Top 10 Political Scandals: Number 4
4. Jeff Gannon
When new blood joins the Washington Press Corps, reporters tend to notice.So it was when some no-name reporter started habitually lobbing softballs to President Bush. It wasn't long before a few actual journalists dug up the dirt on Jeff Gannon. Gannon, (real name James Dale Guckert) had been issued a series of speedily-approved single-day press passes that aroused suspicion.
It turns out he hadn't been working for any news organization, so virtual news agency Talon News was created featuring his work.
It turns out Gannon was formerly a gay prostitute.
It turns out Gannon hadn't ever worked professionally as a journalist.
Evidence points to Gannon being planted by someone in the White House, though it has never been proven. Gannon now keeps a blog on jeffgannon.com.
Here is the original question Gannon asked Bush. Maybe he was a little too obvious:
"Senate Democratic leaders have painted a very bleak picture of the U.S. economy. (Senate Minority Leader) Harry Reid was talking about soup lines. And (Senator) Hillary Clinton was talking about the economy being on the verge of collapse. Yet in the same breath they say that Social Security is rock solid and there's no crisis there. How are you going to work – you've said you are going to reach out to these people – how are you going to work with people who seem to have divorced themselves from reality?"
Number 5
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