The whitewashing of Gary Locke — and why Tucker Carlson deserved to be booed
I was amused to read about Tucker Carlson’s finger-wagging to conservatives at CPAC yesterday — apparently repeating the canard that the Right doesn’t do reporting like the vaunted New York Times and needs to stop “just analyzing things based on what the mainstream media has reported.”
Yeah, he really said we need to copy the New York Times.
Uh, no thank you.
Over the past week, I have reported on how MSM outlets refuse to disclose the truth about ACORN foreclosure “victims” — which you can find documented on conservative blogs, but not in the New York Times.
Today my syndicated column reports on the truth about Gary Locke’s ethics-tainted record, which you can find in blogs, but not in the New York Times. (More from Jim Miller at Sound Politics.)
It’s one thing to see left-wingers pimp the myth that conservatives don’t do reporting. But to have a Beltway conservative show up to CPAC and lazily engage in such uninformed sanctimony? Funny thing is: Carlson was a terrific reporter in the early days of his own career…before he went on to become one of those many, you know, professional analyzers of things. Do as he says, not as he does.
He deserves all the boos he got.
***
Obama’s new Commerce Secretary nominee: Not so “squeaky clean”
by Michelle Malkin
Creators Syndicate
Copyright 2009
Liberal media outlets are doing their best to boost former Washington State Gov. Gary Locke, President Obama’s third pick for the beleaguered Commerce Secretary job. “Obama’s New Commerce Pick Has Clean Reputation,” declared National Public Radio’s Tom Banse. The Democrat possesses “a largely scandal-free resume” reported the New York Times. He is a “safe choice,” the Washington Post asserted, because of his “strait-laced reputation.”
But repeating the Mr. Clean claim doesn’t make it so. Those in his home state who know Locke best paint a far grimier picture of a crony politician with a serial habit of skirting campaign finance laws and conflict-of-interest rules. In other words: Locke’s “Do As I Say, Not as I Do” record makes him a good fit for the ethically-impaired Obama administration.
The left-leaning Seattle Weekly newspaper notes that Locke presided over a $3.2 billion tax break for Boeing while “never disclosing he paid $715,000 to – and relied on the advice of – Boeing’s own private consultant and outside auditor for advice.” Then there’s the tainted matter of Locke’s “favors for his brother-in-law (who lived in the governor’s mansion), including a tax break for his relative’s company, personal intervention in a company dispute, and Locke’s signature on a federal loan application for the company.” Locke’s laces ain’t so straight.
The glowing profiles of Locke have largely glossed over his troubling ties to the Clinton-era Chinagate scandal. As the nation’s first Chinese-American governor, Locke aggressively raised cash from ethnic constituencies around the country. Convicted campaign finance money-launderer John Huang helped grease the wheels and open doors. In the same time period he was drumming up illegal cash for Clinton-Gore at the federal level, Huang organized two 1996 galas for Locke in Washington, D.C. (where Locke hobnobbed with Clinton and other Chinagate principals); three fund-raisers in Los Angeles; and an extravaganza at the Universal City, Calif., Hilton in October 1996 that raised upwards of $30,000. Huang also made personal contributions to Locke — as did another Clinton-Gore funny money figure, Indonesian business mogul Ted Sioeng and his family and political operatives. Sioeng, whom Justice Department and intelligence officials suspected of acting on behalf of the Chinese government, illegally donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to both Democrat and Republican coffers. Bank records from congressional investigators indicated that one Sioeng associate’s maximum individual contribution to Locke was illegally reimbursed by the businessman’s daughter.
Checks to Locke’s campaign poured in from prominent Huang and Sioeng associates, many of whom were targets of federal investigations, including: Hoyt Zia, a Commerce Department counsel, who stated in a sworn deposition that Huang had access to virtually any classified document through him; Melinda Yee, another Clinton Commerce Department official who admitted to destroying freedom-of-information-act-protected notes on a China trade mission involving Huang’s former employer, the Indonesia-based Lippo Group; Praitun Kanchanalak, mother of convicted Thai influence-peddler Pauline Kanchanalak; and Kent La, exclusive distributor of Sioeng’s Chinese cigarettes in the U.S.; and Sioeng’s wife and son-in-law.
Locke eventually returned a token amount of money from Huang and Kanchanalak, but not before bitterly playing the race card and accusing critics of his sloppy accounting and questionable schmoozing of stirring up anti-Asian-American sentiment. “It will make our efforts doubly hard to get Asian Americans appointed to top-level positions across the United States,” Locke complained. “If they have any connection to John Huang, those individuals will face greater scrutiny and their lives will be completely opened up and examined – perhaps more than usual.”
