John Solomon Has It in for Senator Harry Reid of Nevada - Why?

[Stand and Fight]

Over the last couple of months, and especially the last couple of days, I have noticed a certain trend in regards to reporter John Solomon and Senator Reid. It seems that Solomon keeps digging up "dirt" -- for lack of a better term -- on Reid, and I am beginning to wonder what Solomon's agenda is and if he is on the White House payroll...

Here are some of the articles that Solomon has written that seem to go after Reid:

• Reid Accepted Free Boxing Tickets While a Related Bill Was Pending
• Reid used campaign aid as bonuses for hotel staff
• Reid got $1.1M for land he no longer owned
• AP Exclusive: Reid Got $1M in Land Sale
• Reid Aided Ambramoff Clients, Records Show
• Senate leader took free boxing tickets


Is it possible that we can put together an effort, here on DU, to get to the bottom of this? I have a sneaking suspicion that if we start to overturn rocks we're going to uncover a lot more than just dirt under them... I'm confident that Solomon is dirty as all get out, and I need your help, DU, to track down all the nasty details. I think it's time we put our collective minds together and dug up some dirt on Solomon. I am sure there are even more articles out there than what I listed here. Who benefits?

[Cooley Hurd]

1. Josh Marshall (TPM) has an intesting take on this:

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/010403.php

<snip>
Here's what one former colleague of Solomon's said last week: "I worked years in the same office as Solomon, sometimes with him. The consensus: he's lazy, and takes hit jobs handed him on a platter by opps research teams (and anyone will do.) And doesn't do much to clean it up. I also know one of his fave and frequent sources is Barbara Comstock, former DOJ spxwoman and GOP attack dog."

I've heard the same from numerous oppo researchers and journalists. (Here are some thoughts on legitimate and illegitimate ways journalists use material from oppo researchers.)
</snip>

[grasswire]

4. there it is --- Barbara Comstock is his source

And she's the scummiest of the scum. A product of the Scaife charm school that produced Coulter, Ingraham, and the other bimbos who hunted the Clintons. Then she became the chief opposition researcher for the RNC. THEN she became the spokesperson for Ashcroft during his reign of terror.

Now she's working to corrupt journos, it appears.

If only we had the money to hire a private eye. I wonder if Solomon is living above his income.

[Stand and Fight]

5. How much money would it take? n/t

[grasswire]

7. I have no idea.

I suspect that a cadre of researchers on the Internet could find some stuff without spending money, if they are experienced in that sort of thing like the diarists over at dailykos. But a PI with an expense account surely could shed some light.

[LiberalFighter]

24. She was also on Dan "watermelon" Burton's staff

[OzarkDem]

2. Check his honoraria

Many of the so-called journalists who pimp for the GOP are invited as guest speakers and panelists at GOP and other conservative events. They often receive very lucrative honoraria in exchange, often in the six figures.

Just another form of bribery.

[Stand and Fight]

3. Awww.... Follow the money, yes? n/t

[Norquist Nemesis]

6. hmmm...Looks like he's been given full and free access to go after Dems

Bush and the Cons, not so much.

http://www.publicintegrity.org/report.aspx?aid=79

[Stand and Fight]

8. Lots of his articles at the following link:

http://www.pelicanfile.com/reporter.cfm?ReporterID=898


We should start sorting through them and dividing them into groups. Perhaps come up with a timeline.

[Stand and Fight]

9. More Juicy Information on Solomon:

http://www.correntewire.com/tags/john_solomon

~snip~
Go read this piece from 2003 from the Center for Public Integrity and decide for yourself:


WASHINGTON, September 17, 2003 — A month before the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 and all of the increased government secrecy that has ensued, the Justice Department secretly seized the home telephone records of respected investigative reporter and deputy bureau chief of the Associated Press in Washington, John Solomon. And earlier this year, the FBI opened and confiscated his mail. Center for Public Integrity executive director Charles Lewis recently interviewed Solomon about it.

~snip~

Very, very interesting...

[Poiuyt]

10. John Avarosis at Americablog has wondered the same thing

http://americablog.blogspot.com/2006/10/aps-john-solomon-is-obsessed-with.html

[Stand and Fight]

11. More of his articles and a short biography here:

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=John_Solomon

Apparently this guy supervised the coverage of notorious serial killer and cannibal, Jeffrey Dahmer.

[blm]

12. Solomon has it out for any Dem who sticks their neck out - now it's Reid.

He pretty much regurgitates the RW talking points line by line.

[Stand and Fight]

14. Then help me dig up dirt on this filth. n/t

[Stand and Fight]

13. Josh Marshall dug up some stuff too....

In regards to the boxing ticket article:

...Back in February, Solomon produced a lengthy expose on Team Abramoff's alleged efforts to sway Reid to support their Mariana's sweatshop clients, without ever mentioning that Reid consistently voted against the Mariana's sweatshop owners.

[Stand and Fight]

15. Has he been blackmailed by the Bush administration? See this article:

AP demands explanation for subpoena of reporter's records

WASHINGTON — The Associated Press has asked Attorney General John Ashcroft for a public accounting of the subpoena of an AP reporter's home telephone records.

Louis D. Boccardi, AP president and chief executive, called the subpoena "an extraordinary strike against the press." Boccardi told Ashcroft that federal investigators did not inform the AP of the subpoena in advance and failed to demonstrate that all alternate means of getting the information had been exhausted.

In a letter to Ashcroft, Boccardi also asked the Justice Department to destroy all copies of AP reporter John Solomon's records and not to use them.

"I recognize that this would be little more than symbolic, since you held these records in secret for three months before giving Mr. Solomon the required notice," Boccardi wrote. "But symbolism is important in the delicate intersection of press and government in our nation and this is one of the reasons why so many of us find the tone, spirit and fact of the department's actions so reprehensible."

The department said it was reviewing the letter.

MORE AT LINK

Is it possible that he found out something he should not have and now he does their bidding?

[Stand and Fight]

16. kick n/t

[rodeodance]

19. and Rec.

[rodeodance]

17. abc news just gave the Soloman articles report on Harry Reid.!!

[rodeodance]

18. came across as Harry having lots of ethics problems

[Stand and Fight]

20. It would be nice if they'd report the full story...

They're going to come away looking like ass-hats on all of this. I really must wonder why they don't do research.

It is as clear to me as day that Solomon is dirty.

[McCamy Taylor]

21. No one reports on the details. They just call it "scandal". Daily Show

made it funny. Stewart starting reporting the details and fell asleep.

I am beginning to agree. Maybe they are blackmailing him. The quality of work he is putting out for the GOP is damn poor. As if his heart is not in it. If he were doing it for money, he would do a better job. Maybe when they were intercepting all his mail, they found something they decided could be used for blackmail. Or when they were doing the wiretaps, they might have recorded something they are using to blackmail him.

If so, I feel for him.

[Stand and Fight]

22. I watched that bit last night... Laughed my ass off.

This "scandal" with Senator Reid has no legs whatsoever because there is nothing to it. Reid was right to hang up on this muckracker... As to whether he is being blackmailed or not - I don't know, but I find it strange that he is compromised and now does lackluster reporting. He seemed somewhat reputable once after having reviewed his record, but now he stinks to high heaven. Something with this whole thing just ain't right.

[Benhurst]

23. Recommended #3