Democratic Rep. Brian Baird, D-WA03, is being accused of falsely claiming to have received a telephoned death threat. The accusation comes from a right wing blogger in his district who goes by the pen name "Chief," and this accusation is quickly spreading tonight on right wing blogs. As you'll see, the accusation may turn out to be very thin gruel.
The Clark County GOP managed to insert a story into the local newspaper after Baird made an offhand comment at a Rotary Club meeting.
A remark U.S. Rep. Brian Baird made Wednesday in recounting a death threat he received earlier this month triggered criticism from Clark County Republicans on Thursday.
The death threat, delivered to Baird’s Washington, D.C., office in a phone message Aug. 10, said, approximately, "You think Timothy McVeigh was bad, there is a Ryder Truck out there with your name on it," according to Kelly Love, Baird’s Vancouver district director.
But after Baird alluded to the threat during brief introductory comments to the Rotary Club of Vancouver on Wednesday, Clark County Republicans denounced him for invoking the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.
Commenting on why he was initially reluctant to hold town hall forums on health care reform, Baird told the Rotary Club audience: "If there is a Ryder truck parked out front, it has my name on it."
From there the article goes on to quote various local Republicans being horribly offended, etc.
Today a local rightie, "Chief," threw this into the mix (emphasis mine:)
I just got off of the telephone with the Capitol Hill Police Department, Records and Reports. That office is responsible for initiating any and all incident and complaint reports for the Capitol Hill Police Department.
I first called the Watch Commander's Office and explained what I was looking for. That person assured me that they have very strict procedures for dealing something like this and transferred me to the "Threats" Office.
The Agent in the Threats Office would not discuss this with me. He could not confirm or deny any active and/or ongoing investigations. He did tell me that he cannot investigate anything without a report being filed by the Records and Reports Office. He gave me their number and tried to transfer me.
When I called Records and Reports, I spoke with the very polite and helpful lady there who is responsible for typing and submitting any kind of a report like Brian Baird is claiming was filed. I asked her specifically if she had a report of a telephoned threat that stated "You think Timothy McVeigh was bad, there is a Ryder Truck out there with your name on it," or anything remotely similar to a statement like that.
She said that if anything like that had happened to any member of Congress, she would know about it. She has heard nothing, repeat NOTHING like what Brian Baird claims to have reported to the Capitol Hill Police, or from any other member of Congress.
What's more, she also has no record whatsoever of any complaints filed from any Congress Critter about a faxed "threat" like Baird also says he filed on or around August 10. This lady was adamant that if any report like that had been filed, it would have to come through her personally. There are only 2 people who work in her office and she is certain there is no such report.
I thanked that lady profusely, and asked her to continue looking into this, and if she found anything else to call me. I gave her my name and home telephone number.
Don't take my word for any of this. Do what the columbian refuses to do and call the Capitol Hill Police Department Records and Reports Office yourself at 202-593-4099 and ask them yourself.
Okay, not exactly Edward R. Murrow reporting there. He talks to a guy who won't comment, and then talks to someone in a records office. That's his source, that's all he has, and this thing is taking on a life of its own.
The accusation that there was no death threat is spreading on regional right wing blogs tonight, including that of Portland right wing talker Victoria Taft. You never know, but it's possible some national right wing outfit will pick it up over the weekend and try to use it as "proof" that Democrats are just making up threats.
If anyone reading this can add some facts about how the Capitol Police operate, I would appreciate it. The Capitol Police web site doesn't seem to be of much use for that purpose. I'm particularly interested in what Records and Reports would do versus officers in the Threats Office, if that's what they're called, and what they would actually be tasked with. I'm hard pressed to understand how someone in a records office with only two people would "know everything."
While many folks likely remember Baird unkindly for his stance on the Iraq surge, he might still be a pro-public option vote. On top of that, Democrats here in WA-03 still have to deal with all the deceitful righties, and they are hounding the tar out of the local newspaper, which usually caves into them. My hope is to somehow find out the facts, although that's going to be pretty difficult since it's the weekend.
As for whether Baird received the threat, I cannot prove one way or another. But then neither can the local blogger "Chief," but that doesn't stop him from sending out his thinly sourced accusation. Yeah, it would be nice if the Baird office moved quicker to deal with these sorts of things, but I'm not sure they truly understand how quickly things move on the Internet.
Even if some folks don't care for Baird, unless we get the facts out the local newspaper is going to continue doing the rightie's dirty work for them.
Thanks for reading.