Refuting The Disinformation Of Media Matters

In December, Dana Loesch wrote an article for Big Government making four claims about the charges brought by County Prosecutor Patricia Redington.

These four charges included extending the length of time to bring charges by almost four months, failing to check medical records before deciding the extent of the charges, failing to press more serious charges for a politically motivated beating, and failing to speak to victims or witnesses.  This article came on heels of a series of articles on BigGovernment.com accusing County Counselor Patricia Redington of dragging her feet on pressing charges in the attack on Kenneth Gladney.

Media Matters, who has been stomping their feet and screaming for nine months on the matter, has decided to outsource reporting to a certain less than notable and blatantly dishonest left wing blogger, who has attempted to make this story about the medical records, claiming that Redington did have the hospital records, and thus Dana was lying.

They're wrong, as usual,  but then the Soros and SEIU funded Media Matters has never been interested in the truth.  I speak to this because starting that night, August 6th, I've been collecting the information on the Gladney case, from public statements to health records to statements from public officials, and just last week, I delivered much of that information to the prosecutor overseeing the case. I've spoken to the prosecutor about what they did and didn't have, and when they had it. 

So it's fair to say that in terms of the Gladney investigation, I know more than any other blogger or reporter on the subject.  And it's also fair to say that I haven't published everything, precisely because SEIU's blatant lies about that night have led them to twist information, selectively present recorded video, and twist the testimony of eyewitnesses into some fictional account of Elston McCowan being the victim, with Perry Molens being an innocent bystander.

What I knew is that publishing the information I had would make it easy for SEIU to concoct yet another version of the beating of Kenneth Gladney.  So instead of defending Dana and myself, I asked everyone who knew to stay quiet and let the left wing blogs make their wild accusations.  Once charges were pressed, the danger of this case being swept under the rug was no more.  The case is now in the hands of the courts and the prosecutors, and I thought it prudent to let the prosecutor finally assigned to the case to do his job.  Once the charges were brought, the courts and the system had to be trusted.

But all the information that is ready is now in the hands of the prosecution and the defense.  There isn't any more reason to hold back, so I'll explain this in small words so Washington University Teaching Assistants can understand. 

1) The hospital records were not the complete medical records.  Gladney went to his personal doctor, the one paid by coverage through his wife's insurance (despite a report and non-correction you might have read in the St Louis Post Dispatch).  Pat Redington's office had no way of knowing this because prior to them bringing charges, they wouldn't meet with or speak to Kenneth Gladney, or any of the witnesses in the police report.  Thus prior to the charges being brought, Redington's office couldn't check the full medical records.  They didn't know of the existence of the full medical record.

2) Redington told KMOX this investigation was not being swept under the rug - it was just complex.  When Redington claimed her office was in the process of going through dozens of witnesses and the medical records, Kenneth Gladney went to the hospital where he was treated and got a signed copy from the hospital stating that no one had accessed the records.  As it turns out, the hospital did send over some version of the emergency room reports, but as Gladney couldn't get the prosecutor's office to even meet with him, he had no way of knowing this.  That document is presented here, and is the basis of that aspect of Dana's report.  It was Gladney's contention that his medical records were not reviewed, and it was backed up by information from the hospital.

Records Letter

3) Gladney spoke with the St Louis County Police one week after the assault, and they informed him and the St Louis Post Dispatch Crime Beat that the investigation was closed, and all paperwork would be taken to the County Prosecutor's office. That was August 12th.  Fourteen weeks later, there had been no action on the case, and it was only when KMOX ran two stories on the lack of charges that Redington's office filed them, an they did so the day before Thanksgiving.  The filing of charges was very sudden, considering the information provided to assault victims by the counselor's office up and including that same week indicated no movement was happening.  The charges were filed on Wednesday November 25th, and the counselor's office had yet to speak to any victims or witnesses.  I went up to the courthouse myself to get those charges, but only knew about them because the Post Dispatch called Kenneth Gladney looking for a quote.  The newspaper informed Gladney that charges were filed, despite the lack of personal medical records and more important, no contact with any witness in the police report. 

4) The existence of a second pair of medical records, as well as additional testimony from eyewitnesses on their dealings with Pat Redington's office was the reason I decided not to publish a correction about the emergency room records being in the reviewing prosecutor's hands.  These second records remain important, because as can be seen here in the beginning of the video, Gladney is viciously thrown to the ground by Perry Molens in front of five or six people.  Like a car accident, trauma can be felt after the initial adrenaline rush of an accident, and these records help testify as to the ongoing damage suffered by Gladney as the direct result of the portion of the assault caught on video.

SEIU attempted to claim Molens was pulling Gladney off McCowan, but that's a perversion of the video.  Molens reaches Gladney from behind and throws him down to the concrete.  A witness, one who was physically assisting Gladney at the moment he was attacked states Gladney was dazed and she was helping him when Molens grabbed him without warning and attacked him again.  There is no denying Molens threw Gladney to the ground.  And with several people friendly to SEIU, including OFA attacker Cheryl Johner and the man in jeans with a ponytail, have never said otherwise.  The only people willing to speak out are speaking to Kenneth's version of events.  Why is that?

And oh by the way, the emergency room records were enough to justify assault charges when viewed in context with the police report.  Seeing as Media Matters, Crooks and Liars, Wonkette, and others denied the very existence of an attack, it would seem strange to focus on hospital records that were used in part to justify assault charges.  Note the left denies any injuries to Gladney, and yet the hospital records include a trip to the pharmacy.  Hospitals aren't keen on giving out painkillers to people with no sign of pain.  Or perhaps we should ask Gladney's wife and family, who had to look at the bruises on his ribs and upper torso for the next week?

