The Media Research Center has taken an unusual interest in Seattle Mayor Ed Murray and the resurfacing of decades-old allegations of sexual abuse:
In April, Tom Blumer grumbled that the “establishment press” was insufficiently labeling Murray as a Democrat, purportedly because “Ed Murray is not just any Democrat, he’s a progressive Democrat, and a “face of resistance” to Donald Trump.” Blumer went on to accuse the Seattle Times of deliberately burying the allegations despite lacking evidence to back them up.
The next month, Blumer ranted that the Seattle media “didn’t do its job to expose the accusations against Murray … apparently giving him cover because he is a ‘progressive’ Democrat,” adding: “If the Murray situation ends up going in the direction it appears to be headed, seeing how the Seattle Timesand the city’s leftists try to explain away the fact that their permissive, ‘gay-friendly’ culture allowed a child molester to serve as their mayor for over three years, and as a state senator for the six years before that, should be quite a spectacle.”
Blumer returned in July to once again grumble about Murray being insufficiently labeled as a Democrat as new accusations surfaced, cheering how Murray apparently now “fit the stereotype” of a child-molesting homosexual.
Following Murray’s resignation earlier this month after more allegation surfaced, a self-satisfied Blumer declared that “Much of the press still insists on protecting the Democratic Party from its decades-long association with Murray.” A companion post by Scott Whitlock similarly complained that the media was insufficiently identifying the party of the “liberal Democrat mayor.”
Meanwhile, over at the MRC’s “news” division CNSNews.com, managing editor Michael W. Chapman made sure to put “Gay Democratic Mayor” in the headline of his article about Murray’s resignation. Chapman went on a scare-quote binge in noting that Murray is “married” and has a “husband,” and he also touted previous articles on Murray that also put “Gay Democratic Mayor” in the headline.
Meanwhile, both CNS and the rest of the MRC have been silent so far on serial untoward, if not predatory, behavior by one of its favorite conservative icons.
Earlier this month, conservative actor James Woods made the mistake of complaining on his voluable Twitter account about an upcoming film about a gay relationship between a 24-year-old and a 17-year-old.One of the film’s actors, Armie Hammer, responded by tweeting at Woods, “Didn’t you date a 19 year old when you were 60…….?”(Actually, she was 20 and he was 66.) Then actress Amber Tamblyn reminded Woods that he tried to pick her and a friend up when she was a teenage unknown: “He wanted to take us to Vegas. ‘I’m 16’ I said. ‘Even better’ he said.”
Woods accused Tamblyn of lying, but Tamblyn went on to pen an open letter detailing the story and asking, “Are you and your history with women and girls a part of the problem, Mr. Woods?” This was followed by a New York Times op-ed by Tamblyn in which she takes umbrage at Woods calling her a liar: “What would I get out of accusing this person of such an action, almost 20 years after the fact? Notoriety, power or respect? I am more than confident with my quota of all three. Even then, why would I choose the guy from ‘Scary Movie 2’ to help my stature when I’m already married to the other guy from ‘Scary Movie 2’?”
Despite the fact that the various MRC divisions love to write about him and fawningly quote his conservative-friendly Twitter rants — sample headline: “James Woods Puts Traitor ‘Brad’ Manning In His/Her Place” — no MRC website has breathed a word about Woods’ serial cradle-robbing. While not the illegal offense Murray was accused of (albeit well outside the statute of limitations), it’s increasingly creepy and unseemly as he apparently continues to like them barely legal even as he grows older.
This is just the latest example of the MRC turning refusing to hold its own side to the behavior it expects from the people it attacks.