The Media's Assault on Jeanine Pirro

The Media's Assault on Jeanine Pirro

Jim Meyers, NewsMax.com
Friday, Aug. 12, 2005

District Attorney Jeanine Pirro was not a candidate for the Senate seat now held by Hillary Clinton for a full 24-hours before New York's notoriously liberal press launched a full-scale assault on her – and her husband.

Rather than focusing on the Westchester County district attorney's record as a tough prosecutor who has taken a strong stance against domestic violence, many media outlets focused their attention on the past indiscretions of her husband Albert.

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The New York Times, reporting on a brief speech Pirro gave in Manhattan on Wednesday discussing her newly announced candidacy, made much of her husband's troubles:

Albert Pirro fathered a child with another woman in the 1990s and in 2000 was convicted of income tax fraud for illegally claiming that $400,000 in personal expenses were business-related. He spent 11 months in prison.

This year, a reputed mobster said Albert Pirro had given him confidential information about one of Jeanine Pirro's cases, the Times reported. Mr. Pirro has staunchly denied that charge.

The bastion of liberal journalism also said Pirro's campaign had gotten off to a "fiery but rocky start," and reported that in her speech Pirro "seemed unprepared for some questions."

Clinton Spin No Surprise

The attack doesn't surprise Ed Klein, author of the best-selling book "The Truth About Hillary."

Klein, former Times editor, said that he was not surprised when the "Clinton war machine was ready and waiting to ambush Jeanine Pirro in the Times as soon as she made her announcement for the Senate seat."

"Hillary's war room strategy is simple and effective: Put Pirro on the defensive from day one and keep her there.

"I predict that we will see story after story about the alleged mob connections of Pirro's husband. And you can be sure if there is any dirt on Jeanine, we will hear about it long and hard in the mainstream liberal media.

"On the other hand, I predict that the Times and the other media outlets will display a convenient amnesia about the ‘other man' in the race – Bill Clinton – and his impeachment, disbarment and public shame.

"Thus Jeanine Pirro will not only have to fight Hillary – she will have to fight the entire mainstream media."

Ferraro Redux?

Some pundits have compared Pirro's situation to that of former Democratic Rep. Geraldine Ferraro, the first woman to run for vice president, who was dogged by reports that her husband was being investigated for real estate improprieties.

At the time, the major media put a lid on allegations about Ferraro's husband, claiming a professional woman should not be judged by her husband's actions.

Apparently, that rule doesn't apply to Pirro.

The media assault on Pirro went far beyond the Times' focus on her husband's past:

Many media outlets, including the Times, ballyhooed the fact that Pirro has no photos of her husband on her Web site. The media did not mention that Hillary Clinton's Senate web site for years had no photos of her husband. Recently, one photo of her husband's tsunami relief work was added.

The Washington Post, while grudgingly admitting that Pirro is a "street-smart and media-savvy Republican prosecutor," wasted no time in delving into her husband's past. The liberal paper launched into a detailed report about Albert Pirro in the fifth paragraph of its story covering her Wednesday speech.

The Times quoted no independent conservative source on the reaction to Pirro's speech, but did give space to Denny Farrell, chairman of the state Democratic Party, who said the speech was "long on attacks and literally silent on specifics for New Yorkers."

The Associated Press devoted four of its first six paragraphs to Pirro's husband in its report covering her Wednesday speech.

A number of media outlets accused Pirro of a "flip-flop" for coming out against most partial birth abortions.

New York's Village Voice, among many other liberal outlets, made a big deal out of a minor gaffe by Pirro during her speech:

"She looked down at her notes. She then paused, mid-sentence, and said nothing. She shuffled through her notes, as second passed. Reporters shifted in their seats. Photographers flashed their cameras.

"Then in a muffled voice, Pirro asked her staffers, ‘Do you have page 10?'"

The missing page of her speech, it turned out, had been left in another room and was quickly retrieved by an aide.

The Times said Pirro "could not respond with specifics" when asked how much money eliminating the estate tax and continuing the tax cuts would add to the budget deficit.

And on Iraq, the Times reported only that Pirro "would not answer a question about troop withdrawal."

The paper even took a swipe at Pirro for hailing the "new democracies" in Iraq and Lebanon, pointing out that Lebanon has had open elections for decades.

CBS also got in on the bashing of Hillary Clinton's opponent. A column on CBS.com referred to Pirro as a "hyper-ambitious publicity hound," and said she was "handicapped" by her husband's troubles.

No Easy Target

But if, as Ed Klein says, Hillary and her people are pulling strings to smear Pirro in the press through her husband, the move could backfire, according to political pundit and former Bill Clinton aide Dick Morris.

"The attacks on Pirro's husband are right out of the Hillary Clinton playbook and so predictable," Morris told NewsMax.com, "But attacking Pirro's husband is a mistake.

"There's only one reason Hillary Clinton needs to win that Senate seat: to show political strength before the Democratic primaries in 2008. She wants to be president.

"Hillary is really afraid of Pirro. I think she probably told her war room to come up with negatives to hit her with the minute she announced. I think she planted questions with the media to his Pirro with.

"But if Hillary's best shot against Jeanine is about Al Pirro and not Jeanine, then Hillary's in big trouble, because every time that Jeanine's husband and his problems are mentioned, Hillary's husband and his legal and women problems will be out there too.

"Hillary has spent five years distancing herself from him and now he's back in her face. The negatives on Pirro's husband will be canceled out by the negatives against Hillary's husband.

"So for once the Clinton attacks will completely backfire.

"Will they understand this? Stay tuned!"

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