[Updated 2009-04-21 16:02:29] All three morning shows skipped an exclusive story broken in Tuesday's Washington Times that explained how Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein introduced legislation in January to send "$25 billion in taxpayer money to a government agency that had just awarded her husband's real estate firm a lucrative contract to sell foreclosed properties at compensation rates higher than the industry norms."
ABC's "Good Morning America," CBS's "Early Show" and NBC's "Today" completely avoided discussing the piece by the Times' Chuck Neubauer. On the "Today" show, correspondent Amy Robach found time to mention that Feinstein had pressed President Obama not to make a final decision on prosecuting CIA employees who used harsh interrogation tactics, but ignored this potential scandal. GMA spent time on discussing dwarf rabbits with Jack Hanna, while the "Early Show" featured a segment on co-host Julie Chen's pregnancy.
In his article, Neubauer explained:
Mrs. Feinstein's intervention on behalf of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. was unusual: the California Democrat isn't a member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs with jurisdiction over FDIC; and the agency is supposed to operate from money it raises from bank-paid insurance payments - not direct federal dollars.
Documents reviewed by The Washington Times show Mrs. Feinstein first offered Oct. 30 to help the FDIC secure money for its effort to stem the rise of home foreclosures. Her letter was sent just days before the agency determined that CB Richard Ellis Group (CBRE) - the commercial real estate firm that her husband Richard Blum heads as board chairman - had won the competitive bidding for a contract to sell foreclosed properties that FDIC had inherited from failed banks.
To read the lengthy Washington Times analysis of the case, go here.
[Updated 2009-04-21 16:02:29]
On Tuesday's "Andrea Mitchell Reports," MSNBC anchor Andrea Mitchell interviewed Feinstein for eight and a half minutes, but also failed to broach the Times' report. Just as with her NBC colleague Amy Robach, however, she spent the entire interview discussing Feinstein's call that the President refrain from making a final decision on possibly prosecuting those involved with writing memos about enhanced interrogations.
—Scott Whitlock is a news analyst for the Media Research Center.
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A Scandal is Only a Scandal
April 21, 2009 - 15:03 ET by allanfif it has the word "Republican" in it. That's why Ted Steven's lost his seat and Harry Reid is not scruitinized for innovative land deals.
Bias
April 21, 2009 - 15:31 ET by JDWI could only find it on WT and NM. The news media is focused on protecting Obama's released memos mistake.
JDW
DAILY WAVE
The government works for me, not the other way around
Think John Edwards
April 21, 2009 - 15:37 ET by KC MulvilleWhat's going to happen?
Memo to the GOP: get away from the money! The media is looking for moral equivalency stories, so don't give them ammunition! If you need more warning, just realize that the first Republican who screws up on TARP money is going to be highlighted (i.e., tarred and feathered) precisely to take the focus off the Democrats. STAY AWAY FROM THE MONEY! IT'S FLYPAPER.
senator Fienstein
April 21, 2009 - 15:38 ET by jessieHJessie R. Hamby Seems like they are still thinking it is "their" money. We can't let this continue. They are all theives, every last one of them.
DiFi and her partner in
April 21, 2009 - 16:37 ET by bigtimerDiFi and her partner in crime will get away with this again...this isn't the first time ...look at Pelosi and her husband with their businesses, Star-Kist Tuna for just one example regarding them... Beck just had on a great guest that explains this outrage succinctly..catch it if you can.
When it comes to the dems....this too shall pass.
I am more than furious...as long as the majority of the msm makes no biggie out of this, jut like they haven't with Murtha, Jefferson, Rangel ect...and the repubs don't make a big stink about it tirelessly until something is done...this will continue...the voters will just keep on voting these thieves in.
