"B" Hoax Photographer Speaks: "I Only Gave Copies of the Photos to Police...and College Republicans"
The photographer who took the photos of Ashley Todd's self-inflicted injuries, only gave copies of the digital photos to the Pittsburgh police, and to her employers, the College Republicans.
This means there is no way the College Republicans and the McCain campaign was not involved in pushing this story, because Matt Drudge was up with the photo before the Pittsburgh Press even had access to them.
Here's the quote from today's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (emphasis mine):
Mr. (Dan) Garcia took the widely published picture of Ms. Todd with her injuries. He said he took several photographs with a digital camera to document what had happened. He said he only gave copies of the photos to police and Ms. Todd's employer, the College Republicans. One photo appeared on The Drudge Report on Thursday, setting off a storm of media attention.
Here, then, is the direct link between the College Republicans working for the McCain campaign and the story that the McCain campaign was pushing through it's regional communications director, Peter Feldman, to the Pittsburgh media outlets.
As far as I know, no one had the Ashley Todd photos up before Matt Drudge, and no one would have had them if the College Republicans had been pushing them forward. I've seen no mention that Pittsburgh Police Department was releasing them, as we know that they hadn't released any of the information specific to the Obama and McCain aspects of the case.
The McCain campaign needs to be called on their lies concerning their actions pushing this race-bating hoax.
Here's an interesting comment from reader "journeyman" at Daily Kos:
I live in central NJ and I periodically listen to AM 1210, a station devoted mostly to right-wing nutcase talk shows, to see what the other side is up to. The other day I got in my car and went for a short drive to a nearby park to get some downtime. It was early afternoon. I cannot be sure of the exact time, but I think it was about 3:30. Sean Hannity was on and after playing a montage of Obama's speeches highlighting nothing but the word "change" over and over again in order to make him look vacuous, Hannity talked about "developments in campaign from the Pittsburgh area." There was something unsettling and gleeful about his tone of voice and I remembered thinking "uh-oh. What are they going to pull now?"
Next he went on to discuss a McCain-Palin rally at Beaver High School in Beaver, PA, and I thought "that's it? That's all they have?" Then I got to the park, turned Hannity off and went for a short walk, thinking no more about it until I heard about this story.
However, if both my memory and my hunch are accurate, Sean Hannity knew this was coming at about 3:30 on Thursday. If there was no official report from the Pittsburgh police by that time, it is a pretty good indication that he had gotten this from a contact in the McCain camp. I'm guessing he was not alone in getting this inside info.
While I tend to discount stories like your Daily Kos one involving personal reminiscing on websites -- it's not journalism -- I'm impressed with your beginning to draw a time line of who had the photos and when.
The real issue here is that journalistic standards have broken down over the past few years. The advent of the cable news and then the Internet allows more and more speculation, entertainment and lies to be mixed in with the journalism.
We now live in the age of the New Yellow Journalism where is someone provides the pictures, others can provide the war.
Drudge should never be considered a "news site". Real scoops like Lewinsky happen rarely. Yet to maintain ad revenue you need hype.
Similarly, I've always been a bit disappointed in the terms like "Robo-slime" used on TPM's front page. This is an editorial choice by Josh, and it is his website. But it tends to make me constantly question the blatant warping of reality to make a point. If we devalue language like that then it becomes more and more difficult to see reality in with the "message".
Personally, I see the McCain campaign as providing such obvious lies and distortion, there should be no need for this type of hyped approach. This story is case and point. Your trying to draw a timeline is quite damning if research bears out the hypothesis. Some investigative journalist should seize on it and run with it.
If the timeline can be proved, it becomes quite believable that other unsavory McCain/GOP tactics are at work -- and the house of cards comes crumbling down. Couple that with RNC talking points and FNC... and now you have the makings -- through clean logic alone -- of purging the national debate of the invectives that have truly begun to ruin us as a country.
Despite what some at TPM have said in the past, the general public does respond to logic. All the screaming and protests of Nixon didn't bring down his presidency -- the fact (and proof) that he was involved in criminal conspiracy did. And very quickly. Because it took everything out of the he said/she said realm.
Nice catch, Astral.
October 25, 2008 3:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks.
I'm not sure what you're referring to with "your Daily Kos one involving personal reminiscing on websites" though?
October 25, 2008 4:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm referring to the comment from reader "journeyman" at Daily Kos.
October 25, 2008 6:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
ok, cool.
October 25, 2008 7:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
OK, folks now we need to go to work to support Dennis Shulman (D-NJ) against the republican who is running a dishonest campaign against him.
http://www.newyorker.com/talk/2008/07/28/080728ta_talk_toobin
http://shulmanforcongress.com/
October 25, 2008 8:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
OK, folks now we need to go to work to support Dennis Shulman (D-NJ) against the republican who is running a dishonest campaign against him.
http://www.newyorker.com/talk/2008/07/28/080728ta_talk_toobin
http://shulmanforcongress.com/
October 25, 2008 8:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
This is such bullshit, we have to push this story. There is alot here that I feel is trying to be swept under the rug. These guys tried to push this story into the forefront, they were race baiting without their facts. It's time they pay for their crap and we have to help bring this to light.
October 25, 2008 3:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
How do we know that some Pittsburgh police officer didn't sell or release the photos directly to Drudge?
October 25, 2008 3:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's well-known that when the McCain campaign or the GOP has something they want to put out, they have an inside source that feeds it to Drudge for a "scoop".
