MRC Mailbag: Reader Objects to Unsubstantiated Charge of Racism at TEA Party Protest

March 29th, 2010 3:05 PM

Editor's Note: The following is a letter from a NewsBusters reader that we decided to share with our readers by publishing in its entirety. The views expressed are those of Mr. McCormick, who was in attendance at the Saturday, March 20 protest rally outside the U. S. Capitol

Dear Mr. Bozell:

Everyone keeps saying it's not important if one or two bad apples used the N-word at the Tea Party protest in Washington. Well, I was in the crowd that allegedly was "chanting" the N-word, and I want to tell you there were no bad apples there that day. The congressmen are lying. If people had been chanting the N-word, I would have heard it. It seems the only people who heard it were the Democratic congressmen.

I used to work on Capitol Hill years ago. Usually, after passing through security, you don't go outdoors again. To get to the other buildings, you take the elevator down and go through the catacombs to reach the Capitol building, the senate office buildings, or the house office buildings. You especially don't go outside and try to force your way through 20,000 chanting protesters thronging the sidewalks. And if they are chanting "kill the bill," you don't announce you are voting for the bill unless you are looking for an incident.

I was in the crowd in front of the Cannon building where this alleged event took place, like I said. When a chorus of boo's was all that resulted from the announcement of support for the bill, that not being good enough, apparently the congressmen were prepared to proceed with a fabricated story.

Yours very truly,

Ken McCormick