More Republican Slime/Felon Connections

You've never heard of Robert Lichfield or Alan Fabian because the media chose to cover Norman Hsu 1,252 times. One thousand two-hundred and fifty-two times for a man who wasn't charged with a crime was charged with a crime in 1992.

But his last name is Chinese!

From Media Matters:

To date, 137 different newspapers have written about Hsu and Clinton in a total of 591 articles, according to Nexis, and 132 broadcast and cable news transcripts mention Hsu and Clinton.

By contrast, a Nexis search for "Alan Fabian AND Romney" yields a total of only 21 hits.

I don't care which candidate was centered in this controversy. That it was Hillary Clinton (whom I do not support) doesn't make a difference. Once again the media has chosen to focus on the silly and the sexy in place of the real and the substantive.

Who is Romney bundler Alan Fabian?

Nonprofit executive Alan B. Fabian, who faces federal charges of a $32 million equipment leasing scheme, pleaded not guilty to all charges against him Friday.

Fabian's 23-count indictment charges him with mail fraud, money laundering, bankruptcy fraud, perjury and obstruction of justice. The indictment claims that two firms where Fabian was an executive struck deals to sell and lease back $32 million of computer equipment.
(snip)
The grand jury alleges Fabian used the money to buy beach property, travel on jets and set up the nonprofit Centre for Management and Technology, where he is chairman.

But Norman Hsu was on the run!

What about another FoM (Friend of Mitt), this Lichfield guy? Not so nice...

In a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah, 133 plaintiffs have alleged that Robert Lichfield, co-chairman of Romney’s Utah finance committee owned or operated residential boarding schools for troubled teenagers where students were "subjected to physical abuse, emotional abuse and sexual abuse."

The complaint, which plaintiffs amended and resubmitted to the court last week, alleges children attending schools operated by Lichfield suffered abuses such as unsanitary living conditions; denial of adequate food; exposure to extreme temperatures; beatings; confinement in dog cages; and sexual fondling.

Good times.

The allegations could force Romney to re-examine his relationship with his Utah finance co-chairman or put pressure on him to give away the contributions Lichfield helped raise.

Lichfield helped to organize a February event in St. George, Utah, that raised about $300,000 for the Romney campaign.

What do Mitt's people say?

"He has donated to numerous Republican candidates and committees. The Romney campaign will continue its policy to make our fundraising efforts as transparent as possible."

So they're not giving it back, I guess...

•  This guys...

  ...are yucky.
  tip jar here...

  by MichaelPH on Sun Sep 30, 2007 at 09:57:06 AM PDT

•  there is so much bias

  that it's hard to list it, and this is yet another clear case of bias.  Why, who knows. Is it more interesting or sexier?  Is Hillary such a persona that anything that touches her is big news?  Or is there some real sexism out there, that is maybe even unrecognized?  It does seem that some powerful people are resentful of her, maybe for being married to Bill, thinking she has an unfair advantage because of Bill, or is it because she's a woman.  Thanks for this diary, I hadn't noticed.  It should be a news article in the times, but it's a blog, and that will have to do.  

  by anna shane on Sun Sep 30, 2007 at 10:02:26 AM PDT

•  I am almost to weary to type it

  but here goes;  but it is ok if you are a republican, and why you can't seem to remember that, well, it is beyond me.  :)

  by panicbean on Sun Sep 30, 2007 at 10:03:42 AM PDT

  •  It's so silly..

    ...and obvious. What happened to integrity in the media?

    by MichaelPH on Sun Sep 30, 2007 at 10:23:58 AM PDT

    •  I really can't quite pin it down as to when it

      disappeared, but I do know that it is gone, much to the shame of all of them.  

      Maybe it was 24 hr news that did it, not enough news, bring on the entertainment!  Well, Americans love to be entertained so much, that I guess we don't need news anymore.  Sensationalism sells, and Hillary is what this country cares about when it comes to that, not what some loser republican and his campaign staff are up to.

      by panicbean on Sun Sep 30, 2007 at 10:34:14 AM PDT

•  You have a factual error

  Hsu was charged and convicted for fraud in 1992. He plead guilty then left the country before he could be sentenced.

  So yes your premise in that the Hsu/Hillary story got much more play than the Fabian/Lichfield/Romney story is correct, but you need to also be cognizant of the facts. So much for the liberally biased media.

  by Cali Techie on Sun Sep 30, 2007 at 10:09:59 AM PDT

  •  I'm not defending the MSM

    No way. They don't report news. They report whatever they think will increase their ratings and help their bottom line. However there are some distinctions.

    Hsu was convicted and a fugitive from justice when he started contributing to the Clintons. There is some evidence he also broke some campaign finance laws in that it appears he funneled contributions through third parties by reimbursing their contributions. You'd think after all the fundraising scandals they endured while Bill was president they would be more careful when large dollar donors appear out of the blue. Instead they're blinded by the money and just accept it without question.

    Fabian has been indicted but he has not been convicted. When the indictment happened he promptly resigned from Romney's campaign. It taints Romney's campaign, but because Fabian resigned upon being indicted it gives Romney the ability to do damage control and distance himself from Fabian quickly. Case closed, move along, nothing to see here.

    Lichfield apparently was asked to leave the Romney campaign as soon as the lawsuit was made public, again it gives Romney the ability to do damage control by saying they got rid of him as soon as they found out. I'll add it's not a criminal proceeding although if he loses it could result in criminal charges against some of his employees. Again, case closed.

    The distinction that Hsu is a convicted felon and a fugitive from justice is why that story got more media time than Fabian and Lichfield. Romney's had other scandals in his campaign as well and he's been shedding tainted operatives for quite some time. The fact the media isn't focusing on that as much as they are Hsu is evidence they're out to do the same thing to the eventual Democratic nominee they did to Al Gore and John Kerry.

    by Cali Techie on Sun Sep 30, 2007 at 11:39:21 AM PDT

•  Computer leasing scams

  go back to the 1960's.  Every ten to fifteen years someone seems to find a new bottle for this old wine and a new sucker.  (Disclosure: in 1979 I along with my two special project teammates almost got fired for concluding and reporting that the great business opportunity that McKinsey & Co. had presented to my employer was nothing more than a scam.  Equipment leasing scam.  When it blew up about a year later and the legal suits in the $300+ million began flying, our little team looked like heroes.)  

  by Marie on Sun Sep 30, 2007 at 10:39:54 AM PDT