Missouri governor’s office seeks to be corrector-in-chief
The office of Gov. Matt Blunt has sent an advisory to news editors in Missouri asking them to call if they have questions about the stories on e-mail-gate published by the Post-Dispatch, KC Star and Associated Press. See the Post-Dispatch stories here.
The governor’s office is alleging, without detail, that there are “fact errors” in the various news accounts. Spokeswoman Jessica Robinson is suggesting the media “ignored” the “critical fact” that the records released by the state do not have any e-mails that specifically state former deputy counsel Scott Eckersley was fired over the Sunshine Law.
But Eckersley never said such e-mails would exist. What Eckersley said was that e-mails would exist that showed he warned the state about possible violations of Sunshine Law and e-mail retention laws shortly before he was fired. Eckersley further stated that he believed the underlying reason for him being fired was related to those warnings.
The governor’s office, and the governor himself, denied that such e-mails existed. In fact, they did exist. Further, Eckersley also told reporters, accurately, what various reasons the state would give for his firing. He never misstated the official government accounting of why he was fired.
One other point, in the audio tape of his firing, former chief-of-staff Ed Martin states that one of the reasons Eckersley is being fired is for “insubordination.” And he explains that it is insubordination for Eckersley to send e-mails to his superiors that they don’t want to see. What were those e-mails about? We now know beyond a shadow of a doubt: E-mail retention. (The governor’s office now refers to those e-mails — which they previously denied existed — as a “communications memo.”)
Eckersley’s opinion over why he was fired is the subject of a lawsuit. A judge and jury will decide who’s version of the firing, Eckersley’s or the state’s, is more accurate.
Don’t like it when they fight back, Tony?
Not only is there no ’smoking gun’ in all this mess, in spite of all the time and ink trying to say that there is… there is no gun, there is no smoke, there is… nothing.
All of this is manufactured to get Blunt out. The is the beginning and the end of everything here.
But wait!
Tony, Jo, and the guys can prove me wrong!
How long into the Nixon Administration will it be until the post goes hunting for… anything? I say it will be a long, long time.
Prove me wrong
tsquare, you just don’t understand.
President Clinton having relations in the oval office = his private business.
Republicans investigating this = violating his privacy & witch hunt.
Clinton lying about it under oath = What any man would do.
Linda Tripp = Partisan loser
On the other hand …
Republican guv not releasing emails = cover-up.
Guv’s staffer going public against him = Whistle blower
Contents of emails insignificant = Irrelevant
Republican guv = Crooked scum bag
Get with the program, and quit making excuses for Republicans, or I’ll sic Tim Hogan on ya!
tsquare, how is there “no smoking gun” if Scott Eckersley did in fact warn the Governor about violations of the Missouri Sunshine Law (and these emails confirm it) only to be fired for it and have his reputation destroyed by the Governor’s lawbreaking henchmen in the process? You keep peddling this liberal media bias nonsense, but by your logic the Post must have somehow twisted Ed Martin et al.’s own words when they were writing CYA emails in private while publicly LYING about their knowledge of what THEIR OWN LAWYER had advised them was required under the Sunshine law.
Thank God there are people like Mr. Eckersley with the courage to speak truth to power like a good lawyer should when their client is engaging in conduct that violates the law. What will all of you “nothing to see here” Ed Martin defenders says when a jury in Mr. Eckersley’s civil case smacks the Governor’s henchmen (especially Martin who was unethically using his taxpyer-funded position,email, time, etc. to do private political work) with a huge verdict and we the taxpayers have to pay for this nonsense. Don’t blame the Messenger (no pun intended), blame OTB and the unscrupulous frat boys he hired to run his administration.
To Nick Kasoff, I agree with your analogy, but let’s take it a step further. Clinton was impeached, and I think Blunt should be impeached, too. If only he had decided to hang around a little longer for his staff’s blatant lawbreaking and lying about lawbreaking to come out, then maybe he could have been. Sometimes we need an impeachment to show a politician that no one is above the law.
This is not Republican or Democrat issue. The Missouri Sunshine Law is a pretty good law across the board by forcing our government to be transparent and accountable. No official high or petty should think that they can just ignore it. These emails show a disturbing pattern where not only did the blunt administration believe they did not need to follow the Missouri Sunshine Law, they needed to lie to the press when asked legitimate questions about whether they were complying with it. If you want to defend this behavior on the merits, I’m all ears. If you think that there should be greater secrecy in government and a politician should just get to decide when they want to follow the law, you’re entitled to your opinion. But blaming the media for doing their job and not just taking a politician and his surrogates word for it just won’t cut it, my friend.
you dems don’t know history…..i smell a john dean here….don’t know what i’m talking about?….i did’nt think so….because you forget history
you make the same mistakes over and over again….so go ahead and cozy up to your politicians, and eat their fish…….me? i’m taking my fishing pole down to the water hole
I’m no Republican, but Tony Messenger obviously has it in for Blunt and the Republicans (I did a search on news articles he wrote in his previous job and his partisanship became crystal clear to me). With all the Democrats from the state headquarters taking jobs with the Nixon administration, Tony ought to become the spokesman for the state Democratic Party–Opps–he already is!
tsquare — you just don’t get it. This paper is unbiased in its investigations. Tony Messenger has Pulitzer like qualities in his blog posts and can only be commended for his persistance. This email-gate is so vital to our state, it must be covered. In fact Tony was about to begin investigations on Obama’s Kenyan birth, but his sense of duty called him back to more important issues. In fact, Tony was ready to run a story on how Obama is clearing the way for Governor Arnold to be President, but again, the criticalness of some deleted spam pulled him away.
Not only Tony thought. Jake Wagman and Jo Mannies also are obsessed with going after Blunt — out of civic duty and journalistic integrity. So your criticisms are not wanted here. You are only allowed to think what they want you to. After all, it is about the common good, not the truth.
Find a Blunt, Find a crime…………
This is Tony Messenger’s 15 minutes.
Let’s just hope he doesn’t end up like the report in Season 5 of “The Wire.”