CBS News President and WH Official Tied to Benghazi Scandal Are Brothers

[red states rule]

Talk about a conflict of interest

No wonder the CBS brass are PO'd over a reporter doing her job and actually reporting this story




One of the mainstream media journalists whose pursuit of the truth has been truly tenacious and nonpartisan is CBS News' Sharyl Attkisson. Her tough reporting has made life difficult for everyone from Hillary Clinton (http://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepavlich/2013/05/09/flashback-hillary-clintons-bogus-bosnia-sniper-fire-story-exposed-by-sharyl-attkisson-n1592048) to the Bush administration and Congressional Republicans (http://bangordailynews.com/2013/05/08/opinion/sharyl-attkisson-of-cbs-news-a-persistent-voice-of-media-skepticism-on-benghazi/?ref=relatedSidebar). She's also been relentless on the Obama administration's Fast & Furious gun-running scandal -- and, of course, Benghazi. As we mentioned (http://townhall.com/tipsheet/guybenson/2013/05/08/report-cbs-news-bosses-irked-by-correspondents-thorough-benghazi-reporting-n1591242) this week, Attkisson's tough investigative journalism is starting to bother unnamed CBS News executives. Here's Politico's scoop (http://www.politico.com/blogs/media/2013/05/the-posts-sharyl-attkisson-piece-163496.html), in case you missed it:


But from where Attkisson is sitting, there are actually two Goliaths, one of which is almost entirely absent from the Post profile. The second Goliath is CBS News, which has grown increasingly frustrated with Attkisson's Benghazi campaign. CBS News executives see Attkisson wading dangerously close (http://townhall.com/tipsheet/guybenson/2013/05/11/wow-cbs-news-president-and-wh-official-tied-to-benghazi-scandal-are-brothers-n1593081#) to advocacy on the issue, network sources have told POLITICO. Attkisson can't get some of her stories on the air, and is thus left feeling marginalized and underutilized. That, in part, is why Attkisson is in talks to leave CBS ahead of contract, as POLITICO reported in April. Farhi mentions "internal conflicts" in the final paragraph, though he seems to dismiss them. The "internal conflicts" are indeed real -- Attkisson is still eyeing an exit, according to sources -- and provide important context for today's piece.

My analysis of this report was highly critical of CBS News. The network appears to be penalizing one of its best correspondents because she's doing her job (http://townhall.com/tipsheet/guybenson/2013/05/11/wow-cbs-news-president-and-wh-official-tied-to-benghazi-scandal-are-brothers-n1593081#) too aggressively. Conservatives quickly imputed a political motive (http://hotair.com/archives/2013/05/08/report-cbs-grumpy-that-sharyl-attkissons-benghazi-scoops-are-wading-dangerously-close-to-advocacy/) to CBS News' internal drama, but the Daily Caller has uncovered a connection (http://dailycaller.com/2013/05/11/top-obama-officials-brother-is-president-of-cbs-news-may-drop-reporter-over-benghazi-coverage) that suggests there's a striking personal angle to this controversy, as well:



The brother of a top Obama administration official is also the president of CBS News, and the network may be days away from dropping one of its top investigative reporters for covering the administration’s scandals too aggressively. CBS News executives have reportedly expressed frustration with their own reporter, Sharyl Attkisson, who has steadily covered the Obama administration’s handling of the Benghazi terrorist attack in Libya since late last year...On Friday, ABC News reported (http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/05/exclusive-benghazi-talking-points-underwent-12-revisions-scrubbed-of-terror-references/) that the Benghazi talking points went through 12 revisions before they were used on the public. The White House was intimately involved in that process, ABC reported, and the talking points were scrubbed free of their original references to a terror attack. That reporting revealed that President Obama’s deputy national security (http://townhall.com/tipsheet/guybenson/2013/05/11/wow-cbs-news-president-and-wh-official-tied-to-benghazi-scandal-are-brothers-n1593081#) advisor, Ben Rhodes — brother of CBS News president David Rhodes — was instrumental in changing the talking points in September 2012. ABC’s reporting revealed that Ben Rhodes, who has a masters in fiction from NYU, called a meeting to discuss the talking points at the White House on September 15, 2012.