That scrutiny (such as it was) was more than justified. On top of his Chinagate entanglements, Locke’s political committee was fined the maximum amount by Washington’s campaign finance watchdog for failing to disclose out-of-state New York City Chinatown donors. One of those events was held at NYC’s Harmony Palace restaurant, co-owned by Chinese street gang thugs. And then there were Locke’s not-so-squeaky-clean fund-raising trips to a Buddhist temple in Redmond, Wa., which netted nearly $14,000 from monks and nuns — many of whom barely spoke English, couldn’t recall donating to Locke, or were out of the country and could never be located. Of the known temple donors identified by the Locke campaign, five gave $1,000 each on July 22, 1996 — paid in sequentially ordered cashier’s checks. Two priests gave $1,000 and $1,100 respectively on Aug. 8, 1996. Three other temple adherents also gave $1,000 contributions on Aug. 8. Internal campaign records show that two other temple disciples donated $2,000 and $1,000 respectively on other dates. State campaign finance investigators failed to track down some of the donors during their probe.
But while investigating the story for the Seattle Times, I interviewed temple donor Siu Wai Wong, a bald, robed 40-year-old priest who could not remember when or by what means he had given a $1,000 contribution to Locke. He also refused to say whether he was a U.S. citizen, explaining that his “English [was] not so good.” Although an inept state campaign-finance panel absolved Locke and his campaign of any wrongdoing, the extensive public record clearly shows that the Locke campaign used Buddhist monks as conduits for laundered money.
The longtime reluctance to press Locke — who became a high-powered attorney specializing in China trade issues for international law firm Davis, Wright & Tremaine after leaving the governor’s mansion — on his reckless, ethnic-based fund-raising will undoubtedly extend to the politically correct and cowed Beltway. Instead, supporters are now touting Locke’s cozy relations with the Chinese government as a primary reason he deserves the Commerce Department post. Yet another illustration of how “Hope and Change” is just another synonym for “Screw up, Move Up.”
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- What Michelle really means is… | Political Byline
- Gary Locke isn’t as clean as the biased liberal media wants you to believe | Fire Andrea Mitchell!
- Obama’s Pick For Commerce Secretary: Gary Locke….An Appeasement To China? « Romanticpoet’s Weblog
- Cap and Trade Shocker: Will Americans Be Forced by Commerce Sec. Gary Locke & Democrats to Pay for China’s Global Warming Emissions? « Frugal Café Blog Zone
- Rush Limbaugh Explains, Again, His “I Want Obama’s Agenda to Fail” Comments, Sean Hannity Show « Frugal Café Blog Zone
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Categories: Gary Locke, Media Bias
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The best government money can buy.
Okay, so we can take all of the “Reel” (As opposed to R E A L) journalists from the New York Times and put them to work teaching “Ethics in Journalism” and maybe Reuters will open a photo-shop “How To” school so that we can have even more accuracy (as it fits the agenda) in the media of tomorrow.
Jobs will be created, the
educationindoctrination of our youth can continue and everybody wins!Okay, I am off to get some coffee now.
Liberal media outlets are doing their best to boost former Washington State Gov. Gary Locke, President Obama’s third pick for the beleaguered Commerce Secretary job. “Obama’s New Commerce Pick Has Clean Reputation,” declared National Public Radio’s Tom Banse. The Democrat possesses “a largely scandal-free resume” reported the New York Times. He is a “safe choice,” the Washington Post asserted, because of his “strait-laced reputation.”
I honestly don’t think anyone cares what you or I think. So be quiet, lest you disturb The One.
/sarc or not,,,, depending on who you are.
As to Tucker Carlson’s comments, I’d have to ask why Foxnews has viewer ratings that are higher than CNN and MSNBC combined. And let’s not forget the conservative radio stations on AM. The liberal shows are going bankrupt because the market place has deemed them irrelevant.
Tucker Carlson uses the New York Times as model journalism? They should have to register as a political action committee or as an arm of the Democratic party. If they were a church they’d lose their tax free status.
Would that be like someone handling classified materials with a “largely crime free background”? and would that be a good thing? Maybe bank tellers too? The list could go on forever.
So, he honestly thinks that the New York Times goes out there and digs up the facts and reports them? How could a conservative become so delusional? That is scary! Where is their great digging and reporting on Barack Hussein Obama’s corrupt political background and friends? Silence. How about ACORN’s criminality? Silence. Well, surely they must have reported on all the tea parties going on today…crickets. Maybe all the tea parties will be covered in tomorrow’s issue. Yawn.
Oh yeah, and my daughter is just somewhat pregnant. Is he or is he not scandal-free? Not!
Who’s Tucker Carlson?
Comparatively speaking. Einstein’s theory of relativity even works in politics!
Or maybe a better question would be, “What alien creature has taken over Tucker Carlson’s brain?
Michelle…I hope the next time you are on Fox, they will allow you to discuss the Gary Locke issue instead of Joe Biden’s gaffes. Much better use of your time and talents.
Another media ostrich.
Carlson is one of those people who lived in the 1940’s in Germany. Even though there was this smoke and awful smell coming from the government camp outside of town, he never felt a need to investigate what might be there.
