Yet ABC News sticks by a story that puts a premium on anonymous sources over on-the-record emphatic denials from the DoJ's #2 in command. Egregious reporting on Ross' behalf.

"Fake but Accurate" anyone?

You folks aren't called the Lame Stream Media for nothing. The Hastert story is typical. LSM has Pulizter Prize level ethusiasm for any story, regardless of the truth, if it involves the GOP and gleefully will not cover similar stories about a democrat.

ABC should retract its story based upon this "named source" who credibly disputes the accuracy of ABC's story. Just because ABC reports it doesn't make it true. More proof of the drive-by media.

Hey Brian
You and your network suck! You are a bunch of liars! I hope you have the same fate of Dan Rather.

Brian Ross, lying again!

Liberal media sliming GOP, undermining America's national security.

What else is new.

Why isn't THIS the headline? Another libelous headline by the Liberal drive-by mecia.

I am constantly amazed at how little real news can be found at any of the major news outlets web sites. It seems every other "news" story is based on rumor or a qoute of some partisans opinion. Verbal assaults by politicians are nothing new and shouldn't even be reported - it is a given that they don't agree. Reporting it just encourages them. Engineering anonymous source leaks seems to be the hobby of choice in Washington. Any story qouting them has no credibility. Here's an idea - instead of reporting what the politicians hand feed you why no report facts, based on valid sources, that you've uncovered by actually investigating something.

I am so tired of media fantasy to support agendas. I even heard that abc's reporters were even laughing as this is being reported. Brian Ross should be fired along with all involved. abc does not exist in my selection to watch the news.

Ross and Vargas,

Looks like you two have pulled a Dan Rather here. You've glammed on to a story that isn't a story and tried to make sensational news from it. I hope you have the courage to retract it, because your sources are obviously wrong!

Let's see some journalist fortitude here and admit your error.

Thanks,

Rich Galloway

Bill Burkett is off his meds again!

All politicians are reported guilty until proven innocent by insinuation by the MSM unless of course you are a leftist like William Jefferson ($90K in freezer – separation of powers), Chuck Schumer (credit reports – staffers blamed), Harry Reid (collected nearly $68,000 in donations from Abramoff's firm, lobbying partners and clients – no defense just "not illegal: comment), Cynthia McKinney (mean right hook to a capital police officer – changed her hair), Patrick Kennedy (drunk driver – Mom and Dad’s fault) or any other Dem. where the story will be diverted, suppressed or not brought up again.

Like many others these days this is an old story from last November. The part ABC forgot to include this time is that Mr. Reid is in the thick of this as well. One can only conclude that ABC printed this story as a diversion from Jefferson.

I am sure there are many other politicians on both sides of the isle are being investigated. It is laughable by normal Americans who pay attention how stupid the MSM thinks we are. If any of these politicians are guilty then they must be dealt with. I would hope that we all are in agreement with that. However, quit using one side of the story to promote or divert from the left.

Keep up the good work MSM with your “no-idea” left friends and real Americans will keep the majority.

ABC is merely quoting sources and sticking by their story that "Sorces say". What's wrong with that?

Tommy

Maybe Brian Ross and Dan Rather can start a new news network together. The slogan for it can be: "We Make It Up As We Go Along"

So, the department of Justice has denied these allegations. Twice.

There is no subpoena, no evidence. yet ABC news, based on unnamed sources, continues to push this dead story.

And they wonder why people think there is a liberal bias in the mainstream media?! I wonder if they would push this hard if it was Speaker Pelosi and not Hastert? We all know the answer - Hell NO!

Why should ABC retract a story that is true. Sources gave ABC this information. If sources provided the information, sources provided the information.

Tommy

Give it up, Ross, before this becomes 'Memogate II.' Your 'source' might want to get a lawyer - heh. You've been played.

Well, you 'big' media did it again! I do enjoy watching you fall on your face AGAIN just like Dan Rather (whose credibility was forever extinguished), the New York Times, etc.
Nothing less than a total retraction will suffice, and if I were Hastert I would do my own investigation as to whether this story constitutes "reckless disregard for the truth". This is also a perfect example of where reporters should be forced to reveal their sources (assuming they exist at all). Jail time certainly seems appropriate .
Shame on you for lying to us once again. No wonder so many people have stopped watching evening news, because this behavior seems to be 'de riguer'.

Well, that DOJ statement looks pretty plain to me.

Great story, though, I'll bet all the Manhattan liberals were celebrating Hastert's impending "frog walk".

Between Bush's impeachment, Rove's indictment and now the investigation over Hastert, it's pretty clear that the liberal media has given up on reality and is now reporting only its own fantasies.

After the Dan Rather debacle, you would think you guys would be more careful. Your patisan political attack on Dennis Hastart is an outrage. Shame on you.

