or our candidates are idiots with crooked funds.

Enter the super delegates choice........Al Gore.

Now the Times does not want Gore for an inner communist party dispute in it recently exposing him as a huckster. It proves wonderfully interesting.

Couric though has laid out the herding of the sheep and the method of weakening the culls of the DNC.........and yes Hillary is a cull as it is precious the beaming look on Bill Clinton's face when she was defeated.
He is relieved that he has saved his legacy and his bimbo videos will now rest in peace as long as he keeps sabotaging Hillary's campaign.

 

*HIC IACET ARTORIVS REX QVONDAM REXQVE FVTVRVS

I'm actually quite shocked

January 4, 2008 - 23:40 ET by rbosque

I'm actually quite shocked the perky princess even mentioned it at all.

But this wasn't the only time money changed hands from shady people to the Dems. If you ask me this goes VERY deep, maybe even to China.

Note to Katie Couric:

January 5, 2008 - 00:04 ET by drillanwr

Ways to boost your over-paid cellar ratings ...

Really, really blonde LONG hair extensions

Heavy eye liner

A Fredricks Of Hollywood "maximizer" push-up bra

Looooow cut, sheer blouses

Gobs of shiney lip gloss ... oh, forget that. Fox News Channel seems to have bought the rights to the lip gloss on female news readers

And a sultry voice when reading the news ... much like one of those phone-sex operators

 

And then you can read and report the news the same way you do now ... But 50-75% of the audience you'll pull in won't give a flying leap that you're full of it.

Drillanwr

January 5, 2008 - 06:24 ET by well99

"Gobs of shiney lip gloss ... oh, forget that. Fox News Channel seems to have bought the rights to the lip gloss on female news readers"

And some of us appreciate that.I not a male chauvinist pig.I not a male chauvinist pig.I not a male chauvinist pig.
Well maybe a little bit.

Well, 99 ... Heh! Why do you

January 5, 2008 - 12:10 ET by drillanwr

Well, 99 ... Heh! Why do you think FNC "applies the gloss"?  Our military in theater loves Fox News ... I wouldn't venture to break down the percentages, but I'd wager, besides the more accurate and less biased reporting, the Fox Females have a lot to do with it.

Yup lol

January 5, 2008 - 15:52 ET by well99

Very true Drillanwr.Even though as you noted more accurate and less bias.My brother when he got back couldnt even watch the msm.It ticked him off to no end.He watchs Fox.

99 -

January 5, 2008 - 17:27 ET by drillanwr

Unless I am mistaken ... FNC's Laurie Dhue became the (unofficial) "would-be Pin-Up Girl" for some of the troops at the start of the war (Not sure if it was A-stan or Iraq).

shoe

January 5, 2008 - 02:29 ET by David N MO

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned this... I want to know if Clinton really did return the $800,000+.  I'd bet a Coke it hasn't happened, that they conveniently forgot about it... I bet she told "them" to, but because of the campaigning it slipped their minds.

How can we confirm whether she gave it back or not?

I'm David in Missouri, so "Show ME"!

David

January 5, 2008 - 12:15 ET by

Never ever mention Clinton, Coke, and large donations in the same post again it could be bad for your health.  At least you left pardons out.

GoHunter08

whoops!

January 7, 2008 - 10:16 ET by Rackie

whoops!

Lame Cherry

January 5, 2008 - 09:15 ET by trthskr

Do you ever get out of the house? I thought all the conspiracy nuts were on the left. After reading your rants for the last year or so, I guess I was wrong. Try toning it down just a bit. Or supply me with proof that any of your previous 'predictions' came true. (No hedging)