Former Feeney Staffer Writes Newspaper Defending Feeney; Doesn’t Mention Past Job
Former Feeney Staffer Writes Newspaper Defending Feeney; Doesn’t Mention Past Job
Rep. Tom Feeney (R-FL), who was recently questioned by the FBI about his ties to corrupt lobbyist Jack Abramoff, published an op-ed in the Orlando Sentinel yesterday proclaiming his innocence. He claimed that “Any suggestion that I have taken legislative action for personal gain or to benefit a lobbyist is an outright lie.”
Today, the Sentinel ran a a gushing letter to the editor from a resident of Feeney’s district commending him for “setting the record straight”:
Congressman Tom Feeney has demonstrated his commitment to his constituents by setting the record straight and responding to recent reports in the Orlando Sentinel. I’d like to thank him for fighting back.
We live in a time when an investigation is immediately interpreted as guilt, and media implications are taken as gospel. An all-too-common result is that good, hardworking and dedicated leaders are persecuted in the court of public opinion, long before official investigations can clear them of any wrongdoing.
Lila Buchanan
Winter Springs
One minor note about Lila Buchanan: she apparently used to work for Feeney as his District Representative. That fact went unmentioned by both Ms. Buchanan and the Sentinel.
UPDATE: You can email the Sentinel’s public editor Manning Pynn at public@orlandosentinel.com. Let us know in the comments section if you hear back.
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For the latest Abramoff scandal news, documents, legal filings and other essential materials, see:
May 2nd, 2007 at 12:10 pm“The Abramoff Scandal Resource Center.”
Details, details….
May 2nd, 2007 at 12:10 pmFlori-DUH.
May 2nd, 2007 at 12:10 pmWhy let a niggling litte fact like that get in the way of a great endorsement?
May 2nd, 2007 at 12:11 pmsounds like obstruction of justice, as the author appears involved in the crimes being investigated. good for her. always nice when the criminal tells the cops that they have dirty fingers.
May 2nd, 2007 at 12:15 pmOrlando, uh huh….
May 2nd, 2007 at 12:15 pmDizzy World
DERP!!!
May 2nd, 2007 at 12:16 pmWhat do you libs want? Complete disclosure?!? What a bunch of moonbats!
/sarcasm off
May 2nd, 2007 at 12:17 pmin his next appearance, premiering live from cell block 6, Tom Feeney is…a derpaderp.
May 2nd, 2007 at 12:18 pmP.S. – Tom, remember when we’d spend those late nights in the office cheating on your wife. You’re my hero. Slurp, slurp, kiss, slurp, smack.
May 2nd, 2007 at 12:18 pmLila Buchanan P.W.C. (Professional Water Carrier)
May 2nd, 2007 at 12:23 pmCaption:
“LILA!”
May 2nd, 2007 at 12:24 pmThey dump that fishwrapper on my driveway every day.
May 2nd, 2007 at 12:24 pmThe real question is:
Is she cute? I mean that’s what I really care about.
May 2nd, 2007 at 12:25 pmComment by Tundra — May 2, 2007 @ 12:25 pm
She’s a Republican ass-kisser from Winter Springs. Use your imagination (be ready to vomit).
May 2nd, 2007 at 12:28 pmKRank,
I think I gotta agree with you here. Should also tell everyone how many squares of toilet paper he uses. I’m not sure it matters that he was a former staffer does it?
I use to work for a Congressman in my day, do I need to disclose that every time a post a comment on here?
May 2nd, 2007 at 12:29 pmHe/her whatever
May 2nd, 2007 at 12:30 pmCaption Contest:
Don’t ignore the balls, Lila……oh yeah.
May 2nd, 2007 at 12:30 pmAnyone notice that at the link he has a whole lot of Ms soandso. No Mrs osand so’s.
Hmm I sense a pattern here.
May 2nd, 2007 at 12:30 pmIs she any relation to Pat?
May 2nd, 2007 at 12:31 pmShe’s a Republican ass-kisser from Winter Springs. Use your imagination (be ready to vomit).
LOL
May 2nd, 2007 at 12:31 pmLila Buchanan P.W.C. (Professional Water Carrier)
Comment by Your Conscience
I thought it was Lila Buchanan P.B.W. (Personal Ball Washer)
May 2nd, 2007 at 12:32 pmTHOSE EYES ARE CREEPING ME OUT!
