The reporter is standing by his story:
“All of a sudden, I see Hinchey moving towards me and coming directly at me, face to face,” Kemble said. “I remember fingers around my neck.”Hinchey denies assaulting the reporter, or even telling the reporter to "shut up," but the original pre-assault video shows Hinchey telling the reporter to shut up:
Kemble said that Hinchey held his fingers there for a few seconds.
Kemble said he recalled thinking to himself to “just breathe” and, then Hinchey must have realized “what he was doing and just stopped.”
I noted the other day that The Times was scooped on this by the Poughkeepsie Journal.
Now The Times, the paper of record, has been scooped by Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record, Hinchey on defensive after fight with reporter:
Rep. Maurice Hinchey, D-Hurley, wanted to talk about health-care reform before a group of seniors in Kingston Monday morning.What will it take to get The NY Times to report on a senior New York Congressman who physically assaulted a member of the press who was asking tough questions about possible conflicts of interest in federal funding of a project?
Instead, he found himself defending himself on charges that he told a newspaper reporter to "shut up!" under persistent questioning last week and later, during a heated confrontation with the same reporter, he either poked or put his hands on the reporter's neck.
Hinchey's Republican opponent, George Phillips, said Monday that he witnessed Hinchey physically shove the reporter into Phillips' path minutes before a debate sponsored by the League of Women Voters in Saugerties.
A video of Hinchey telling Kingston Daily Freeman reporter William Kemble to shut up went viral over the weekend.
Nevertheless, Hinchey on Monday initially denied telling Kemble to shut up, then backtracked by saying he was responding to being badgered by the reporter. He accused Kemble, a Freeman correspondent, and Kemble's editor, Tony Adamis, of conducting a long-standing effort to hurt him politically.
How about this. Let's pretend Maurice Hinchey had Tea Party support. Page One above the fold, here we come.
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It gives me such a feeling of sadness to know our fourth estate is so far gone. Really, most don't even pretend anymore, such as this instance.
ReplyDeleteSean Hannity managed to discuss the assault yesterday, I noticed. (But didn't credit your site, alas.)
ReplyDeleteIt was mentioned in Politico today...sort of...
ReplyDeleteOk, kind of like "almost mentioned"
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1010/43814_Page2.html
You mean the Poughkeepsie Journal that said: "Here's where it gets murky. After the questioning, a Your News Now [YNN] videographer said the two had an altercation, and alleged that Hinchey poked Kemble in the chest, according to Capital Tonight. This was not on camera."
ReplyDeleteAnd you mean the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record that went on from your quote adding more details from the YNN reporter directly: "Hinchey found some support for one of his denials at the Monday gathering from YNN reporter-videographer Doug Short, who witnessed Thursday's confrontation. Short said that there was no question that Hinchey did not choke or try to choke Kemble, who has alleged on a website that the congressman 'put his hands on my throat.' Short said the congressman 'went right over to Kemble' after telling him to shut up and the two 'got in each other's faces.' Short said he saw some "finger-wagging" on Hinchey's part, but could not be sure if the congressman ever touched or poked the reporter."
It's nice that you admit the NYT is the paper of record, but if you want to show malfeasance, shouldn't you find a credible report from a medium sized outlet that Hinchey actually assaulted someone? (and btw, you're not claiming finger pointing on the chest is assault, right?)
The Forth Estate is now the Fifth Column.
ReplyDelete4E=5C
Shooter,
ReplyDeleteDon't confuse Assault and Battery.
At any rate, your source 'could not be sure' about physical contact, so it's not clear how he's so certain there was no contact with the throat. We have proof Hinchey's account is unreliable. Your own account is disturbing on its own, noting the congressman, when confronted with his corruption, got in a reporter's face (which certainly can be assault, even with no contact).
You snark that the NYT is the paper of record. Even though you know they are covering up a huge story because they want to skew election results. Their record is that they are totally unreliable.
It's amazing the length some partisans will go. You know this guy is a creep. You know the NYT is avoiding a real story. And yet your views are completely twisted the wrong way.
The NY Times can no longer be trusted.
ReplyDeleteActually, N.S., your're right. Poking someone in the chest isn't assault, it's battery.
ReplyDeletegot in a reporter's face (which certainly can be assault, even with no contact).
ReplyDeleteI happen to live near Kingston and use to subscribe to the Freeman. (he's not my congressman. We're at the corner of 3 districts here) Those in the area that rely on the NYT are voting for Hinchey even if he's dead, and the Freeman is a reasonably liberal paper. It's not the NYT, but it isn't the Daily News either. The Partition Project has had questions about it for a long time, and Hinchey has never answered them, hence the repeated question of him. Nevertheless, the 22nd District was drawn for him. It includes a couple small cities, and travels along Rt 17 to swoop into Ithaca and include Cornell. It's probably 1 mile wide in places. Reminds me of NC-5
ReplyDeleteThe pigs are upset because we'e started taking pictures of the rules on the barn... And no, Democrats are not more equal than the rest of us...
ReplyDeleteI was present at the debate, and did not witness the confrontation but know people who did. There is nothing alleged about it, although it doesn't sound like assault. Hinchey very definitely lost it over a question from a reporter on a topic Hinchey has consistently refused to discuss or acknowledge. I was at George Phillips' Saugerties campaign office on Saturday, 2 days after the debate (I am a volunteer and have been for over 6 months) and the Partition Street Project (which is a block or 2 from Phillips' office) was the main topic among the locals. Many are outraged over it. It also involves a site contamination and a demolition that was illegal - of a property that has Hinchey's investment involvement.
ReplyDeleteIncidentally, Hinchey pushed Kemble INTO George Phillips. I know folks who saw this and Phillips has stated it in an interview. That might be assault!
By the letter of the law, I'll grant finger poking and pushing are both assault and battery. But here are my points:
ReplyDelete1. Do you want Hinchey prosecuted for a finger poke and a push? Is there any chance he would be convicted? And if you've ever used the phrase "man-up", then you should drop complaining about this.
2. Should the NYT be shamed for not covering this? Is it really that big a deal? The local press has covered it, but is there even state-wide, much less national significance? I know you likely don't read the NYT, but outside the tri-state area, it takes quite a bit of newsworthy-ness to make the paper.
3. The accusation in this post is that Hinchey choked Kemble. Is there a shred of evidence of this? Does Kemble still claim Hinchey even touched his throat?
4. Comparing this event to false-imprisonment - oh, I'm sory, a citizen's arrest - is ludicrous. Which would you be more pissed about: getting poked in the chest and pushed, or being hand-cuffed for any length of time.