Presidential aide Sidney Blumenthal denies spreading nasty rumors to help the president (see above). Really? In a fascinating article for the Nation last March, veteran left-wing journalist Doug Ireland followed up on an MSNBC report that Clintonites had been digging into the sexual preferences of Ken Starr's prosecutors.
"As both a journalist and as someone who's gay," wrote Ireland, "my interest was sparked, and I began making calls to determine whether the outing accusations were true. Three members of the media confirmed to me that Sidney Blumenthal, the White House media counselor, had indeed been spreading such stories: They'd heard him do it. These reputable members of the Beltway media agreed to tell me what they knew only if guaranteed complete anonymity; they were afraid of losing access to White House sources, and of possible reprisals. Two said that Blumenthal had told them directly of the same-sex orientation of a member of Starr's staff, and a third said he had been present for a conversation in which Blumenthal made such a comment to a third person."
Ireland also confirmed Blumenthal's nasty habit of going after unfriendly reporters. "Two of the members of the media I spoke to about the Starr allegations," wrote Ireland, "also said Blumenthal had described at least two other media figures to them as gay. One of those sources, as well as other people who know Blumenthal, described him as fascinated by sexual gossip that they said he recycles as part of his defense of the Clintons.
"When I called Blumenthal, he branded the outing charges a 'complete lie.' When told my sources said they had heard the outing information from his lips, he reiterated, 'They did not.'"