Terry McAuliffe Scandal Fizzles — And Hot Air Plays It Cool

At least one right wing blog went to Defcon One yesterday when the Associated Press reported that Virginia gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe allegedly “lied to a federal official” who was investigating an individual with whom he’d invested. And the investment instrument itself had an air of sleaze: life insurance policies taken out on individuals without their knowledge.

Problem is — shades of The Newsroom — AP got the story wrong:

“The indictment did not identify McAuliffe as the ‘T.M.’ who allegedly lied to investigators,” AP’s removal notice says.

… On Twitter, Lewis said the mistake was his:

Bob Lewis @APBobLewis
The error was mine and I take responsibility for it. http://www.nbc12.com/story/23652280/report-indictment-says-mcauliffe-misled-federal-investigator …
12:15 AM – 10 Oct 2013 from Varina, VA, United States

Conservative blog Hot Air picked up the uncorrected version of the story — can you blame them?

With less than four weeks to go in the Virginia gubernatorial race, Terry McAuliffe appeared to be coasting to victory. Until now, that is…

Until AP’s retraction, that is. And to Hot Air’s credit, they quickly updated the post with analysis:

Looking at the court document, McAuliffe’s denial looks … reasonable … Was McAuliffe doing home construction in 2010? Doubtful. This looks like a huge screw-up at the Associated Press.

By: dave-dr-gonzo

David Hirsch, a.k.a. Dave "Doctor" Gonzo*, is a renegade record producer, video producer, writer, reformed corporate shill, and still-registered lobbyist for non-one-percenter performing artists and musicians. He lives in a heavily fortified compound in one of Manhattan's less trendy neighborhoods.

* Hirsch is the third person to use the pseudonym, a not-so-veiled tribute to journalist and author Hunter S. Thompson, with the permission of his predecessors Gene Gaudette of American Politics Journal (currently webmaster and chief bottlewasher at Liberaland) and Stephen Meese at Smashmouth Politics.