By Carol Lucas
I find it interesting that seemingly the longevity of any given news story is directly proportional to how long the attention span of the reader might be. It appears that no matter the importance of the issue, it is readily displaced by some shiny new object that appears on the scene.
This dropped into my thought process the other day as I was watching the news. By now you may have discerned that watching the news is my addiction; for whatever strange reason, I am attracted to Neverland, a term used as a metaphor for eternal childhood and, just as accurately, childishness. I guess that speaks volumes about me and about the news feed.
A trailer came across the bottom of the screen indicating that a Florida Congressman had been indicted for wire fraud, money laundering, and making false statements. Really, making false statements? Indicted for this? And so this got me to wondering about just who has to pay the price for his trespasses and who doesn’t. And even more perplexing, why aren’t all treated the same for the equivalent trespass?
It seems that Joseph Harding, 35, Republican Representative of Williston, Fla., participated in a scheme to defraud the Small Business Administration. This scheme entailed obtaining coronavirus-related small business loans through fraudulent pretenses, representations, and promises. Additionally, Harding was charged with obtaining fraudulently-created bank statements for a dormant business entity. The charges involved much more legalese, but you get the idea.
After I read this, I was ready to dismiss it as one more rotten apple in the barrel, but Harding’s wrongdoings suddenly struck me with something greater than a nudge. Wait a minute! False statements! Fraud! Money laundering or theft?
I checked again to be sure I wasn’t confusing this with George Santos. You remember George Santos. The one who graduated from Baruch College, but really didn’t? Stole from a Go Fund Me account for a dog with cancer? The transgressions fill so many pages that they could be considered a book. It appears that, indeed, all is fair in love and war and evidently in politics where overt lying on a mammoth scale has no consequences.
In fact the braggadocio of it all seems somehow endearing to the clan, for you can pretty much bet that they won’t say a word. Just deny it, and there is nothing to worry about. Proof of my supposition? Santos still retains his position in Congress and has, in fact, filed paperwork for re-election. Fairness, indeed.
So what about Representative Harding? He has pleaded guilty to three counts, and his sentencing is scheduled for July 25, 2023. So much for you, Joe. Sorry.
Having inhabited this planet for fourscore, I fully recognize that politics is, and always has been, a dirty business; examples from both sides of the aisle have filled more books than one could read in a lifetime.
But what I want to address is the media’s propensity to give the appearance of fair play when that desire should never override the facts. The examples above caused me to think about what is occupying us front and center now, as well as what confronted us in 2022.
I reference the media approach to the retention of classified documents. We all read about and heard, ad nauseam, the drawn out story of former President Trump’s taking documents to Mar-a-Lago; the discovery by the Archives; that same group asking for the return of said documents, and getting silence in response; the FBI raid, etc, etc.
This was a daily ‘See Spot Run, Run, Spot, Run’ show. In my opinion, and yes, it is just that, journalists need to make the differences so clear that a Kindergartner can understand. Wishfully that includes some of the journalists whose need to pander to one group is such that they cannot see the forest for the trees.
To make my point, ask yourself this: why in the middle of a major investigation of the former president would the current presidential officials choose, and this is the operative word, this particular time to release information they had known all along? They had to know that it would bring forth an avalanche of criticism. Had they been at all nefarious in their actions, they could have remained silent.
People want to jump on the fact that they sat on the finding until after the November 6 election. I think this time frame amounted to three days. Let it also be made very clear that the Archives didn’t realize the Biden-held documents were missing until they were returned. That is a flaw in the system that needs to be corrected.
Rather than focusing on the number of documents, although the contrast is a bit staggering, let’s look at the responses of the three men involved. Vice President Pence willingly opened his Indiana home to a search, and when documents were found, he sanctioned a further search. No drama, no whining, just cooperation. Biden, like Pence, opened those places where documents might be found, and like Pence, made no move to thwart recovery efforts.
The response of Trump?
First, ignore the Archives’ multiple requests for the documents to be returned. Months go by. Then ignore the multiple subpoenas to return the same until finally the FBI conducts a search and finds said documents.
And yes, like Biden, there were others, many others, retrieved at a later time. Trump whined that his home had been raided, despite the fact that legal subpoenas had been issued. He declared, “They’re mine,” and even as late as January 18, tweeted that “these were just papers in ordinary folders with writing on them. Cool souvenirs.”
So folks, you draw your own conclusions. For those who believe Trump can do no wrong, I suspect they stopped reading after the first mention of the man.
My contention is rather simple: let’s start making the comparisons more balanced. Let’s ask ourselves how in the world a Florida representative, convicted of and facing sentencing for his misdeeds, is different from the New York Congressman whose lies got him elected, yet he retains his position.
As for the system in getting the necessary documents to the Archives, the words “sorely flawed” come to mind. In this era of high tech, surely there is a better way to keep our documents safe and out of the hands of those who would use them against us. Just as important, let’s consider creating a method of easily removing those liars and thieves who invade our politics. Good luck with that.
And finally, as the indictment of No. 45 supposedly looms ahead, I suggest that those in various media groups who want to make their presentations seem “fair and balanced” should stick to their ethics.
That is very admirable, but I’d like to add that when doing so, they must make an effort to put all the apples together and separate them from the oranges.
Carol Lucas is a retired high school teacher and a Lady’s Island resident. She is the author of the recently published “A Breath Away: One Woman’s Journey Through Widowhood.”
