Network Morning Shows Downplay Burris Perjury Allegations

Photo of Kyle Drennen.
By Kyle Drennen (Bio | Archive)
February 16, 2009 - 13:52 ET

Chris Wragge, CBS Monday morning show coverage of allegations that Illinois Senator Roland Burris may have perjured himself with respect to connections to impeached Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich minimized calls for investigation or Burris’s resignation. On the CBS Early Show, correspondent Thailia Assuras explained: "State Republican lawmakers are calling for Senator Roland Burris to resign and be investigated for perjury...The U.S. Senate could move to expel Burris, but analysts say that's unlikely to happen. It's not the kind of distraction Senate Democrats need as they try to move forward the president's agenda."

On NBC’s Today, correspondent Lee Cowan had a similar take: "...some Republican lawmakers here are now calling for Senator Burris to resign. At the very least, some want to see a criminal investigation launched to see whether or not he perjured himself. As for his colleagues in the U.S. Senate, so far they're reserving judgment." ABC’s Good Morning America barely mentioned the controversy, only offering one 15-second news brief on the story. In addition to downplaying the issue, none of the three morning shows mentioned that Burris was a Democrat. Only the Early Show featured an on-screen graphic with ‘Illinois (D)’ next to Burris’s name while playing a clip of the Senator.

Early Show coverage almost portrayed Burris as a victim of Republican opponents as fill-in co-host Chris Wragge declared: "Political opponents of Senator Roland Burris, appointed to Barack Obama's seat, are already calling for Burris to resign." Thalia Assuras later described how those Republicans: "...allege he lied in January before the Illinois House Impeachment Committee investigating charges that Governor Rod Blagojevich tried to sell the Obama seat for campaign contributions or high-profile jobs."

—Kyle Drennen is a news analyst at the Media Research Center.


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Did we really

February 16, 2009 - 14:00 ET by sdan

expect them to do anything else?  Let's face it unless the person has a "R" behind their name it's just not that big of a deal.  I'm a pretty even-tempered person but I find myself more and more angry every time I read this kind of nonsense. 

Limbaugh on Burris

February 16, 2009 - 14:40 ET by allanf

At 1:58PM EST Rush Limbaugh said he thought the Illinois Repblicans ought to back off on that one.

Who annointed Limbaugh ruler??

February 16, 2009 - 17:14 ET by political maven

In any event, if they try to do anything to him it will be a "lynching"...the usual morons will come out of their holes, Sharpton, Jackson, and the other race hustlers.

 

This fine gentleman has nothing to worry about!

pol maven

February 16, 2009 - 17:24 ET by thebutlerdidit

I don't think anyone annointed Rush as the leader, besides the MSM, and they don't count. He is probably right, though, what good is it going to do? Like there's a whole closet full of clean democrats to choose from in Chicago?  Burris is probably the lesser of some of the evils.

 

All a Democrat needs is the upper-story window of public attention and the chamber pot of rhetoric. How else to explain the rise of Joe Biden?  P.J. O' Rourke

Poor Percentage Play

February 16, 2009 - 18:23 ET by allanf

Politically going after Burris is a poor percentage play.  If Burris answered the questions truthfully he did not commit a crime. It is up to the questioners to ask the right questions.

respectfully allan, they DID ask the right questions

February 16, 2009 - 18:52 ET by clinging to my guns and my religion

"Sen. Roland Burris admitted in a document released Saturday that former governor Rod Blagojevich's brother asked him for campaign fundraising help before the governor appointed Burris to the Senate.

The disclosure is at odds with Burris' testimony in January when an Illinois House impeachment committee specifically asked if he had ever spoken to Robert Blagojevich or other aides to the now-deposed governor about the Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama." (USA Today, 2/16) 

normally, i would not quote usa today, but i saw the video of the testimony, and know  this to be factual.  burris is a liar and is only coming out with this now because, more than likely, he has been informed he was taped.  either that or he has the worst memory in the history of chicago politics.  that said, i do agree he will not be forced out; he's less of a liability on the inside at this point than on the outside.  

"When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle." Edmund Burke

I Stand Corrected Clinging

February 17, 2009 - 16:07 ET by allanf

If he was asked a specific question and failed to answer it truthfully that is a different matter. 

As a polltical issue, I think the Republicans might better focus fire elsewhere, unless they see real gains in the polls in Illinois. The US Attorney is well equiped to handle the  matter.

If it had been Rove they

February 16, 2009 - 20:25 ET by kg

If it had been Rove they would be screaming for the electric chair.

"Forget change, I want improvement!"

For the msm talking heads

February 16, 2009 - 14:47 ET by bigtimer

For the msm talking heads attempting to blame the repubs for this is hilarious...