Well then. "CBS News executives" are wringing their hands that Sharyl Attkisson maybe "wading dangerously close" to advocacy on Benghazi. It's now entirely reasonable to ask if the top executive at the network may be "wading dangerously close" to a massive conflict of interest. Is David Rhodes trying to protect his brother -- who's just been revealed to be knee-deep (http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/benghazi-scandal-grows_722032.html?nopager=1) in the Benghazi cover-up -- by muzzling and marginalizing a problematic journalist within his news division? Kudos to the Caller for shining the spotlight on that relationship, but it's amazing that no one connected those dots sooner. How many people in the elite MSM orbit are aware that Ben and David Rhodes are brothers? And they definitely are brothers, by the way; The New York Times (http://townhall.com/tipsheet/guybenson/2013/05/11/wow-cbs-news-president-and-wh-official-tied-to-benghazi-scandal-are-brothers-n1593081#) confirmed that fact in a glowing profile (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/16/world/middleeast/benjamin-rhodes-obamas-voice-helps-shape-policy.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0) of the younger Rhodes in March:


The son of a conservative-leaning Episcopalian father from Texas and a more liberal Jewish mother from New York, Mr. Rhodes grew up in a home where even sports loyalties were divided: he and his mother are ardent Mets fans; his father and his older brother, David, root for the Yankees. “No one in that house agreed on anything,” said David Rhodes, who is now the president of CBS News.

If Sharyl Attkisson continues to be relegated to the sidelines, or is even shown the door, at CBS News over her Benghazi coverage, the public must demand full disclosure about David Rhodes' role in that decision-making process. The Rhodes brothers' familial tie may be a bizarre, irrelevant coincidence. It's possible. But it's not a leap to suggest that this reeks of corruption and collusion.
http://townhall.com/tipsheet/guybenson/2013/05/11/wow-cbs-news-president-and-wh-official-tied-to-benghazi-scandal-are-brothers-n1593081

[Kathianne]

:(

I can't rep, great find!

[Marcus Aurelius]

:(

I can't rep, great find!

done.

[Gaffer]

She'll have a great career at FOX.

[red states rule]

And the President of ABC also has a brother who is involved with this scandel






RICHARD GRENELL: I think the media's becoming the story, let's face it. CBS News President David Rhodes and ABC News President Ben Sherwood, both of them have siblings that not only work at the White House, that not only work for President Obama, but they work at the NSC on foreign policy issues directly related to Benghazi. Let's call a spade a spade.


Let's also show you why CNN did not go very far in covering these hearings because the CNN deputy bureau chief, Virginia Moseley, is married to Hillary Clinton’s deputy, Tom Nides. It is time for the media to start asking questions why are they not covering this. It's a family matter for some of them.
JON SCOTT, HOST: So they don't want to bring embarrassment upon folks who, who they're close to?


GRENELL: Who directly are related to this story. Absolutely. They're covering for them. There's no question about it.
For the record, Ben Sherwood's sister, Dr. Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, is (http://www.humanevents.com/2010/12/03/hollywood-liberal-named-abc-news-president/) the Special Assistant to Barack Obama.


Virginia Moseley's husband (http://now.msn.com/virginia-moseley-new-cnn-bureau-chief-is-married-to-tom-nides-of-obama-administration), Tom Nides, is (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_R._Nides) the Deputy Secretary of State for Management (http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2013/05/11/fox-abc-and-cbs-news-presidents-have-siblings-working-white-house-tie#) and Resources.



As for David Rhodes' brother (http://townhall.com/tipsheet/guybenson/2013/05/11/wow-cbs-news-president-and-wh-official-tied-to-benghazi-scandal-are-brothers-n1593081) Ben, he is (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Rhodes_%28speechwriter%29) Obama's Deputy National Security (http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2013/05/11/fox-abc-and-cbs-news-presidents-have-siblings-working-white-house-tie#) Advisor for Strategic Communication.


