Reply #24: The Noose...

[Jeff in Cincinnati]

At the time of the Williams (et. al.) story, the White House denied any knowledge that federal agencies were paying journalists for favorable coverage. But Gannon/Guckert was cleared to cover the White House. They don't have any plausible deniability here -- they can't claim it was a "rogue operation" by some anonymous agency. And Gannon/Guckert was still getting White House access after the Williams story broke. If we had an independent media, this would be the noose into which this administration has inadvertently stuck its neck.

But we don't have an independent media. If we did, one of them would have questioned -- possibly two years ago -- the fact that a representative from an unknown internet site was getting regular access to the White House Press Room and getting called on the ask questions on a regular basis. If we had an independent media, they would have done what a legion of bloggers have done during the past ten days.