1.) Weiner grilled — If Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) wants to convince us he’s the innocent victim of a hacker, he might not be doing the best job. Yesterday during a Capitol Hill press conference, he repeatedly and angrily refused to answer simple yes/no questions such as, “Is that you in that picture?” and “Did you send that picture?” and “Are the police investigating?” Instead, he claimed his previous statements answered those questions already, even though they really didn’t. Oh yeah, and he called one guy a rude name for asking. NY Post: “[Weiner] flashed a tight, uncomfortable smile and avoided eye contact as he tried to deflect point-blank questions from reporters about whether or not he had sent a crotch shot of himself in underwear to a 21-year-old co-ed in Seattle. ‘Was it from you or not,’ demanded CNN’s Capitol Hill producer Ted Barrett. To which the squirming Weiner replied: ‘If I were giving a speech to 45,000 people and someone in the back threw a pie or yelled out an insult, I would not spend the next two hours of my speech responding to that pie or that insult…’ Then in another cringeworthy exchange, the Brooklyn-Queens Democrat unloaded a snarky insult instead of saying why he didn’t pass on to Capitol Police his claim that his Twitter account had been hacked — which would be a federal crime. ‘I’m going to have to ask that we follow some rules here. One of them is going to be you ask questions and I’ll do the answers. That seem reasonable? . . . You do the questions, I do the answers, and this jackass interrupts me?’ a fuming Weiner said of Barrett.” If Rep. Weiner is the victim here, it makes sense that he’s angry. It makes less sense that his anger is directed not at the person who allegedly stole his identity, but rather at the people asking him about it. As of this morning, it’s unclear whether Rep. Weiner will apologize to Mr. Barrett or just insist that his previous statements covered that.
2.) Weiner attacks fellow congressman for taking him at his word — When a member of Congress says he’s the victim of a hacker, the claim has to be taken seriously. TheDC’s Matthew Boyle reports: “Florida Republican Rep. Cliff Stearns is demanding an investigation into cybersecurity issues raised by #Weinergate, saying it is vital to ‘ensure our national security.’ Though New York Democratic Rep. Anthony Weiner remains silent on whether or not he’ll be seeking an investigation into his claims that his Twitter and Facebook accounts were hacked, leading to his Twitter account’s posting of a picture of a man’s erect penis underneath gray boxer-briefs, Stearns told The Daily Caller that the imbroglio raises troubling questions that should be looked into by Congress. ‘Although this particular incident is a matter for law enforcement, it clearly indicates that hacking is a serious problem and as Chairman it would be appropriate for the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee to examine the issue of cybersecurity to protect our privacy and to ensure our national security,’ Stearns said in an email to The Daily Caller. Stearns is the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, a committee on which Weiner sits.” Weiner replied that he doesn’t “respond to distractions, particularly ones named Cliff Stearns.” Doesn’t it seem odd that Rep. Weiner is lashing out at people for saying they believe him?
3.) Toobin vs. Breitbart — Some on the left have been trying to blame Andrew Breitbart for Weinergate, claiming that Breitbart’s screenshot of the infamous lewd photograph posted on Yfrog is a fake or something. This, despite the fact that Weiner has publicly claimed he was hacked, and that the picture was posted under his account but he didn’t do it. Shifting the blame to Breitbart isn’t gaining any traction, but they still don’t like him, which leads to fun stuff like the following. Matt Schneider at Mediaite reports: “CNN’s legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin appeared on the air, right after Andrew Breitbart, to discuss the ongoing ‘Weinergate’ story. Yet Toobin was much more agitated by what just happened on CNN than by anything related to Democratic Congressman Anthony Weiner’s Twitter ordeal… ‘What Andrew Breitbart was insinuating about [Weiner] with young girls and stuff is outrageous. And frankly, it’s too bad that he got to say that stuff on CNN. Look, this is a light-hearted story. This is a silly little thing that happened, it’s not a big deal.'” It makes sense that Toobin is sensitive about this topic, considering that Casey Greenfield, the daughter of Toobin’s former colleague Jeff Greenfield, claims that Toobin is the father of her baby and is suing him for child support. Note that Toobin is married to another woman, with whom he has two teenage children. Breitbart was only too happy to point out these facts, of course.
4.) In non-Weinergate news, people are starting to run for president and stuff — It’s only 17 months until the election, which means it’s time to start getting really worried about who the Republican candidate is going to be. TheDC’s Caroline May reports on the latest prospect: “Minnesota Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann will announce in June her plans for 2012. Many speculate that Bachmann’s announcement, which she says she will make in Waterloo, Iowa, the city of her birth, will kick off a bid for the presidency. Attractive and conservative, Bachmann has been compared with former vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin since she gained national prominence. Those comparisons will likely persist if Bachmann enters the race for the White House.” Having two Republican women in the race would be interesting, because it would force the press to split the focus of their misogyny.
5.) Hardboiled reporters whine about not getting itinerary for Palin’s bus tour — Journalism isn’t for the weak. You gotta be tough. Just ask Brian Monopoli of CBS News: “Since Palin and her team won’t share where the potential candidate is headed [on her bus tour], reporters and producers have little choice but to simply stay close to Palin’s bus. This has resulted in scenes of the Palin bus tooling down the highway followed by a caravan of 10 or 15 vehicles all trying to make sure they don’t lose sight of the Palin bus. It adds up to a dangerous situation, says CBS News Producer Ryan Corsaro. ‘I just hope to God that one of these young producers with a camera whose bosses are making them follow Sarah Palin as a potential Republican candidate don’t get in a car crash, because this is dangerous,’ he said.” Plus, these fearless, intrepid journalists might choke to death if she keeps refusing to cut up their food for them.
6.) Meghan McCain gets help with latest book — Writing it, that is. TheDC’s Laura Donovan reports: “Daily Beast columnist Meghan McCain, who recently relocated from New York City to Los Angeles, will collaborate with comedian Michael Ian Black for a book. Meghan, the daughter of Ariz. Sen. John McCain, tweeted on Tuesday, ‘SO EXCITED TO FINALLY ANNOUNCE – I’m writing my next book with a gosh darned Democrat.’ The Arizona native also linked to a Publisher’s Weekly story, which confirms that she’s indeed teaming up with Michael Ian Black for a humor book titled ‘Stupid for America.'” Isn’t it just completely crazy that she’s writing a book with a DEMOCRAT? Talk about two worlds colliding. Good luck finding a single thing you agree on, you two!
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