National GOP PAC Director Tees Off On Reporter, On Tape

If ever there were someone who aptly personified the expression "blowing a gasket," it's Scott Wheeler, executive director of the conservative National Republican Trust PAC.

Wheeler certainly blew a gasket in a recorded telephone conversation - listen to the audio below - with a reporter for the Albany Times Union. Wheeler and the reporter were sparring over a posting on the paper's blog about a controversial independent expenditure ad that Wheeler's group made attacking the Democratic candidate in the special election to fill the House seat vacated by Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), who was recently installed in the Senate to replace Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

As you can hear in the audio clip above, Wheeler, in his telephone tirade, calls the Times Union reporter, Irene Jay Liu, a "sock puppet for the Democrat Party" and suggests she is less than honest. Wheeler also accuses the reporter of taking a "press release" from the campaign of Democratic candidate Scott Murphy and simply putting her byline on it.

Here is the reporter's posting on what she called a "colorful conversation."

Wheeler tells the Sleuth his rant at the Times Union reporter was a first for him. But he says he doesn't feel alone in his opinion of the Fourth Estate these days.

"A lot of people are frustrated with journalists, and you know why," he said. "I think I expressed frustration and anger for a lot of Americans."

Comments

Just more bullying by a typical Republican. To wit:

Serve your country honorably in the Middle East, but disapprove of some of its policies; you're a "phony soldier."
Serve your country honorably anywhere, but disagree with its military policy; you're a "cut and runner," a "coward," an "appeaser," a "nazi."
Be a good citizen, willingly pay your taxes, but want fairness, and some regulation over large corporations; you're called a "socialist" or a "communist" sometimes a "nazi" and a "communist" in one breath.
Republican politics: Shout down your opponent with anything (true or not); demean opponent with names and labels; and when called upon it, act hurt.
ENOUGH OF THIS REPUBLICAN B.S!

Posted by: nwsjnky1 | March 19, 2009 12:38 PM | Report abuse

He sounds drunk to me. It's incoherent bullying.

Posted by: Follitics | March 19, 2009 3:50 PM | Report abuse

Another bullying Republican, what a shock. In Nov of 2000 a goon squad of similar Republicans descended on Florida to demonize Al Gore in his contesting the Florida election.

These goosestepping, stormtroopers, bullied and badgered the Florida election supervisors on behalf of George W. Bush. The rest is history as they say. We have been paying for caving to these bullies ever since.

Posted by: mcafla | March 19, 2009 4:07 PM | Report abuse

He claims to express "the frustration of many Americans"? He is an incoherent, blustering thug and sadly epitomizes the profusion of GOP spokepersons who are currently unbeaten in the category of embittered, petulant sore losers. It is no wonder that Scott Wheeler is considered the nonpareil smearmaster for the GOPs and that's taking into account that he has some fine competition.

Posted by: pulakimo | March 19, 2009 4:44 PM | Report abuse

Wow -- what a different perception I have of this recording than the previous comment writers. This reporter (Ms. Liu) comes across as an idiot (literally). She does not answer direct questions directly. After listening to the tape, I can understand the frustration of Mr. Wheeler. And, as a betting man, I bet he is correct that Ms. Liu simply reworked a press release from the Murphy campaign and posted it to her blog. Most "journalists" today are too stupid or too lazy to actually do the research and fact checking that was a staple of the profession before the 1980's.

Posted by: WildcatFan1 | March 19, 2009 5:50 PM | Report abuse

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