There's only one problem with this denial. The FBI has a policy of not commenting on investigations.

From the Washington Times;
Aug 30, 2004

"FBI spokesman, Bill Carter said, "It has been our long-standing policy not to comment on matters of this type or to confirm or deny the existence of any investigation."

We can find dozens of examples of the FBI neither confirming nor denying the existence of an investigation. But in this case they ran out to deny.

Is that policy or politics?

Do you people really think at all? Hastert got the speaker's job because he was the only politican in Washington without a mistress. Do you really think he would be "in the mix" for a few bucks?

The Department of Justice issued a statement clarifying that Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) is not under investigation Wednesday evening after ABC World News Tonight reported that he was "very much in the mix" of the DOJ’s sweeping congressional bribery probe.

"Speaker Hastert is not under investigation by the Justice Department," DOJ Director of Public Affairs Tasia Scolinos said in a one-line statement.

The DOJ started releasing the statement in response to reporters’ questions around 7 p.m. Wednesday.

ABC News does it again and gives another example of why they are referred to as "The Drive-By Media".

So.... Are you going to retract your story? Secret sources versus official statements probably should be differing levels of trust, don't you think ABC?

Of course he is mixed up with this affair which goes up yo the President office

Brian,

Good job reporting the unreported. I just hope that this was not a set-up. I find it odd that earlier in the day Hasert is criticizing the Justice Dept for searching Jefferson's office, then this leak of information is put out by a senior official. Gonzales is doing things and saying things not many attorney generals have done in our nations history, and in my opinion should be investigated himself.

Hang in there and stick to you guns Brian. We believe in you.

That's it? No apology? No explanation?

Mr. Ross out to be ashamed of himself.ome explanation or apology is absolutely necessary. What kind of a reporter simply throws the DOJ statement out on a website after smearing the 4th hightest ranking person in government with intimations of a bribery scandal?

Ross should resign or be fired.

Who ya going to believe?

The corrupt government or the liberal media?

Please admit that the Hastert story was wishful thinking on your part and issue a public apology at 7pm tonight.

Don't expect a retraction anytime soon. Once known for journalistic integrety, ABC News appears to be nothing more than a shill for the democratic party. Their reporters don't seem to care about the truth unless it advances their own political agenda (or their career).

In the 70's people turned to drugs when they couldn't handle reality.
Now they turn to FOX news. Go Brian!!

I hope Hastert sue sue and sue .....

When will you liberal media lowlifes realise the American people have you identified for what you are. Brian Ross should join Dan Rather in cloud cickoo land, making stories up to make themselves look good!

I wonder if Brian helped CBS out with the 'National Guard' story, too.

zzpat said, "There's only one problem with this denial. The FBI has a policy of not commenting on investigations."

No, actually that's the problem with the leak. The denial was in response to that breach of policy.

After Stephanopoulos left sesame street and worked for Clinton he took the job w/ ABC. I wonder if he is behind this false story?

For those of you criticizing ABC and Ross, ask yourself this:

If Dennis Hastert likes some kind of Indian casinos and not others, get him to tell us what they are?

If DeLay associated have been convicted of money laundering in Texas (Money from National GOP to state GOP/TRMPAC), where are the federal charges against the national GOP?

Where is justice in America?

Hmmm.....
seems the swifties are in full swing again???
Well, the COC-GOP machinery works still perfect.

Brian Ross, how many sources do you have? How reliable are they? What was the motivation for your sources offering you this tip? If you wanted an audience for tonight's newscast, you certainly got it. Better be prepared to stand and deliver or back off, or your career will be blown to smithereens.

ABC and Brian Ross prefer to base a story on an unnamed source instead of the actual fact form the DOJ. A great example of why most hold so little faith in network news and their use of reporters' opinions instead of facts.

... and if Fox News had run a story that Nancy Pilosi was in the mix (according to an annonymous source) ...

Let's see, we'd probably hear about how it was revenge for her statements against the FBI, and how Karl Rove should go to jail because we just know he leaked the story, and curse the right-wing media, and blah blah blah.

Oh, and some guy in the back of the room would blame Halliburton.

So, do we just forget or ignore the letters Hastert and company sent to Gail Norton to plead that she deny the Indian tribe in question their request to build a casino to benefit the tribe? Did he or did he not receive any money in relation to said letter and efforts to block the tribe from realizing their plans?

Bye ABC News, another viewer going to Fox news. Putting "in the mix" as an investigative report about the speaker, when you haven't said anything about democratic congressman Jefferson stuffing $90,000 into his freezer. ABC News, brought to you by the Democratic National committee

I appreciate investigative reporting. It is often the only way we find out about high-level coverups that can have adverse effects on the citizenry. However, in the case, it appears that ABC has gotten a little too zealous in its reporting.

