ABC to tread lightly with D.C. madam story - only two officials will be named

[sabra]

http://www.examiner.com/a-708208~Yeas___Nays__Thursday__May_3.html

WASHINGTON (Map, News) - ABC to tread lightly with D.C. madam

Washingtonians eagerly — and, some nervously — await Friday night’s “20/20” special on ABC, when reporter Brian Ross and his investigative team present what they’ve unearthed about Deborah Jeane Palfrey (aka the “D.C. Madam”) and her clients.

But the show is likely to disappoint viewers eager to see a roster of VIPs who patronized Palfrey’s escort service. Yeas & Nays hears that, as of this writing, the segment will reveal only two new names and is currently slotted for a mere seven minutes at the end of the hour long broadcast (you’ll recall that Palfrey turned over nearly 15,000 phone numbers to ABC News back in March).

Interviews with both Palfrey and former Deputy Secretary of state Randall Tobias (who left the State Department last week after being interviewed by ABC News for the “20/20” piece) are currently scheduled, leaving precious little time remaining for much else (or for all of those salacious details you’ve been waiting for).

Sources tell Yeas & Nays that Ross, who had anticipated a far juicier piece, is none too happy with the final results, especially after he and the network promoted this story for weeks. It’s worth remembering that Ross and his team have a big-story reputation: They are the ones who helped bring down former Rep. Mark Foley because of his sexually explicit contacts with congressional pages.

“This isn’t going to blow the lid off Washington,” says one ABC employee who asked not to be named. “If they had any big fish, we’d know it by now. There’s no way this lives up to the hype.”

[Ian David]

1. What do you want to bet that this scandal goes right to The White House? n/t

[ClassWarrior]

2. This proves that there are only Rape-Publicans on the list.

NGU.

[Mike Daniels]

6. Or, that it's mostly a bunch of private citizens that the general publice would be "who"?

What's stopping the madam from naming names if ABC won't?

[originalpckelly]

16. No, they said they had a juicier version of the story...

but I'm betting someone put the kaibosh on it.

[Mike Daniels]

7. Dupe

[earthboundmisfit]

3. So were any Pamela Martin girls involved

in the poker parties at the Watergate, I wonder?

[Oilwellian]

4. NO surprise there

I'm not sure why the D.C. Madam thought ABC would expose the congressional members using her service. They've been complicit through silence on every other crime our government has committed, why would it be any different this time?

[Stephanie]

5. THEN HAND THE LIST OVER TO SOME ACTUAL REPORTERS

GODDAMN I AM SICK OF THE LAPDOG PRESS COVERING UP FOR THESE CREEPS.

[Blackhatjack]

8. I am betting that the Govt tel wiretaps of ABC News paid some dividends here...

ABC News probably got letters threatening their license if they named certain top officials, and there might have been some allusions to possible 'wrongdoing' by ABC News officials if this story went forward.

[Straight Shooter]

9. Ding ding ding!! We have a winner!

Blackmail almost always pays off.

[hippiechick]

10. Foley ... who has yet to answer for preying on teens ...

... I really hope this mo-fo blows up but I'm suspecting its going to limp away quietly, just like all the other GOP scandals that should have had them run out of town on a rail. :(

[UTUSN]

11. Calling Larry FLYNT!!1 n/t

[Ganja Ninja]

12. Tread lightly unless they can find a few Democrats on the list.

:eyes:

[Tesha]

13. They'll name one Democrat (first) and then one Republicon

They'll name one Democrat (first) and then one Republicon,
"proving" that it's a bipartisan scandal.

Tesha

[Junkdrawer]

19. Agreed. n/t

[depakid]

14. Did anyone really think the corporate media would do anything

that might threaten the far right? Please.

[DKRC]

15. Nope. If she'd wanted to hold their feet to the fire

she would've handed the records over to real reporters not to one of W's lapdogs.
I would LOVE to see Greg Palast get hold of those records!
:evilgrin:

[gollygee]

17. Bill Clinton must not be on the list

or maybe he's one of the two. LOL If this were Clinton, Gary Hart, etc., this would be the biggest story on every network for months.

[WinkyDink]

18. Well, I guess that this proves the majority are Republicans.