Hang it around their necks: McCain camp was pushing Ashley Todd story

When John Cole asked this question yesterday:

Am I wrong? Did I miss the McCain team pushing this story? Because I do not remember anything from them on it.

I reported in his comments (hung up in his pesky spam filter—damn you, Balloon Juice!) that in early reports on the Ashley Todd hoax I had seen a clear indication that the McCain camp had been pushing the story, but it looked like the original online articles I had seen had been rewritten (I went through my Firefox history to make sure).  Well, via BJ, I see that Talking Points Memo dug up exactly what I was looking for:

John McCain’s Pennsylvania communications director told reporters in the state an incendiary version of the hoax story about the attack on a McCain volunteer well before the facts of the case were known or established—and even told reporters outright that the “B” carved into the victim’s cheek stood for “Barack,” according to multiple sources familiar with the discussions.

And this is the excised text I had read early in the evening on Thursday:

Everyone repeat along with me ... hang it around their necks.

SIDE NOTE: I’m taking a pass on feeling sorry for Ashley Todd due to her alleged history of mental illness because from what I can tell that info came solely from Ashley Todd, who lied horribly about more things than I can count over the last few days. This could just be a contemptible racist asshole’s attempt to court the sympathy vote and take off some of the heat (the media seems to be buying it), so count this skeptic out for the moment.

UPDATE: The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has a lot more on this story…

“The backwards ‘B’ was the obvious thing to us when we first saw her. Something just didn’t seem right,” Assistant Chief Bryant said. “And, first of all, with our local robbers, they take the money [and flee]. They’re in and out. They’re not stopping to do artwork.” [...]

Once she had told the story to police, “she told lie after lie and the situation compounded to where we are right now,” said Lt. Kraus. He added that Ms. Todd showed no remorse for her actions but was angry with the media, saying they blew the story out of proportion. [...]

In March, Ms. Todd was asked to leave a grass-roots group of Ron Paul supporters in Brazos County, Texas, group leader Dustan Costine said. He said Ms. Todd posed as a supporter of former Arkansas governor and presidential candidate Mike Huckabee and called the local Republican committee seeking information about its campaign strategies.

“She would call the opposing campaign and pretend she was on their campaign to get information,” Mr. Costine said last night. “We had to remove her because of the tactics she displayed. After that we had nothing to do with her.”

About a month earlier, he said, Ms. Todd sent an e-mail to the Ron Paul group saying her tires were slashed and that campaign paraphernalia had been stolen from her car because she supported Mr. Paul. [...]

Mr. Garcia, 32, a first-year student at the University of Pittsburgh law school who also is from Texas, met Ms. Todd in May at a gathering of young Republicans in their hometown of College Station. On Wednesday night, she came back to his house, bruised and battered, and told him of the attack. He contacted police.

Mr. Garcia said his immediate response was to tend to the wound on her cheek. A police officer arrived, and Ms. Todd became belligerent when the officer asked where the mugging happened.

“I don’t know!” she told him, using an expletive, Mr. Garcia said. “I’m not from here.” [...]

Mr. Garcia took the widely published picture of Ms. Todd with her injuries. He said he took several photographs with a digital camera to document what had happened. He said he only gave copies of the photos to police and Ms. Todd’s employer, the College Republicans. One photo appeared on The Drudge Report on Thursday, setting off a storm of media attention.

UPDATE: Okay, maybe she is mentally ill…

Costine said Todd had talked of running for Texas governor in 2006 as a write-in candidate. She said she had been undergoing treatment for cancer, had lost her hair and often wore a wig. Still, he said, she constantly smoked.

Regardless, the McCain campaign’s potential involvement in pushing this bogus, incendiary story before all of the facts were in is the real story going forward.

MORE: Josh Marshall wants to hang it around their necks.

Posted by Kevin K. on 10/25/08 at 08:05 AM • Permalink

It goes without saying that the bitch is mentaly ill , she IS a Republican after all. But the McCain campaign flooging this is the story here , you’re right , it needs to be hung around their necks like a boat anchor. Just when you think they can’t go ant lower…

The burden should be on the McCain camp to prove they weren’t behind this in the first place.

