From the Open-Publishing Calendar
From the Open-Publishing Newswire
Indybay Feature
White House Pays Off Anti-Gay Commentator
(Washington) A prominent black conservative was paid nearly a quarter million dollars by the White House to promote the President's agenda in his columns and nationally syndicated talk show.
Armstrong Williams who regularly attacks gays was given the money to promote the No Child Left Behind law according to documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act by USA Today.
"I wanted to do it because it's something I believe in," Williams said. He also said that he does not recall disclosing the contract to audiences on the air but told colleagues about it when urging them to promote NCLB.
The contract with the White House may have broken federal law in addition to the ethics of journalism.
Congress has prohibited propaganda," or any sort of lobbying for programs funded by the government, said Melanie Sloan of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. "And it's propaganda."
Rep. George Miller of California, the ranking Democrat on the House Education Committee Friday called for an investigation.
Williams is a former aide to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. In a column following the November 2 election Williams linked gay rights advocates with organized crime.
"Despite the rhetoric that you hear from the homosexual Cosa Nostra, the lack of support for the gay marriage amendment has nothing to do with prejudice," he wrote.
"It's not about trying to dictate to adults what they should do in the privacy of their own homes. Let's be clear about that. Opposition to the gay marriage amendment isn't about disallowing homosexuals the same basic rights we extend to everyone else. It is about recognizing that marriage between man and woman is the bedrock of our society. It is about the citizens of this country saying, en masse, that they are unwilling to deconstruct certain basic and essential norms in our culture and society."
http://www.365gay.com/newscon05/01/010705payoff.htm
"I wanted to do it because it's something I believe in," Williams said. He also said that he does not recall disclosing the contract to audiences on the air but told colleagues about it when urging them to promote NCLB.
The contract with the White House may have broken federal law in addition to the ethics of journalism.
Congress has prohibited propaganda," or any sort of lobbying for programs funded by the government, said Melanie Sloan of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. "And it's propaganda."
Rep. George Miller of California, the ranking Democrat on the House Education Committee Friday called for an investigation.
Williams is a former aide to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. In a column following the November 2 election Williams linked gay rights advocates with organized crime.
"Despite the rhetoric that you hear from the homosexual Cosa Nostra, the lack of support for the gay marriage amendment has nothing to do with prejudice," he wrote.
"It's not about trying to dictate to adults what they should do in the privacy of their own homes. Let's be clear about that. Opposition to the gay marriage amendment isn't about disallowing homosexuals the same basic rights we extend to everyone else. It is about recognizing that marriage between man and woman is the bedrock of our society. It is about the citizens of this country saying, en masse, that they are unwilling to deconstruct certain basic and essential norms in our culture and society."
http://www.365gay.com/newscon05/01/010705payoff.htm
Add Your Comments
Comments
(Hide Comments)
He didn't have a contract with the white house. It was with a public relations firm that had hired him to do what he did. You can hardly ever find the truth posted on these stupid indy sites.
Are you saying your site would hide this story for some reason?
Not this particular story, but we do hide disinformation, enemy propaganda, gibberish, noise, spam or anything else that might get in the way of our successfully executing our mission, which is predicated on not our alienating or deceiving our friends, our allies and our potential friends and allies.
Check it out. If you prefer the incoherent, offensive and misleading crap you read here, well hey, then come right on back here. There’s no accounting for taste. Whatever floats your boat. Some people actually like this place. That’s fine with us. They’re not the ones we’re trying to reach, anyway. It’s a big net. There’s room for all kinds. We have our fans. They have theirs. People are known by the company they keep. Keep the company you want to be known by.
Check it out. If you prefer the incoherent, offensive and misleading crap you read here, well hey, then come right on back here. There’s no accounting for taste. Whatever floats your boat. Some people actually like this place. That’s fine with us. They’re not the ones we’re trying to reach, anyway. It’s a big net. There’s room for all kinds. We have our fans. They have theirs. People are known by the company they keep. Keep the company you want to be known by.
We are 100% volunteer and depend on your participation to sustain our efforts!
Get Involved
If you'd like to help with maintaining or developing the website, contact us.
Publish
Publish your stories and upcoming events on Indybay.
Topics
More
Search Indybay's Archives
Advanced Search
►
▼
IMC Network