October 25, 2008 4:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
We don't KNOW the photo Drudge had did not come from the police, but we can infer it did not. Why? (1) Because there is no evidence the Pittsburgh Police gave anything but perfunctory information to the media (2) Because in the end, the Pittsburgh Police showed itself to be a highly professional organization in the way they handled this potentially inflammatory matter.
October 25, 2008 6:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
One of the many October surprise rumblings has been some sort of "steal Pennsylvania" effort.
That this hoax came out of Pennsylvania. That it was constructed to take advantage of the alleged racism that white Pennsylvania voter have. And the link, at the very least, to Young Republicans suggests that it goes way deeper than some "disturbed" woman acting alone.
There was some sort of plan here to disseminate the report quickly to those outlets that could do the most harm quickly.
October 25, 2008 4:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
It appears that Ashley Todd, because of her past history with these exact same types of acting out behavior, acted alone. But once the College Republicans bought her story, and passed it on to Peter Feldman in the McCain camp, they thought they had their big opportunity and ran with it.
October 25, 2008 4:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
"Oh such wicked speed to post with such dexterity to incestuous sheets..." they were hoping for such an opportunity of any kind and took it when presented. That is part of the cultural climate at the McCain campaign now, and I believe it would be IMPOSSIBLE for them to go back to a more honorable mode after the election if McCain wins. If nothing else, too many bodies to coverup with potential for blackmail later on. Mr Maverick has dug a hole and covered himself with filth and he will never have a way to climb back out. --just to mix a few dozen metaphors in the same message... ;-)
October 25, 2008 4:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
This was a huge failure in leadership, control and cohesion within the campaign. It is a direct reflection of McCain's executive performance and governing ability.
October 25, 2008 5:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
Exactly! If the Obama campaign was a country, McCain would have bombed it!
October 25, 2008 6:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
Exactly this kind of acting out, recently:
"In March, Ms. Todd was asked to leave a grass-roots group of Ron Paul supporters in Brazos County, Texas, group leader Dustan Costine said. He said Ms. Todd posed as a supporter of former Arkansas governor and presidential candidate Mike Huckabee and called the local Republican committee seeking information about its campaign strategies."
I'd think you'd need to be a special kind of crazy to be booted from the RP campaign in Texas. Either that, or this is her second trip under the bus. It's kind of creepy the way they are playing the mental illness card. Has a Soviet flavor to it.
Those College Republicans are kind of known for their dirty tricks. Isn't that where Rove got his start?
Don't Ashley and Rove kind of share a family resemblance?
October 26, 2008 8:30 AM | Reply | Permalink
It's a shame this girl tried to perpetrate a fraud- but there is no proof that the McCain Campaign was involved.
In fact, they never would have called the girl's family- just to distance themselves from the act.
Again- a silly story about an (almost) a teenage girl's antics and Sarah Palin's wardobe gets more press scrutiny than the unvetted Democrat candidate, his inexperience and poor judgment.
But reading the blogs and internet MSM lately- I do believe from the comments I have been seeing- that a lot less people are drinking the Kool Aid and are REALLY resenting media bias BIG TIME.
It's about time!
October 25, 2008 5:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
Only wingnut moonbats talk about Kool-Aid, it's their "tell".
October 25, 2008 5:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
....well, and "unvetted Democratic candidate"...
October 25, 2008 7:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
I am still wonering how both McCain and Palin managed to CALL HER the very day of the attack when:
1. Supposedly she as NOT a campaign employee - merely a phone bank volunteer.
2. She supposedly only talked to the POLICE.
3. She is a resident of TX - not PA - so would not be listed in any local phone directory.
October 25, 2008 5:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well, she was working for the College Republicans, and they were given the photos and story, so no doubt they passed up her contact info through Feldman, the regional supervisor. He seems to be the key go-between for the McCain camp in PA.
October 25, 2008 6:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
From a Fox News editor:
If the incident turns out to be a hoax, Senator McCain’s quest for the presidency is over, forever linked to race-baiting.
I have to say that this race-baiting hoax perpetrated upon us in the last few days really, really brought my feelings about the McCain campaign to a new low. Their willingness to believe and push such a story with no real proof, and their delight in its (false) implications, really does indicate that there is little left of that campaign but its addiction to faux outrage and its race baiting. Anyone capable of anything more seems to be jumping ship. It has become nothing more than a cesspool.
October 25, 2008 6:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
Actually, that wasn't an editor.
That was John Moody, VP of Fox News. :-)
October 25, 2008 7:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
As Josh stated earlier, the McCain campaign needs to be PUSHED to provide information on who gave McCain and Palin the contact information to get in touch with Todd.
I'll say it again, SOMEBODY in PA needs to camp out on Feldman and get video.
The Comms director can't hide in PA.
Last, anyway we can put together a time line?
October 25, 2008 6:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
Feldman on October 13th:
"McCain spokesman Peter Feldman said that despite the polls, the campaign thinks the state's voters still harbor doubts about Obama and can still be persuaded."
http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/109/story/283783.html
John Moody, executive vice president at Fox News, commented on his blog there that "this incident could become a watershed event in the 11 days before the election. If Ms. Todd's allegations are proven accurate, some voters may revisit their support for Senator Obama, not because they are racists (with due respect to Rep. John Murtha), but because they suddenly feel they do not know enough about the Democratic nominee.
October 25, 2008 9:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
pfeldman@mccain08hq.com
October 25, 2008 10:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
Although there is circumstantial evidence to suggest direct involvement from the McCain camp, it could easily backfire should Obama try to make something more of it at this point.
Let it fester awhile. McCain is good at shooting himself in the face.
October 26, 2008 11:33 AM | Reply | Permalink