As ABCNews.com reported (http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/05/exclusive-benghazi-talking-points-underwent-12-revisions-scrubbed-of-terror-references/) Friday, Rhodes was a key player in revising the White House's Benghazi talking points last September:

In an email dated 9/14/12 at 9:34 p.m. — three days after the attack and two days before Ambassador Rice appeared on the Sunday shows – Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes wrote an email saying the State Department’s concerns needed to be addressed.


“We must make sure that the talking points reflect all agency equities, including those of the State Department, and we don’t want to undermine the FBI investigation. We thus will work through the talking points tomorrow morning at the Deputies Committee meeting.”


After that meeting, which took place Saturday morning at the White House, the CIA drafted the final version of the talking points – deleting all references to al Qaeda and to the security warnings in Benghazi prior to the attack

Consider, too, that CBS News executives possibly including Rhodes have allegedly come down (http://newsbusters.org/blogs/tim-graham/2013/05/08/politico-cbs-news-execs-see-attkisson-dangerously-close-advocacy-benghaz#ixzz2T1HfYdFY) on their own investigative reporterSharyl Attkisson for "wading dangerously close to advocacy on" Benghazi.


If Attkisson gets the boot, it could very well be with a foot attached to the brother of an Obama administration official directly involved in the cover-up.
A family matter indeed.


Read more: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2013/05/11/fox-abc-and-cbs-news-presidents-have-siblings-working-white-house-tie#ixzz2T2AQCp2B

[Gaffer]

Can anyone say nepotism? No wonder he-who-must-not-be-named controls the media. These guys make the Grant administration look like a bunch of boy scouts.

[Tyr-Ziu Saxnot]

:(

I can't rep, great find!

I can not rep rsr eitherbut is a great find.----:clap:

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to red states rule again.

[Tyr-Ziu Saxnot]

Can anyone say nepotism? No wonder he-who-must-not-be-named controls the media. These guys make the Grant administration look like a bunch of boy scouts.




When the Nazis took power the Propaganda Ministry was established almost immediately by decree of Reich President Paul von Hindenburg (http://www.debatepolicy.com/wiki/Paul_von_Hindenburg) on 13 March 1933. The ministry took its seat at the Ordenspalais (http://www.debatepolicy.com/wiki/Ordenspalais) in Berlin (http://www.debatepolicy.com/wiki/Berlin) on Wilhelmplatz (http://www.debatepolicy.com/wiki/Wilhelmplatz), across from the Reich Chancellery (http://www.debatepolicy.com/wiki/Reich_Chancellery), which already had been used by the press office of the German government. Goebbels himself defined the task of his ministry as a "mental mobilization (http://www.debatepolicy.com/wiki/Mobilization)" of the German people in view of coming World War II (http://www.debatepolicy.com/wiki/World_War_II). Hitler charged Goebbels with sweeping powers to enforce Nazi doctrine on the people and controlling public opinion. However, the ministry became even more important after the outbreak of war.
World War II was conducted with a much greater level of propaganda than World War I (http://www.debatepolicy.com/wiki/World_War_I), especially in the new media of film (http://www.debatepolicy.com/wiki/Film), newsreels (http://www.debatepolicy.com/wiki/Newsreel) and radio (http://www.debatepolicy.com/wiki/Radio) broadcasting. Because of practical experience and scientific occupation with propaganda in Europe and USA, propaganda was organised in a planned fashion. A new psychological warfare (http://www.debatepolicy.com/wiki/Psychological_warfare) was born.



Obama found the propaganda ministry already in place and controlled by the Dem party, his party.
It has been most useful and enjoying its being a third arm of the Dem party..I have no need to name it...at least not to true Americans....--Tyr

[Kathianne]

Can anyone say nepotism? No wonder he-who-must-not-be-named controls the media. These guys make the Grant administration look like a bunch of boy scouts.