Pull the photo! :)
May 2nd, 2007 at 12:32 pminteresting tidbit…. the “work for feeney” link is a ‘Focus on the Family’ site….
May 2nd, 2007 at 12:33 pmMugsy, agreed.
How could you even look at this guy’s photo and not wonder what’s wrong w/ this man? How did this man ever get elected in the first place?
May 2nd, 2007 at 12:35 pmShe’s a Republican ass-kisser from Winter Springs. Use your imagination (be ready to vomit).
Comment by pete — May 2, 2007 @ 12:28 pm
Does that mean she has an adam’s apple?
May 2nd, 2007 at 12:35 pmMy eltter to the Sentinel:
Surely the Sentinel has a policy of verifying the identity of letter writers.
Therefore I must ask: Did the Sentinel fail to follow through and contact Ms. Buchanan regarding her letter commending Rep. Tom Feeney? Or did Ms. Buchanan neglect to inform your newspaper that she used to work as a district representative for the congressman?
My hunch is that when you contacted Ms. Buchanan today after receiving several letters like mine, you probably received a comment heard all too frequently in politics these days: “I don’t recall.”
May 2nd, 2007 at 12:35 pmTHOSE EYES ARE CREEPING ME OUT!
Comment by Mugsy
No kidding
May 2nd, 2007 at 12:36 pmLike a speed freak thats about to rampage. Look at those pin point pupils. sheesh
I thought it was Lila Buchanan P.B.W. (Personal Ball Washer)
Comment by Wayne — May 2, 2007 @ 12:32 pm
A joke only appreciated fully by Lewis Black fans!
May 2nd, 2007 at 12:37 pmA joke only appreciated fully by Lewis Black fans!
Comment by Shane
Much appreciated!
Damn, I better git!
May 2nd, 2007 at 12:39 pmA joke only appreciated fully by Lewis Black fans!
Comment by Shane
Lewis Black rocks =)
“I am always amazed when I hear people saying, ‘That George Bush—he’s a great leader’ and I wonder where can one find a drug that could make one so delusional?” — Lewis Black
May 2nd, 2007 at 12:43 pm“We live in a time when an investigation is immediately interpreted as guilt, and media implications are taken as gospel.”
Rethugs can thank KKKarl Rove for this…and Faux News.
May 2nd, 2007 at 12:44 pmIt’s OK as long as it’s someone else.
Some Choice Snippits I sent to the Sentinal.
Can we say that your in bed with REPUBLICANS !!! I’d Say YES WE CAN !!!
You guys should be ashamed of yourselves !!! You call yourself a Newspaper !!! HA HA HA HA !!! Your a Republican Tabloid Rag !!!
Do yourselves a favor I hear Rupert Murdoch is buying up newspapers … SELL OUT TO HIM OK !!!
You best RETRACT THIS !!!
Talk about aiding and abeting the crooks !!!
—————–
I wish I said more like —
“Thanks for being a good steward of journalism integrity — What a way to help the crooks and do a good deed for the country.”
Olrando Sentinel = Sell Out !!
May 2nd, 2007 at 12:57 pmI use to work for a Congressman in my day, do I need to disclose that every time a post a comment on here?
Comment by Crump’s Brother — May 2, 2007 @ 12:29 pm
You introduce a nice straw man, CB, when you ask if you need to disclose your past professional relationships every time you post a comment. Surely you understand the difference between a public statement of support for a legisator by a disinterested constituent and the same statement made by a former staffer?
Reasonable rule-of-thumb is that when your identity or history may have an impact on your stated position, you are under obligation to disclose it. There’s obviously nothing illegal in concealing it, but if it gets revealed (as here), then it’s not going to help your credibility. It just makes you look dishonest.
May 2nd, 2007 at 1:02 pmWe live in a time when investigation has unfortunately become necessary due to years of unchecked Republicant corruption… we live in a time where the Gospels are taken as a substitute for laws…
May 2nd, 2007 at 1:03 pmLOL
Comment by Tundra — May 2, 2007 @ 12:31 pm
your laughter is the wind in my sails.
