The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Who Tipped BuzzFeed About Weiner’s Cyber-Girlfriend Sydney Leathers?

Posted on | July 24, 2013 | 116 Comments

My friend Donald Douglas this morning was rather shocked at how quickly I jumped onto the Sydney Leathers story, but I explained on Twitter what I said on the blog Tuesday night: Before I ever heard of Sydney Leathers, the BuzzFeed article was already a banner headline at Drudge, so there wasn’t really anything left to debate. Certainly I wasn’t “outing” her. Ezra Dulis at Big Journalism was all “[redacted] this” and “[redacted] that,” as if ignoring the news could make it less newsworthy, but the news business just doesn’t work that way.

What I added to the story — on the basis of tips from a keen-eyed Twitter buddy — was that (a) Sydney Leathers is a former Obama campaign worker and (b) Sydney Leathers authored a 2011 petition that condemned Sarah Palin for “inciting violence.” That’s news.

If anyone wants to criticize BuzzFeed, they ought to ask: Where did they get the ID of Sydney Leathers? Was this just  a case of clever “investigative journalism” or was it — as I strongly suspect — the result of a tip from a source allied with Team Weiner?

This is not to say, however, that BuzzFeed should not have run with the story once they got that tip. Once you know somebody is shopping around that kind of info, you’re confronted with a kind of devil’s dilemma: “If I don’t take this scoop, somebody else will.”

Such dilemmas occur all the time in political reporting, where people with obvious motives offer you oppo-research materials.

Do you really want to turn up your nose at the offered dossier, knowing that if you do, you’ll probably find it reported in all its tawdry glory somewhere else? Remember that in 2008, there were reporters for major news organizations who knew about the reports of John Edwards’ extramarital affair, but wrongly dismissed them as “tabloid gossip.”

I’ve got a particular interest in the question of who ID’d Sydney Leathers because, for months, Ladd Ehlinger Jr. has entertained the possibility that the harassment of Brett Kimberlin’s enemies was somehow being funded by supporters of Anthony Weiner.

Speculation isn’t my business, but when you observe extraordinary behavior, you can’t preemptively rule out extraordinary motives.

One of the bloggers who did the most damage to Anthony Weiner during the 2011 scandal was Patterico who — just coincidentally, FYI — was also a target of relentless harassment by the obscure alliance of forces that we call Team Kimberlin. Today, Patterico returns to the saga with a devastating timeline of how Weiner’s enablers made this latest scandal possible, and don’t miss this:

And, disturbingly for a guy who was talking about “cape and tights” to a high school girl in Delaware — a grooming line he had used with an adult woman with whom he had sexted — Weiner asks Sydney Leathers if her “pussy” is “smooth” . . .

Oh, my goodness. That seems rather weird, eh?

And while the New York Times sees a pattern, they apparently can’t be bothered to notice that pattern.

Do we know anyone else reputed to have a similar interest in young girls? Seems to ring a bell for some reason . . .

UPDATE: Linked at American Power — thanks! — and welcome, Instapundit readers! Since this involves a mass readership who may be unfamiliar with the background to which I’ve alluded, let me briefly rehash what regular readers of this blog already know:

The seeming convergence of (a) Brett Kimberlin’s Enemies List and (b) a number of bloggers — including Ace of Spades and Lee Stranahan — who had written about WeinerGate could be explained as entirely coincidental. But there were reports that Team Weiner, in planning his political comeback effort, had engaged the services of various lawyers, researchers and consultants. Those of us who know how politics works behind the scenes are well aware that money is fungible: If Politician W hires Consulting Firm X for $20,000, this firm may then hire Freelance Researcher Y for $5,000 and Internet Operative Z for $3,000 on a basis of confidentiality, so that the activities of Y and Z cannot be traced to X, and Politician W then has clean hands (and plausible deniability) if Y and Z get caught red-handed.

Also: Progressives into young girls? Probably just a coincidence.

 


Category: Anthony Weiner, Ladd Ehlinger, Patterico, Scandal, Sex

Comments

116 Responses to “Who Tipped BuzzFeed About Weiner’s Cyber-Girlfriend Sydney Leathers?”

  1. OldmanRick
    July 24th, 2013 @ 4:46 pm

    Huma definitely wants political power. Spot on.

  2. OldmanRick
    July 24th, 2013 @ 4:48 pm

    Soros is also Jewish and sold out his people to the Nazis.

  3. notoserfdom
    July 24th, 2013 @ 4:50 pm

    Oh God, I hope no one shows that pic of GHW Bush to Weiner – apparently he likes them ‘smooth’ http://t.co/1bcOgJb3gL @rsmccain @Patterico

  4. Julie Pascal
    July 24th, 2013 @ 5:21 pm

    Apparently a full wax (smooth) is nearly a mainstream “thing” these days so I’m not certain that it is pedophilic. (I’m taking this on hear-say or at least “it was on the internet.”)