Great analogy! Except, Grant himself wasn't on the take. He was too trusting.

[red states rule]

Just remember what we are told by those who "report" the news in the liberal media; the far left, and the strong supporters of liberalism

"there is NO liberal bias in the media"
"there is NO liberal bias in the media"
"there is NO liberal bias in the media"
"there is NO liberal bias in the media"
"there is NO liberal bias in the media"
"there is NO liberal bias in the media"
"there is NO liberal bias in the media"
"there is NO liberal bias in the media"
"there is NO liberal bias in the media"
"there is NO liberal bias in the media"
"there is NO liberal bias in the media"
"there is NO liberal bias in the media"
"there is NO liberal bias in the media"
"there is NO liberal bias in the media"
"there is NO liberal bias in the media"

[Gaffer]

Great analogy! Except, Grant himself wasn't on the take. He was too trusting.

That's what makes this administration worse. He's on the take as well and he's not trusting.

[red states rule]

As it continues to get worse for Obama, his core supporters do what they can to protect him




Befuddled by Benghazi, Top Political Reporters Admit Irrelevancy to Uncovering Obama Admin Dishonesty

My alternate headline for this item: “NBC’s Today Show on Benghazi: ‘There Are So Many Issues the Country Faces. This Is One of Them.’” That dismissive attitude came from ABC News veteran Mark Halperin, now MSNBC’s senior political analyst who also toils for Time magazine, putting the burden on Republican to make an issue of Obama administration dishonesty on Benghazi.

Failing to see any role for the news media after months of malfeasance, Halperin put the burden on a political party: “I think the events of this week mean Republicans now have a chance to make the case to the American people. There are so many issues the country faces. This is one of them.”
http://newsbusters.org/sites/default/files/2012/MikeAllen-CBSThisMorning-2013-05-11.jpgOver on CBS This Morning: Saturday, Mike Allen, one of the Washington Post reporters who created Politico, excused the Obama administration dissembling as “bureaucracies behaving the way bureaucracies behave,” before marveling it’s “now blowing up in a way that people couldn’t have predicted even a couple of weeks ago.”

Without any acknowledgment of overall media failure, Allen noted: “They’ve been sort of percolating among Republicans and among the conservative media, but now there are real questions about whether the American people were intentionally misled.”

If only we had a news media with any interest in pursuing that question.

Mark Halperin, on the Saturday, May 11 Today:

The real issue, again, is the credibility. There were changes made and they weren’t truthful over the last few months about the changes. The real question, again, for accountability of our government, is why? Why were people at the State Department, including people close to Secretary Clinton, why were they interested in making changes? Partly it was related to the CIA, but partly Republicans are asking and the country should ask, was any of it related to the politics in advance of the presidential election?

ERICA HILL: And are we going to get that answer?

http://newsbusters.org/sites/default/files/2012/MarkHalperin-Today-2013-05-11.jpgHALPERIN: Well, we’ll see over the coming days. What Republicans have asked for months is for the press to pay attention to it, for the public to be engaged to ask questions. Why did these things happen in a very complicated and tragic story. I think the events of this week mean Republicans now have a chance to make the case to the American people. There are so many issues the country faces. This is one of them. The question is, is it enough -- have enough questions been answered? The White House, the State Department, they’re going to have to answer more. We’ll see how long that takes.


Read more: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/brent-baker/2013/05/12/befuddled-benghazi-top-political-reporters-admit-irrelevancy-uncovering#ixzz2T6UmXpio

[aboutime]

Finally. After all of this Scandal talk recently. We now understand why OBAMA used the "SHOVEL READY" expression, and what he intended for it to Honestly mean...as in....."Obama needs a SHOVEL to dig himself, and those around him....Out of the huge, growing Hole he, and they have dug themselves into!"

So. My new salute to Mister Obama, Pretender-in-chief is not a Hand Salute but....this...5015. THE OBAMA SALUTE!

[red states rule]

Face the Nation host Bob Schieffer was a tad upset with the Obama WH yesterday [QUOTE]

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