West says he'll sue newspaper for violation of privacy

[davidinalameda]

http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid21880.asp

Spokane, Wash. mayor Jim West, facing a recall election over a City Hall sex scandal, says he'll sue The Spokesman-Review newspaper for invasion of privacy.

The newspaper in May broke stories contending West trolled a gay online chat room, offering young men city jobs in exchange for sex. Several young gay men told the newspaper they were offered perks, trips or City Hall jobs and appointments by West, who has said he did nothing illegal. The FBI is investigating whether those offers and appointments constituted an abuse of public office.

West, 55, said he plans to sue no matter the outcome of a special recall election Dec. 6. The mayor faces a single count alleging he misused his office by offering to help an 18-year-old man he met at Gay.com get a City Hall internship. The person the mayor thought was a man named Brad was really a computer expert the newspaper hired to track the mayor's online activities.

[BOSSHOG]

1. Wow, and conservatives say no one has a right to privacy

I'm so confused. Didn't his honor "troll" while using city computers? A dumb conservative! Imagine.

[niyad]

2. let's see--it's okay for the repukes to go after bill clinton's private

life, but it is illegal and immoral to go after repukes. can we say double standard?

[MADem]

3. Isn't he one of those GOP WOMB RAIDERS, who declare that a female

does not have any rights to determine what happens to her body and life?

I find this whole situation delightfully ironic. I doubt strongly that he will prevail in this pathetic attempt to claim privacy as an elected, public figure. What he is doing is trying to use privacy to prevent an exploration of the graft, theft of government resources and favoritisms he initiated in order to satisfy his sexual desires. Basically, the city of Spokane was paying for his swerve...and that ain't right!!!!

OUT, OUT, damn putz!!

[xchrom]

4. either we all have a right to privacy{women, bill clinton, etc.}

or none of us do.

[Village Idiot]

6. And this stuff ALL seems to be in the public domain!!!

Chat rooms are NOT private, and those solicited by scumbags are actually ENCOURAGED, rather than merely allowed, to report indecent advances...

West's gonna BURN!!!

[kweerwolf]

5. It's just the Repugnantcan way

Do something wrong/illegal/unethical and when you get caught sue whoever catches you doing it and avoid taking any personal responsibility.

And all this time I thought Repugs were big on the whole "personal responsibility" thing.
:shrug:

[kevinbgoode]

7. what privacy? His own?

Seems to me he was consistently voting in the state legislature to allow all kinds of things to harm us if our privacy was violated...shoot...or even if someone merely "thought" that we might be gay.

[TechBear_Seattle]

8. Files on a public, city owned computer are, by definition, public

That is the law. The chief executive -- such as a mayor -- has the principle responsibility of overseeing the enforcement of the law.

In short, West knew that what he was doing while using city property was public. If he wanted to keep his shenanigans private, he should not have used public equipment. He has absolutely no grounds for whining about it now. If anything, his propositionees (if that is the word) most definitely have grounds against him to sue for breach of privacy; they, unlike Mayor West, had a reasonable expectation.