Speaker Hastert is being accused of something that appears to be wholly untrue. This story should be retracted quickly and a public apology issued to Speaker Hastert.

Media losing credibility by the week. NY Times worthless, Rather disgraced ala Nixon, MSNBC has voice for Media Matters/Move On.Org. Credibility long gone ABC

Stories like this is why I'm giving up on ABC News. Facts don't seem to matter with your producers or reporters any more. The approach that ABC News is using sounds just like good old Dan Rather's "well, no one hasn't disproved our story." As one of your bloggers said, just because you put it on the tube, doesn't make it true.

Well, I guess the DOJ release by McNulty (although I wonder why not Gonzales?) certainly resolves things.

Like the Scot McClellan statements that Rove and Libby never discussed Valerie Plame with reporters.

Or the President's statements that when there are wiretaps that involve American citizens, there is a FISA warrant. As a matter of fact, Gonzales said that as well, didn't he?

The statements that everyone at GITMO is the worst of the worst, taken on a battlefield (except the Chinese dissidents fleeing China to escape persecution there, anti-Osama Bin Laden Taliban prisoner that we mistakenly imprisoned as well, the prisoners purchased from Warlords off of deteaineEbay, the kidnapped UK residents who refused to spy of the UK, etc.)

We could go on and on about the reassuring and truthy info we get every day, every way. But maybe we should just leave that to Judge Luttig of the Fourth Circuit - who was overwhelmingly impressed with DOJ's veracity.

I see that some of Congressman Hastert's staffers are trying to manipulate this posting area. But let's review, shall we?
1. Hastert and Delay received huge sums of money from Jack Abramoff.
2. Jack Abramoff has now been convicted, and Tom Delay has been indicted. With one facing a lengthy prison term, and the other facing the potential of a lengthy prison term, it would be in their best interest to tell investigators (FBI) what they know in order to get better treatment.
Hastert's name is going to come up.
3. Abramoff hosted a fundraiser for Hastert, and several days after the event comes Hastert'sletter to Interior Secretary Gail Norton, intervening on behalf of one of Abramoff's clients.
4. Coincidence? Circumstantial evidence? That's what FBI investigations are intended to determine...whether it was more than just coincidental, and whether the evidence is more than just circumstantial. Until that happens, Congressman Hastert is still 'in the mix'. If only Hastert has used the money he took from Abramoff and the oil and pharmaceutical lobbies more effectively! He would have had a nice slush fund from which to provide hush money.

This week David Safavian, former Chief of the Staff of the GSA has gone to trial for a small portion of the crimes he committed as Jack Abramoff and Ed Buckham's agent. One of Safavian's obstruction of justice charges is related to obstructing a Senate Indian Affairs Committee investigation. The other obstruction of justice charge is referred to as "another Senate investigation." That other Senate investigation was called for last July and appears in a Senate hearing transcript. What I know is the investigation is into the sabotage of the inventor of what National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) calls a "smart wallet" in its Biometrics and Security Systems and Applications program. Of the fifteen biometric technologies on NIST's list, only the smart wallet was denied federal funding over a multi-year period. It is the smart wallet inventor that did something in late November of 2004 that days later led to the announcement of Tom Ridge's (former DHS Secretary) resignation, and the first explanation given to the televised press was because he hadn't funded the next generation technologies. The next explanations for the resignation related to Ridge's failure to dedicate staff to medium and long-term planning. This also pertained to the smart wallet. The televised media wasn't able to get an answer to its questions of why now that this is known, Ridge can't be given a second chance. The reason why is Ridge promised contracts to multiple companies (skipping the process laid-out in Federal Acquisition Regulation) in exchange for future employment. The recent controversy surrounding Daon--an Irish smart card company that was to be the sole supplier of the airport worker ID is one such example. Ridge is on Daon's Board of Directors! Ridge also had fixed all port container tracking contract awards to Savy Technology. Furthermore, Savy was the RFID supplier (component) to all the other smart card contract awardees in other government smart card applications. Ridge is on Savy's Board of Directors! In summary, Tom Ridge was and remains a crook! He was under investigation for corruption in PA as its governor, plucked by Bush to head the Office of Homeland Security before corruption charges were brought in PA, went to the Office of Homeland Security, next headed the Department of Homeland Security and racketeered there, too!

U.S. State Department sabotaged the smart wallet inventor's late November of 2004 move to benefit Abramoff-Buckham clients (including Unisys and its organized crime network and the S. Koreans), but we lined-up an alternative Democracy and U.S. State Dept wasn't able to sabotage that. Launch is this summer in France and this fall in much of the rest of the EU and UK.

