Maurice Hinchey Reporter Attack:Update

Image via Wikipedia

Hot Air has received some interesting information about the recent blow up Maurice Hinchey had at a recent debate. Hinchey when asked questions about earmarks for a project in which he owned part of the land the project was to be built on, the congressman became incensed, and told Kingston Daily Freeman reporter William Kemble to "Shut Up." Here is the statement from the managing editor of the Freeman:


 

I am the managing editor of the Daily Freeman, Kingston, NY, for which the reporter, William Kemble, works. The following is a statement I have prepared in response to the misrepresentations of this incident by Congressman Hinchey’s office:

There was an incident. Mr. Kemble says the congressman put a hand on his neck. A third party who witnessed the incident says he did not see that, but did see the congressman jabbing Mr. Kemble in the chest with his finger. Yet another witness says Kemble was pushed into the path of another person by the congressman.

For his part, Mr. Kemble views the incident as an unwanted distraction to his work.

However, as managing editor, I take seriously the issue of anyone, including a congressman, putting their hand on or jabbing with a finger a reporter who is simply doing his job.

Further, the Hinchey camp’s characterizations of the incident as either prompted by aggressive action by Mr. Kemble or by false accusations they claim he and the Freeman have made are untrue.

First, the videotape of the questioning of Mr. Hinchey clearly shows that while Kemble was persistent, he was professional and even in tone, while it was Hinchey who lost his composure. The congressman should own up to what everyone can see.

Second, the specific question that Mr. Kemble was asking prior to the incident and which apparently provoked the congressman involves Hinchey’s real estate interest in a commercial Saugerties development which was referenced in a congressional disclosure form for funding of a Hudson River ferry project. To our knowledge, Congressman Hinchey has never answered questions about that connection, which is why Mr. Kemble was posing the question to him.

We stand by our reporting on federal funding to an area Mr. Hinchey represents . We have made no false allegations nor has Mr. Hinchey proven once, never mind “numerous times,” that any of our reporting was false.

Readers may judge for themselves. The stories are posted online at:
— “Hinchey tops in local pork,” May 18, http://ow.ly/2UxaC
— “Hinchey stresses his lack of involvement in Saugerties development,” May 21, http://ow.ly/2Ux8a
— “Hinchey misstated use of federal grant for Saugerties,” May 21 — http://ow.ly/2Ux5q
Finally, Mr. Hinchey has made a practice of not answering questions about his financial connections to projects benefitting from federal grants. He stopped cooperating early in the process with our investigation into the connection between his advocacy of federal grants and his own financial interests. His brushoff of questions from Mr. Kemble on Oct. 14 was simply the latest instance of his unresponsiveness.

 Hinchey's camp is not even trying to report on this as it actually happened. in a statement released by his campaign, Hinchey's people claim that Kemble took "an aggressive step" toward the congressman. They, of course completely forget to mention the finger jabbing and the hand around the neck part. The hand around the neck incident could not be confirmed by witnesses, but a reporter for YNN did report that he witnessed the finger jabbing. It is also reported that Hinchey shoved William Kemble in to the path of candidate George Phillips.

Phillips also authorized the campaign to confirm that Phillips personally witnessed the incident, as well as confirming that Hinchey pushed Kemble backwards into Phillips himself.

 IT looks like "Big Willie" Clintons recent trip to help bolster Maurice Hinchey's position may not be enough to save him this time. George Phillips is garnering national attention from the Republicans, and Hinchey continues to show his age.