I think somebody needs to investigate Dan Garcia. And EVERYONE should read this old digby post about the College Republicans and their rat-fucking ways.

Well, Dan Garcia lawyered up, which gets my spidey senses tingling (see top video links).

In the video, Garcia’s attorney admits he had also met Ashley Todd—at one of the College Republicans meetings. I smell a triumvirate of rat-fuckers.

I know, I know, the PUMA thing is dead, but why does she remind me of riverdaughter?  It must be the toxic combination of racism, batshit insanity, detachment from reality, and ratfuckery.  Not to mention the physical resemblance.

Isn’t it just interesting that attorney Clevenger, confederate Garcia, and the patsy Todd all appear to be from Brazos County, Texas?

Hey the poor dear probably just needs a good make over and she’ll be fine. Maybe Sarah can take her under her wing and spare some of that RNC rag and paint money.

I think someone has ferreted out the true, dark and alarming story behind Ashley Todd (Oh, Beware the Tale of Ashley Todd, She Heard the Call, Became ACORN’s Broad)

I think this may be intended to be WingNut Satire.

Man , the Young Republicans can’t seem to stuff her ass under that bus fast enough. While I don’t doubt that she’s a mental midget , I also wouldn’t put it past the Rove Youth to rat fuck one of their own.

The more I hear about her the more she reminds me of one of those fucked up people who can’t open their mouths without lying, tell a new lie depending on their audience, mood, time of day, don’t bother to keep their lies straight and if called on it, get really pissed.

So yeah, there’s probably a diagnosis in the DSM that suits her right down to the ground, but that doesn’t mean she didn’t understand what the hell she was doing.

And the rest of those jackasses who ran around screaming “OMG SKAREE BLACK MANS!!” what’s their excuse?

And the rest of those jackasses who ran around screaming “OMG SKAREE BLACK MANS!!” what’s their excuse?

I think someone has ferreted out the true, dark and alarming story behind Ashley Todd (Oh, Beware the Tale of Ashley Todd, She Heard the Call, Became ACORN’s Broad)

I think this may be intended to be WingNut Satire.

Wow!  I think that’s the biggest bunch of crap I’ve ever read on the internet and I’ve read a lotof crap!

If you’re really into reading crap check out the PUMA reactions to the PA judge having thrown out the Berg lawsuit.  They’re all over the board from petitioning Congress to change the law requiring pres candidates to prove their citizens to trying to get a class action lawsuit going to e-mailing George Bush to suspend the elections until this is resolved.  Bush:  “WTF would I do that for?  I can’t wait to get the hell outa here!”

Oops. “to prove they’re citizens” Fixed.

I know Dan Garcia.  I first heard this story from him.
I’m don’t generally agree with his politics, but he’s a stand up guy.  He told me Friday morning that he starting to smell a rat with this girl, and when it turned out that he was right, he was deeply hurt that he’d been used by her.
Believe me if there was some sort of conspiracy afoot, they would have done it much better then this.

If you’re really into reading crap check out the PUMA reactions to the PA judge having thrown out the Berg lawsuit.  They’re all over the board from petitioning Congress to change the law requiring pres candidates to prove their citizens to trying to get a class action lawsuit going to e-mailing George Bush to suspend the elections until this is resolved.  Bush:  “WTF would I do that for?  I can’t wait to get the hell outa here!”

lol @ Bush quote.

marin, I don’t know why PUMA are getting so upset when their very own Lori discovered that Obama WAS born in Hawaii was back in July!  Lori’s post confirming everything is post 18.

http://texasdarlin.wordpress.com/2008/07/23/obama-was-l ikely-born-in-hawaii/

Hi, I’ve talked to the Department of Vital Records and the Honolulu Advertiser.In 1961, the hospitals would take their new birth certificates to Vital Records. At the end of the week, Vital Records would post a sheet that for the news paper to pick up that contained births, deaths, marriages and divorces. The Advertiser routinely printed this information in their Sunday edition. This is not a paid announcement that his grandmother could arrange. This is information that comes from Vital Records - we know this because this particular section reflects those records.