Shortly after the right started its coordinated criticisms of 12-year-old Graeme Frost and his family, there was some question about what role, if any, the Republican establishment had in the smear. It’s bad enough when Limbaugh, Malkin, and the National Review launch a campaign like this, but official, top-down support makes matters considerably worse.<\/p>\n
Last week, after questions emerged about the role of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ken.) office in this fiasco, Malkin mocked the very idea<\/a>. She said McConnell staffers were no more involved than CNN and that the suggestion itself is proof that the “unreality-based community really does live in a different galaxy.”<\/p>\n But as Greg Sargent notes<\/a> today, a top McConnell aide has acknowledged his role<\/a> in pushing the story to reporters.<\/p>\n Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s spokesman acknowledged yesterday that he alerted reporters last week to questions bloggers raised about the financial circumstances of a 12-year-old boy Democrats had used to urge passage of an expanded children’s health insurance program.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Apparently, after urging reporters to pursue the Frost “controversy,” McConnell’s spokesperson, Don Stewart, realized he was pushing a bogus story, and he followed up with reporters: “I just heard from a blogger I know who did some research. Says it’s not a story, they’re the real deal.”<\/p>\n But as Greg explained<\/a>, that doesn’t change the bottom line: “[T]he office of the top Republican in the U.S. Senate has now publicly admitted that it actively tried to get mainstream reporters to participate in the smearing of a 12-year-old and his family — before he even knew whether there was any truth to what the wingers were writing. Lovely.”<\/p>\n As it turns out, though, McConnell’s office wasn’t quite done. [O]ur office did play a significant role in making sure the mainstream media knew there was nothing to the complaints against the Frost family. As I pointed out to reporters — more than a week ago — the family is “legit,” and there is “no story” there. Most reporters agree with my assessment, which is why only left-wing columnists and bloggers and others who seek political advantage seem to still be interested.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\n
\nStewart, even after having been caught, issued a “clarification<\/a>.”<\/p>\n