May 2nd, 2007 at 1:09 pmI use to work for a Congressman in my day, do I need to disclose that every time a post a comment on here?
Comment by Crump’s Brother
No, but if for example the congressman you worked for was in trouble with the law, and you wrote an editorial supporting the congressman, leaving out the fact you used to work for him/her, then it was found out, your own credibility would be cast in doubt.
May 2nd, 2007 at 1:12 pmDoes that mean she has an adam’s apple?
Comment by Shane — May 2, 2007 @ 12:35 pm
that Republican ass-kisser lives in Palm Beach County. (now i have to puke.)
May 2nd, 2007 at 1:14 pmWayne,
I see where your coming from, but I would argue that his credibility is in doubt for supporting him in the first place. Further, why do we as former staffers lose our credibility when commenting on our representatives in public. My rep that I worked for, is also the rep that I voted for. I live in his district. I would not feel the necessity to disclose in situations like this. Maybe I’m wrong, but I feel that as a voter, regardless of my former affiliations, I should be allowed to say good or bad about my rep without having to disclose former ties.
Maybe I’m looking at this the wrong way. But I guess its just not that big a deal to me.
May 2nd, 2007 at 1:41 pmWell, as we’ve seen, everyone who protests that his association with Abramhoff was on the up and up ends up smelling like a rose, right? Just look at that face. What’s not to believe?
May 2nd, 2007 at 1:45 pmOrlando Sentinel, a right wing rag. They also carry the columns of Kathleen Parker, a right wing cheerleader. I think it’s her home paper, though she’s syndicated. She never has a kind word to say about a Democrat, gushs over Bush to this day. Her columns are nauseating. She appears on Tweety’s Sunday morning show occasionally as one of the pundit-savant-morons.
May 2nd, 2007 at 1:48 pmI see where your coming from, but I would argue that his credibility is in doubt for supporting him in the first place. Further, why do we as former staffers lose our credibility when commenting on our representatives in public.
– Crump’s Brother
I worked on Chet Edward’s reelection campaign about 10 years or so ago, and a voter registration drive, so if I had posted an editorial comment about Edwards in the local paper during that time, I would include my association. If Edwards had been involved with Abramhof ( He is a democrat though,Abramhof only worked with Repukes ), I would have expressed my dismay as someone who had previously worked for his re-election.
It lets people know where you are comming from. They can then make judgement knowing all the facts.
May 2nd, 2007 at 1:58 pmThose of us that lived in Orlando call it the Slantinal because of how biased it is. I believe the paper was the first one to demand that Clinton resign over MonicaGate. Terrible paper, but when you publish next to the St. Pete Times, the best paper in the country and the Miami Herald, another fantastic paper, you tend to get overlooked.
May 2nd, 2007 at 2:06 pmFeeney’s toupee is spectacularly bad; it’s like someone’s tied a little bow at the top of his big, scary head.
May 2nd, 2007 at 2:12 pmI am really bad at recognizing toupees. But thanks to the court system my batting average in spotting crooks is pretty good.
May 2nd, 2007 at 2:41 pmre. CrumpsBrother:
Yes, there is a difference between commenting on a thread, and trying to influence public opinion by hoping to have your letter published on the op-ed page of a newspaper ‘of record’… Ever heard of a court/judge requiring a legal notice be posted in a comment of a thread on a blog? That’s because newspapers are supposed to fill an important position in society, also called ‘the fourth estate.’
May 2nd, 2007 at 6:30 pmThe term i’m thinking of is “in the interest of full disclosure…”
That term means that the writer doesn’t want his credibility impinged.
Nothing wrong with a constituent writing a letter in support of their local pol, or working for them for that matter, but if you don’t want to look like a propagandist, you’d best disclose those facts.
It has to do with Ethics. Being unethical isn’t illegal, or Pat Robertson would’ve gone to jail a long time ago.
I hope this is a good sign that the local Newspapers are going to tell the facts and stop the hiding of the truth to make Mr. Feeney look favorable to those of us who Vote. Feeney needs to go. Check out CREW.Org where Feeney has been voted as one of the most corrupt people in office. CREW is a watch dog group.
May 3rd, 2007 at 10:19 amSomeone has fried his face, if not, I can’t understad why he’s so reddish.
May 3rd, 2007 at 3:08 pm