ABC’s BOGUS STORY ON HASTERT AND ABRAMOFF IS ANOTHER CBS PHONY BUSH NATIONAL GUARD STORY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, May 26, 2006

CONTACT: TIM SCHEIDERER OR COLLEEN O’BOYLE AT 703.683.5004

ABC’s BOGUS STORY ON HASTERT AND ABRAMOFF IS ANOTHER CBS PHONY BUSH NATIONAL GUARD STORY

ABC Must Retract Story and Issue an Apology

Alexandria, VA—On Wednesday, May 24, anchor Elizabeth Vargas and reporter Brian Ross of ABC’s World News Tonight dramatically reported startling news that House Speaker Dennis Hastert is under investigation in relation to the Jack Abramoff bribery scandal. Fellow ABC correspondent George Stephanopoulos called the story “potentially seismic” in its political implications.

The problem is that 1) the Department of Justice issued two denials, refuting ABC’s claims; 2) it is now known that ABC did not call Speaker Hastert until one hour before its broadcast; and 3) ABC did not even check with the Justice Department for an official response before the broadcast.

“Here we go again. The ABC story on GOP Speaker Dennis Hastert is very similar to CBS’s and Dan Rather’s false story about George Bush’s National Guard service,” said MRC President Brent Bozell. “ABC has used unnamed ‘sources’ and it cannot prove its defamatory story, which, no surprise, follows right on the heels of the bribery scandal involving Democratic Representative William Jefferson. ABC is playing fast and loose with no facts – it is smoke and mirrors.

“In the interest of fairness and responsibility to the American public and the parties concerned, ABC must formally retract its unfounded story about Speaker Hastert and apologize for its sloppy and politically slanted reporting,” said Mr. Bozell.

Video and transcript of May 24 ABC/Ross story.

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To schedule an interview with MRC President Bozell or an MRC spokesperson, please contact Tim Scheiderer (x. 126) or Colleen O’Boyle (x. 122) at 703.683.9733.