History is filled with people like him.
Is there no end to this line of crooked politicians? This corruption stems from the very top in Washington DC to the lowest in local government. What we really need is an old fashion “tar and feather party” and run these crooks out of the country.
You know, for years I actually thought Tucker Carlson was the son of a really retarded woman here in MN named Barbara Carlson. Her strange behavior while in the Mpls City council and on radio made me sick. When she referred to her son, Tucker, it was never good. Lo and behold, they are not the same Tuckers. Now, I’m back to wondering…..hmnmmmm
I am surprised that these people even bother to lie about their corruption.
Here’s why:
1. MSM won’t report accurately on it
2. Holder and the DOJ won’t investigate thoroughly (if at all)
3. FEC won’t investigage properly
4. Senate Republican will roll over during confirmations
5. The majority of Americans still care more about American Idol
Tucker Carlson is correct.
MM, you are correct.
Yes, there are things that the NYT does not report on, that others do. Complaining about what others do, or do not do, does not increase our knowledge of the issue. It merely takes the messenger to task often without providing a reasoned debate on the message.
Could be (my interpretation) Carlson was not suggesting becoming more like the NYT, but to become our own NYT.
It isn’t about, if you can’t beat them, join them. It is about beating them. And, yes part of beating them is complaining about them, yet a more effective strategy might include creating a vehicle equal to the NYT to advance stories that they miss, or report with a bias.
Tucker Carlson exists to be an easily pushed over ‘conservative’. And his effete mannerisms and bow-tie allow the libs to depict conservatives as out of touch rich people.
On the other hand, MSNBC likes to keep Pat Buchanan around, because he lets his antisemitism show from time to time.
Strange defense from a blogger whose content is 99% critique based on other people’s reporting. One visit to Iraq and one stalking of the S-CHIP poster child does not a reporter make.
Since baseball season is coming up, my response to this comment is:
BALL ONE !
This pitch was way out of the strike zone. Try again.
Excellent piece, Michelle.
Ah yes, Barbara Carlson. I remember her well. The ex-wife of good ole Arnie. I didn’t know she had a son named Tucker. Was that also Arnie’s son? Arnie was a Republican Governor, but kind of went over toward the dark side later on. As did so many!
Former Washington State Gov. Gary Locke is another Commerce Secretary nominee with problems? Perhaps we are being to harsh on the Obaminite picks-the President is from Chicago after all. The highest ethical standard would be NIY: Not Indited Yet.
—
I’ll keep my guns, you can keep the change.
What do you expect with this administration whose ” do what I say and not what I do”is their governing principle, it’s but natural for B. Hussein O. to surround himself with politicians and advisers who are of the same mold as himself. “Birds of the same feather flocks together”- ethically impaired ones.
If Locke is “locked in” as the Commerce Secretary, the WH can now control the Census Bureau.
Hey! I love American Idol. Wouldn’t miss it! Yes, seriously. However, as you know, I do care about other stuff too! I agree, though, that many people ONLY care about American Idol. I think you can fit both American Idol and responsible issues into your life if you really try! (that guy last night who sang “Satisfaction”…can’t think of his name!…looks exactly like Elvis. Get a good look at his face. It is an amazing resemblance.) But I digress…
Oh, you mean like EVERYTHING that might possibly benefit conservatives? I can tell you what NYT reports on that others DON’T…military secrets, false accusations about an alleged affair of John McCain’s, anything the government wants kept under wraps for the security of the US. Yeah, a real classy newspaper that NYT!
Nor does serial omission of inconvenient facts, such as the scandals involving vote fraud and illegal contributions to the Obama campaign.
If you actually want to learn about that, you have to go to the “unprofessional” media outlets like palestra.net. Not the NYTimes though. I still think they are ignoring it.
Knowing how lazy the NYTimes “reporters” are, I would venture that if you wrote about the aforementioned vote fraud etc., but changed the names to Bush et al., the NYTimes editors would be on it like a pitbull on a poodle. And you know they wouldn’t be bothered to actually go out and check the facts.
And you can be darn sure it wasn’t a REPUBLICAN in Congress who leaked all that confidential stuff to the NYT!
This assumes there are no in-depth, original thinkers in the Republican party nor among conservative talkers and bloggers! Appears Carlson has caught a bad case of John McCain’s “blame-my-own-party-first” flu.
It keeps you coming back.
China doesn’t have to try to sneak their spies into the government. Democrats appoint them to the highest offices.
Scary and true! This president is selling us out!
I’ll scratch him off the list and will not waste my reading or listening him.
That must have been before I saw him on that cnn pos “The Spin Room” with Bill Press…1st impression was ” I thought this guy was suppose to be a conservative.” NOT!
Beltway conservative = oxymoron
You can be beltway or conservative; never both.
Carlson shows his ignorance about the NYT. He should stick to something he’s good at … like ballroom dancing.
Correction