Jeff Gannon, White House Ho

Did you hear the one about the right-wing media whore who got into the White House under a false name and turned out to be a real whore?

It sounds like a bad joke, but "Jeff Gannon", allegedly a "reporter" for a flyweight outfit calling itself "Talon News", was a regular presence in White House press briefings. He got called on by Bush a lot, too, so he could lob Winger-friendly softball "questions" like this:

"[Democratic leaders] 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?"

(More examples here)

"Gannon's" "news stories" were usually just copied and pasted from Republican talking points and White House press releases. It's obvious that "Gannon" was no journalist, he was just another White House shill who plays one on TV.

Looking into "Gannon's" background, a group of journalists and bloggers have unearthed a trove of material about the guy.

First of all, Gannon's name isn't Gannon. His real name is James Guckert. He's been getting a White House pass for months on his false name, but they claim they knew his real name (or maybe not: the story seems to have changed. Sometimes they knew his name, sometimes they didn't). They furthermore claim that they never heard of the guy who set up the "Talon News" site, even though he's a major Republican donor. How likely do you suppose that is? Here's a nobody from a rinky-dink web site, applying for White House credentials, getting the credentials only a few days after the web site goes live, and getting called on by Bush all the time at press conferences. You really suppose they don't know who he is?

If you're still unconvinced that they know him, consider this. He's one of the guys who got the Plame leak! That's right -- when someone in the Bush White House wanted to punish Joe Wilson, the ambassador who exposed Bush's yellowcake lie in the State of the Union address, they did it by leaking the identity of Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame -- who was working for the CIA -- to a select few "journalists", including Judith Miller of the New York Times, Robert Novak (the only one who published the information), and ... "Jeff Gannon". I guess they know who he is, all right.

Here's where the story starts to get bizarre. An investigation into Guckert's background reveals that he has been running an escort service on the web. But he's not just the pimp -- he's selling his own services! The web sites (you really have to see them to believe it) are military-themed, with names like "US Male Corps.com"; Guckert appears to have served in the Marine Corps, and is now applying a military theme to his "services", for guys who are turned on by that kind of thing.

How much stranger can this story get?

In situations like this, I like to apply the "Shoe on the other foot" test. Imagine for a moment that the Clinton Administration had planted a friendly shill in the White House press corps, and allowed him to get credentialed under a false name. Assume, furthermore, that this friendly shill had been given access, in strict violation of the law, to classified information exposing the identity of an undercover CIA operative. Assume, furthermore!, that this friendly shill turned out to have served in the US military as a gay man, and then used his association with the military to further a career as a gay prostitute!

Can you imagine the Right-Wing Shitstorm that would ensue? There would be such a hue and cry from the Wingnut blogosphere and the "mainstream media." It would make Monica tame by comparison! It would be everything we'd hear about every time we turn on the radio or watch television. It would be grist for endless hours of O'Reilly, Russert, and Limbaugh. Congress would demand investigations. Articles of Impeachment would be introduced.

Oh, but I forgot. "Jeff Gannon" ... is a Republican. So the "mainstream media," owned and operated by the Right Wing of the Republican Party, yawns a collective yawn. Nothing to see here, folks. Move along, no story here. And I guess I can't really blame them, after all, since, really, how unusual is a Republican who will do or say anything for money and power?

I guess it just goes to show you: A Ho is a Ho is a Ho.



A few more links, because I can't really do this story justice:
A man called Jeff
Why Gannon matters
'Jeff Gannon' Signs Off: Tells E&P He'll No Longer Talk to Press
Gonna Party Like It's 1998
"Jeff Gannon's" secret life
McClellan Tells 'E&P' He Didn't Know Guckert Used Fake Name for Nearly Two Years
Jeff Gannon owes back taxes
Jeff Gannon / James Guckert: a gay prostitute