| Submit your comments on this article |
| -Lurid Crime Tales- |
| Magliocchetti Case Involving Late Dem Draws Less Coverage Than Abramoff Scandal |
| 2010-08-07 |
| The financial scandal that dogged Rep. John Murtha until his death in February has reached a climatic point following the arrest Thursday of a former aide to the Pennsylvania Democrat. But as the case sparks comparisons to the infamous Jack Abramoff scandal, the story has yet to generate as much attention. Paul Magliocchetti, the owner of a now-closed lobbying firm that represented defense clients, was arrested Thursday on charges of making hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal campaign contributions. The charges against Magliocchetti, brought in federal court in Alexandria, Va., included making false statements to the Federal Election Commission. But the coverage of Magliocchetti has drawn scant media coverage. By comparison, the Abramoff scandal, which involved Republican lawmakers, captured national attention. Tim Graham, director of media analysis for the Media Research Center, noted that the Washington Post ran a front page story Friday on the Magliocchetti, but he slammed the broadcast news stations and newsweeklies for not offering as much prominent coverage. "They're not going to do anything that would put a Democratic member of Congress on the cover of a magazine," he said. "They run in a pack and the pack isn't mindless. They have a narrative they want and they're going to stick to it." Abramoff was sentenced in 2006 to nearly six years for a fraudulent Florida casino deal and got a four-year sentence in 2008 for conspiring to defraud the U.S., corrupting public officials and defrauding his clients in a separate case. Even Abamoff's release from prison in June has generated more media coverage. Abramoff landed a job at Tov Pizza, a kosher pizzeria in Baltimore soon after his release. Graham said "it's very easy for a partisan media" to largely ignore the Magliocchetti case. "Too difficult. Congressman dead. No one cares," he said. But he added "there's elements that could make a compelling television news story but they just don't want to do it." As part of his plea deal, Abramoff cooperated in a long-running Justice Department investigation that led to the convictions of former Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio, former Deputy Interior Secretary J. Steven Griles and several top Capitol Hill aides. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 We already knew(Thank You Rantburg) That the media mis represented Democrat's Ills and Magnified Republican,s. This is only proof if people know about it, otherwise it falls "Under the Radar" which is the entire intention. |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2010-08-07 12:30 |