These medical records were important, because Redington's failure to press timely charges was excused by the complexity of the case.  And yet, the information the counselor's office had was no different the day they pressed charges, then it was on August 12th.  In other words, Redington's claim of dozens of witnesses and multiple arrests was intended to be an excuse.  The truth is there was no, and I repeat this strongly, NO, investigation from the counselor's office.  There was a straightforward review of the documents and case file provided by the St Louis County Police followed by the pressing of charges 15 weeks later.  But there was nothing additional researched.  The prosecuting attorney assigned to the case doesn't get a file until after charges are pressed.  And yet, if there was going to be no further investigation, why then were charges filed based on information that was 15 weeks old?  Redington has never had to answer for that.  She probably never will.  What her office did wasn't technically illegal, but as was shown in the Federer case, when Redington wants to move quickly, she can.  In the case of a fake assault charge against a candidate for US House, Patricia Redington acted in a matter of days, posting charges on a day she wasn't supposed to be working.  When it comes to an actual beating with multiple witnesses, she waits 15 weeks.    

5) So we'll call it three and a half correct accusations by Dana, and one that could have been worded better, but couldn't be defended without tipping off SEIU to information that I chose to not reveal.  I provided that information to Dana, and so any fault is mine - but a correction could not be provided until now.

For Media Matters or any other blogger to complain about the ethics of citizen journalists is ridiculous.  We know what we know about the Gladney case because I and a few others wouldn't let it go.

We discovered that SEIU was originally paying the criminal legal expenses for McCowan and Molens, despite official SEIU statements that they sent no staff to the event.

We uncovered the refusal of workmens' compensation, followed by the awarding of workmen's compensation to McCowan, despite his public pronouncements that he attended the forum on his own accord, because he has an aging father.

We discovered the same source that Media Matters uses for its reporting on Kenneth Gladney had a second, anonymous blog to attack the St Louis Tea Party, while pretending to be reasonable on a second blog.

We provided the county prosecutor with original audio and video, as well as the public pronouncements by McCowan which refute his earliest statements and cast doubt on his workmens' compensation claim.

In short, this blog has been providing investigative journalism backed up by documentation since the night of the attacks, with no response or coverage from the local media.  Now, it is not my policy to respond to the wild accusations from bloggers to lazy to talk to original sources.  I document what I say and write, and what I provide to others, but my goal is to be a watchdog on the politicians and the press.

And what I know is this.  Kenneth Gladney, non-political guy who sold flags and buttons to both the left and the right (he was selling Obama buttons in Arnold earlier in the year), was attacked by SEIU-shirted staff.  Kenneth has been insulted, smeared, and called an Uncle Tom and worse for wanting justice for those attacks.  He has suffered personally, emotionally, physically, and financially, and he has yet to see justice. 

So Media Matters and Eric Boehlert can sneer all they want.  They are uninformed hacks who see political power as more important than anything.  They can't afford for Kenneth to be telling the truth.  And they're praying this goes away, so they'll insult and smear and mock anyone who dares to follow or report on the story.

But if they want to catch me or my friends or BigGovernment.com in a lie, they're going to have to come with something better than medical records.  Despite the best efforts of sites from Wonkette to Crooks and Liars to ThinkProgress, the Purple People Beaters are facing a criminal trial with four witnesses where they will have to convince a jury a 135 lb diabetic and leukemia survivor beat two hulking SEIU staff members with no motive.

As I've said, good luck with that.  

Comments

[annonymous]

Funny how the leftie blogs continue to say Dana "lied" when in fact she was correct in pointing out that the prosecutor did not have the full medical records, not even the full emergency room records. Now that you have disclosed the rest of the information it makes perfect sense. Their leftist brand of word twisting to create the appearance of falsehoods when there weren't any and their continued drubbing out of their hatred for Dana is telling. Both Mrs. Loesch and you have nothing to apologize for. I wonder if now that the whole truth is out if they will go back, check their facts and quotes which they twisted and issue an apology as @karoli did to Andrew Breitbart. Something tells me they won't and neither you or Dana will receive your justice, but thanks to your hard work perhaps Kenneth Gladney finally will.

[Somone]

I'm constantly amazed at how the left twists words. Dana said she didn't have all the medical records and they twist it into saying she said they didn't have any medical records. From this piece I can see there is no distinction, if you don't have "all" the medical records then you do not have "the medical records." They are splitting hairs to try and make her out to be a liar. The left is so inconsistent in their litmus tests and so full of hate. This is good investigative work!

[stlouisgal]

Good job, Jim. When is the trial scheduled? There are several of us who would love to see how St. Louis justice works. I was one of the group that met with Redington to demand she file charges. The woman's incompetence or bias is troubling.
Shine the light on these folks. This is a microcosm of what is going on nationally. We need justice for the individual and make the "collective" brotherhood of SEIU suffer the consequences of its reprehensbile behavior ordered by Obama...what kind of president makes speeches against fellow Americans to "hit back twice as hard?" The man is a thug and these St. Louis minions are his handymen. I wonder if Kenneth Gladney would be so eager to sell Obama pins any longer? It seems as if the "nasty teabaggers" are the only ones to come to his aid.