WABC is 100 % correct to state Hastert is in "the thick of things." The smart wallet inventor had from 12/01 until 7/03 a 100 % financing offer from the Russian federal government. We were smart enough to realize this offer was disguised and really being offered by Russian organized crime. The smart wallet had been put under review for identification credentialing programs in 2002 by hired DARPA and TSA personnel who judge tech solutions based on merit. In 2003 the same was done by hired DHS personnel. In 2003 I didn't pay the bribes demanded of me via re-election campaign solicitations from elected officials nationwide (U.S. headquarters is in Colorado but I am on Long Island and we already had removed me from the corporate website for security reasons. My home address attached to an unpublished telephone number never appeared at the website!), and they removed the smart wallet from review in all identification credentialing programs. Every reader of this must remember that it is Congress that controls the purse strings of the DHS, DOD and TSA. Members of Congress have the power and authority to punish any company refusing to be extorted! Management was declining an offer to "erase all your troubles in the U.S." to the benefit of 300 million Americans because the offer had an origin of organized crime, so it was unconscionable that the U.S. Congress proved Uncle Sam to be even more corrupt than the offer management was declining! Often the smart wallet is referred to as the "wallet" in Congressional hearing transcripts. I didn't read all the archives, but part of our sabotage is visible in a 10/1/03 House Homeland Security Appropriations Committee hearing transcript on identity theft. As Speaker of the House, Hastert sat on and participated in every major Committee and most Subcommittees. He very much was apart of the sabotage of the smart wallet.

For the record, Abramoff and Buckham shared "aggressive Russian businessmen as clients." At the time the Russian offer was available, the smart wallet inventor was seeking $ 10 million for just a market invasion on the EU. There was no launch at home in the U.S. so there was no U.S. staff. In 2002 I founded a U.S. launch when I followed the instructions sent me by hired DARPA personnel. If the smart wallet inventor had been seeking to raise $ 50 million, the Russians would have paid it! They were extraordinarily aggressive! For more than 1 1/2 years they kept sending a government representative to visit the CEO in Berlin--EU headquarters at the time. The claim was the Russian federal government couldn't afford a hotel room so the representative kept taking-up residence on the CEO's couch. For about 2 weeks each visit, the Russian representative would spend 24-7 trying to brainwash the smart wallet inventor founder and CEO to move the company to Russia. The 100 % financing offer was sweetened with nice homes for management and "women" for the CEO until he was married in January of 2003. The founder of the technology is a pyschotherapist in training. He doesn't brainwash!

All the while the Russian offer existed, no alternative funding offer emerged so the smart wallet inventor was at serious risk of failing. DARPA programs were started in 2002 and 2003--inspired from our platform, and the Russian interest was most definitely about the "balance of power!" Hastert is amidst approximately 230 members of Congress bribed by Abramoff, his closest lobbyist allies and their clients to take-up the Russian agenda to make sure if the Russians couldn't have the smart wallet inventor's platform, the U.S. too, wouldn't! Hastert is amidst 230 members of Congress committing an official act to sabotage the smart wallet inventor so were acting as agents for the Russian federal government which is run by organized crime. The acting as an agent makes Hastert and many others a Russian agent which is one of the same as being a spy. Racketeering is the least of Hastert's worries with regard to charges. Treason applies and in the U.S., treason carries the death sentence!

Surprise WABC! I live and work 20 minutes from your Long Island base. Your staff and I obviously need to meet so I can share with you the smart wallet inventor's experiences, as well as my research on a bunch of elected and appointed officials and their corruption you and every other media outlet has yet to cover. WABC audience is obviously in need of a much more thorough education on how the U.S. federal government works. I not only state it but can outright prove the U.S. is the most corrupt nation in the entire world! Ultimately, the smart wallet inventor had dozens of foreign funding offers. No other government's officials engaged in extortion over the last four and one half years, except the U.S. federal government's officials!

As to ABC indicating Hastert's possible involvment in corruption:

After more than 6 decades of life, and a thorough study of history, I find nothing at all wrong with jumping to the conclusion that a politician is corrupt.

Even without immediate substantial proof in hand, the odds are very good that you'll be correct. I'd say about 530/535. I'll be generous and say there are perhaps 5 honest people in Congress.

I'd like to see people running for office sign a waiver to their Rights under the U.S. Constitution - Search & Seizure, Self Incrimination, Right to Bear Arms and Right to Legal Counsel.

Then we'd keep a permanent tap on all their phones, read all their mail, turn the whole mess over to a permanent Grand Jury.

Hell of a note, but I sure wouldn't trust any lesser measures.

Mike

Look I am no Lib. But in the 14th Republicans like me are walking away from Hastert. One he has been caught in a land deal that he made over 1.2 million of the highway bill. Two he been caught taken $1000.00 day fishing trips paid for by Oil Execs. when the failed energy bill was up for a vote.Third he has been caught by us veterans in lies to a local newspaper about his record on veterans.He is second lowest in Congress on veterans issues.