I give up anymore...tired of banging my head on the wall at times.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
And we can't even vote on this cow
April 21, 2009 - 16:48 ET by Lord ErondThat's what's really frustrating
"Please get your facts right, then you may distort them as you please" -Mark Twain
"Proud Member of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy"
Gee I would think they hate being scooped all the time
April 21, 2009 - 16:46 ET by Lord ErondBut then these are liberals we're talking about so they're earning their Presidential kneepads
"Please get your facts right, then you may distort them as you please" -Mark Twain
"Proud Member of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy"
Not the first time for Feinstein
April 21, 2009 - 20:45 ET by metaphorsbwithuIt was two years ago that Feinstein resigned from the Military Construction Appropriations subcommittee, reportedly for conflicts of interest involving her husband Richard C. Blum's ownership of two major defense contractors and her involvement in awarding them billions of dollars for military construction projects .
As I recall, this story was ignored by the mainstream media too.
metaphorsbwithu
And you can bet this little
April 21, 2009 - 20:49 ET by celatorAnd you can bet this little gem of a Dianne Feinstein scandal two years ago has been swept under the democrat rug by the Expired Media.
http://laurasmiscmus...
No citizen's right to life, liberty, pursuit of happiness, or property is safe as long as Obama is President of the United States.
cel... Bingo...I remember
April 21, 2009 - 20:59 ET by bigtimercel...
Bingo...I remember it well...that is why I posted above this too shall pass.
We all know it.
Until we get voices in the msm making more of an issue out of this filthy that any repub would be kicked out and most likely prosecuted for and convicted the left will continue to get away with murder.
Btw...there was a scandal even before that in the mid-nineties with these two...a long story, but only one station covered it back then and it was a real conservative station...NET ran by Paul Weyrich God rest his soul...and this story was something else in itself.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
BIGTIMER...
April 21, 2009 - 21:42 ET by danybhoyI'm not sure I agree with you about this story going away. This story as a story, maybe. But story after story after story, involving Dem after Dem after Dem, at some point, will become a story. It's not a question of if it becomes a big deal, but when. When the overall level of corruption by numerous Dems & the liberal GOPers who just go along with the flow & say nothing gets to critical mass, things will change. Hopefully starting with the midterms in 2010, then America must overthrow Obama & the other Socialists in 2012.
"The Fairness Doctrine = Jim Crow laws for Conservatives". Jim Quinn from "Quinn & Rose"
dany... You know I hope
April 21, 2009 - 23:00 ET by bigtimerdany...
You know I hope you are right.
I'm with you there.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
The Main Stream Media
April 21, 2009 - 22:45 ET by VinncyGNo, we can't expect the media to be fair OR informative. Their lot in life is to keep the stupid Libs uneducated and totally uninformed. Print or report that All Republicans are bad, All Democrats are good and the right wing has to be watched.
The second thing they have to do is lose money for their stockholders, and swear that they have no idea why they are losing money, only stupid, liberal robots could accept that as an answer. Now I know I have said this before, but I have to repeat myself for the uneducated robots with the liberal Utopian view of life exactly why their precious liberal media outlets are losing money, It's call a lack of fair and balanced reporting.
Liberals are so uninformed it's amazing they can tie their own shoelaces.
VG... Their lot in life
April 21, 2009 - 23:04 ET by bigtimerVG...
Their lot in life is to keep the stupid Libs uneducated and totally uninformed.
Hey now..... we cannot leave out the word 'lies'....all the time, 24/7.
Omissions and insinuations are the same as the outright lies too.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
same litter box
April 22, 2009 - 13:12 ET by foolnomorewhy would you need to tell the "sheep" any thing like that ? just by pass, anything with news.
Willfully ignorant
April 22, 2009 - 18:44 ET by In_AweI live in CA and bet my wife that this story wouldn't be covered nationally or in the local MSM. Like taking candy from a baby. I even emailed the story and the Washington Times URL to the news rooms of various papers and media outlets in LA. Nada.
crickets...
The good news is that once DiFi announces that she is running for CA Governor, we can make sure her scandals are made public and perhaps end her decades long public mis-service career.
The party of corruption
April 22, 2009 - 20:03 ET by rbosqueThe party of corruption strikes again, and a supposed unbiased media is strangely quiet. Wow what a coincidence! This from a media that has (and continues) to persecute Bush for no good reason at all.