The Chicago soap-opera continues on...

Burris is there to stay until 2010 at least...much tot he chagrin of Reid, Durban and of course O...nevertheless, he's a good little trooper, he has followed in lock-step with the votes on his side of the aisle...what more do they want?

Just like Timmy Turbo Tax, Burris is a part of the socialist...

February 16, 2009 - 15:39 ET by R D Helm

...ruling class. As such, he has absolutely nothing to fear from his fellow-traveling socialists in the MSM, nor from the Obama "Justice" Department, nor from anyone else.

The laws and rules we mere proletarians must follow do not apply to members of the socialist elite ruling class.

Burris is going to skate on this without even breaking a sweat, and the completely corrupt, lying, Obama propagandist MSM will be right there, making sure that he does.

-Dave

Our clueless political leaders are about to drive us all over a cliff. The time to HITM is now-before we go over.

just another...

February 16, 2009 - 15:48 ET by clinging to my guns and my religion

...(corrupt) politician transitioning from the chicago machine to the d.c. machine.  nothing to see here; move along.

"When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle." Edmund Burke

Burris is in no danger

February 16, 2009 - 16:15 ET by chessplayer

Burris is in no danger whatsoever of losing his seat. He`s black, and it would be a distraction for The One.

So if Roland Burris

February 16, 2009 - 19:54 ET by FormerMarineOfficer

is a lying fraud, then his deciding vote on the 787+ billion dollar Democratic Base Buyout Act is also fraudulent.

Rush Limbaugh has been elected to speak for no one.  If the Republican Party wants to maintain any hope of relevance, they had better play hard ball or they will be consigned to the dust bin of history.

 

I don't see how this man can avoid perjury charges

February 16, 2009 - 22:41 ET by nwahs

I don't see how this man can avoid perjury charges. No one can believe he didn't know the controversy surrounding that seat and the solicitation of "donations" to secure that seat. No one can believe he wasn't asked "are you sure you did not participate in bidding for this seat?"

He did and he lied about it! How does he not get charged with perjury? This is complete embarrassment for the Senate. Reid is just going to ignore it?

Heck...Reid, the Fearless

February 16, 2009 - 22:58 ET by bigtimer

Heck...Reid, the Fearless Leader will do as told.

Vet bills on the way

February 17, 2009 - 00:01 ET by nwahs

It reminds me of a story. Aren't you lucky :)

So you're kicked back in your easy chair watching golf on a Sunday afternoon. Funny how golf isn't exciting until you've sliced 8 consecutive tee offs. So your kid comes in from an overnight and you use due diligence and ask how it went.

"Oh we played some Wii, ate a lot of junk and went to bed."

"That it?"

"Yea, basically" is heard drifting down the hallway.

So your buddy calls you and asks you if you're watching this golf match and your kid, suspicious of phone calls, comes back out to offer

"Oh Dad, I forgot to mention we did go down the street to some other guys house for a little while last night."

"Oh? And?"

"We just had a little fun, joking around and stuff. But then we went home."

Your kid drifts back down the hall.

Tiger is having this fantastic putting day, so another buddy calls to make sure you aren't missing it. Well, sure enough, in perfect sync with the phone call, your alarmed child comes back for conversation.

"Dad, while we were having fun, we played a little prank"

In your most steady and stern voice "WHAT KIND OF PRANK?"
"We kind of wrapped a house."

"Wrapped a HOUSE??"

"Oh its ok, we took it all down and cleaned up everything."

"NO, its NOT "OK". Have you lost your mind? You know what kind of trouble you could have gotten into? This is not over."

So Tiger sinks this 60 footer and the phone rings again, and sure enough your kid pokes his head out like the whack a mole game.

"Dad the police did come, but we didn't get arrested."

"THE POLICE!!! Thats it! YOU'RE GROUNDED! GO TO YOU ROOM!"
And before the door slams, you hear

"Oh Dad, did I mention there was a dog in the yard?"

That's kinda whats going on here, except there's no dad.

Hey, I am all for Burris and his race-baiting self

February 17, 2009 - 01:51 ET by thebutlerdidit

being thrown under the bus. The problem is, the more the Republicans say, the more the media is going to keep up this Republican Attack Machine BS, and  they will have everyone in America thinking the Rebpulicans are just being mean to duh1. And then, if they do anything to him, it will work in Obama's favor, because it will take attention away from the porkulus bill, which is what they want. They will do whatever they can to control the whole thing getting out to the MSM at one time. We will learn about it in drips and drabs.

 

 

All a Democrat needs is the upper-story window of public attention and the chamber pot of rhetoric. How else to explain the rise of Joe Biden?  P.J. O' Rourke