Alleged D.C. Madam Wants to Subpoena ABC's Ross, Senator Leahy: Charges political prosecution

[DeepModem Mom]

WP: Alleged D.C. Madam Wants to Subpoena Reporter, Senator
By Carol D. Leonnig
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, September 12, 2007

The alleged D.C. Madam said she wants to subpoena ABC News investigative reporter Brian Ross and Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.) in hopes of showing she's the victim of a political prosecution.

Deborah Jeane Palfrey, who faces charges of conspiracy in running an illegal prostitution ring in the D.C. area for 13 years, claims that her escort service provided legal, albeit sexually explicit, fantasies rather than sex. Ross's news program was the first to review and report on phone records, which Palfrey provided, listing the numbers of escorts and clients she called over a four-year period. As ABC News researched the phone calls, an assistant secretary of state resigned and disclosed that he had been a customer of Palfrey's escort service. But Ross's subsequent news program did not disclose names of high-profile customers, as Palfrey had pledged would happen.

Palfrey's civil attorney, Montgomery Blair Sibley, wrote to reporters yesterday that he plans to seek Ross's testimony because "the very real specter exists that political pressure was placed on ABC News to 'bury' "names of prominent individuals it found among her phone records.

Sibley said Leahy, as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, will be able to attest to Bush administration Justice Department officials' political interference in cases. A spokesman for Leahy's office dismissed Palfrey's proposal as among the more wacky requests the senator's office has received.

Ross rejected Palfrey's suggestion that politicians censored or shaped his news reporting. "Our decisions regarding what we reported were based solely on what we considered to be newsworthy," Ross said in statements posted on ABC's Web site.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/12/AR2007091202032.html?nav=hcmodule

[orleans]

1. ross: yeah, sure. guess you don't think a bunch of politicians on this

list are newsworthy.

remember that a lot of people thought they were gonna announce cheney's name on this list? i guess brian ross didn't like the horse head he must have found in his bed the night before he decided all those names were not newsworthy

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

2. Again, with the frickin' GOP, it's all about the sex. I swear, I think that the allure for Young

Republicans is the opportunity to be around beautiful women who expect nothing from them.

Well, except money.

But, come on, we Democrats are prepared for one of our reps to be on the list. There's some seriously hot people, male and female, in our party. Senator Feingold, for instance. Congresswoman Pelosi for another. Oh, and Senator Obama, Senator Clinton and Senator Biden are a few more nicely put together intellectuals.

So, anyway, Democrats recognize sexuality is OK, and let's get down to helping each other.

Repubs seem to try to figure out how to have the sex they really want, ala Larry Craig, Mark Foley and David Vitter.

Plus, many others.

Freud would have a field day with the Grand Old Party these days. MKJ

on edit, not sure why I used the phrase "c'mon"....:-)

[dweller]

3. as usual ...

"But, come on, we Democrats are prepared for one of our reps to be on the list. I mean, c'mon, there's some seriously hot people, male and female, in our party. Senator Feingold, for instance. Congresswoman Pelosi for another. Oh, and Senator Obama, Senator Clinton and Senator Biden are a few more nicely put together intellectuals."

you forgot Kucinich!

grumble. . .
dp

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

4. His hotness is exponential... multiplying.

:toast: MKJ

[Horse with no Name]

5. Fred Thompson Prime example

Would he have a young beautiful woman on his arm if he drove a bus in Chicago?

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

6. Damn, the edit time has expired and I forgot to add John Edwards and George Clooney.

Oh and Katrina Van de Heuvel and Randi Rhodes and Mos Def and Stephanie Miller and well, I can't think of a single really sexy Repub.

Really, the Repubs' entire existences are consumed with having sex.

The rest of us just want to make sure everyone gets a fair shake.

MKJ