  5. Bob Belvedere
    July 24th, 2013 @ 5:48 pm

    You might want to read the latest from Andrew McCarthy on Saint Huma. A highlight:

    What a racket. The marriage to Huma Abedin, a Clinton insider, enables Anthony Weiner to resurrect a debased career and deflect attention from his psychotic antics even as he continues them. The marriage to Anthony Weiner, a prominent Jewish progressive, enables Huma Abedin to deflect attention from her associations with various Islamic supremacists even as, during her tenure as a top State Department official, American policy embraces Islamic supremacists.

    http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/354351/huma-unmentionables-andrew-c-mccarthy

    Tip to Dan Collins:
    https://twitter.com/vermontaigne/status/360143662514044929

  6. NYT Tells Carlos Danger To Drop Out Of Mayoral Race | The Lonely Conservative
    July 24th, 2013 @ 5:48 pm

    […] had no problem publishing a puff piece for Weiner just before he announced his bid for Mayor. Also, one has to wonder who outed the sick pervert’s cyber girlfriend Syndey Leathers to BuzzFeed. Could it be the same people who started swatting bloggers who wrote about Weiner’s scandals […]

  7. Bob Belvedere
    July 24th, 2013 @ 5:50 pm

    Unlike his Dhimmi Father, William is not that sympathetic to our Mohammedin enemies.

  8. Bob Belvedere
    July 24th, 2013 @ 5:51 pm

    Same here.

  9. LadyLiberty1885
    July 24th, 2013 @ 5:57 pm

    I’ve got more for you Stacy – my co-blog and I puttered around digging up her tweets. I re-tweeted a lot of what I found; I’ll send them along.

    BTW, don’t you find it also strange TheDirty, a known gossip site that deals a lot in strip clubs and half nude selfies was the story breaker?
    Sydney Leathers? Sounds like a stage name no?

  10. thatMrGguy
    July 24th, 2013 @ 5:59 pm

    Who Tipped BuzzFeed About Weiner’s Cyber-Girlfriend Sydney Leathers? http://t.co/M0luy5EZvN

  11. M. Thompson
    July 24th, 2013 @ 6:04 pm

    I’d be more willing to accept this if it happened in person, and the cleaning lady caught him in the act.

    And if the possible mistress was something other than a political groupie.

  12. JeffS
    July 24th, 2013 @ 6:11 pm

    BTW, don’t you find it also strange TheDirty, a known gossip site that
    deals a lot in strip clubs and half nude selfies was the story breaker?

    Kind of like the National Enquirer and John Edwards, hmmmmm?

  13. K-Bob
    July 24th, 2013 @ 6:43 pm

    AFAIC it always means one of two things:

    Either she’s underaged, or she’s a pro who boinks strangers for money.

    The Internet-is-for-p0rn generation has either a major hair-phobia, or an obsession with boinking underage partners.

  14. K-Bob
    July 24th, 2013 @ 6:45 pm

    Oh that would be awesome! Charles is a twit who prefers the kaffiyah to the kilt.

  15. BobBelvedere
    July 24th, 2013 @ 6:52 pm

    RT @thatMrGguy: Who Tipped BuzzFeed About Weiner’s Cyber-Girlfriend Sydney Leathers? http://t.co/M0luy5EZvN

  16. TheAgedP
    July 24th, 2013 @ 7:06 pm

    Weiner’s cyber sex partner who wanted job/condo is Obama activist who spread lies abt Palin over Tucson http://t.co/mXNw0gv5Tb

  17. Bob Belvedere
    July 24th, 2013 @ 7:08 pm

    That’s what I’ve heard, K-Bob, from some Englishmen I trust, but, with the Windsors, you never know.

    I’m a Plantagenet Man, myself.

  18. baburdick
    July 24th, 2013 @ 7:11 pm

    Who’s making this cad politically viable? http://t.co/1pO8MbTP0Q

  19. DaveO
    July 24th, 2013 @ 7:16 pm

    Someone on Team Obama does not want Weiner delivering NYC (and therefore NY) to Hillary in the coming primary. My guess is Leathers notified her boss, who ran it up the flagpole for future use.
    Folks who remember Hillary’s collection of FBI files should be terrified: she keeps grudges and has no compunction about using government resources far outside their legal boundaries to target her enemies.

  20. teapartydoc
    July 24th, 2013 @ 7:25 pm

    Andrew Breitbart.

  21. debsinger2
    July 24th, 2013 @ 7:25 pm

    RT @SissyWillis: SCUM—>RT @TheAgedP: Weiner’s cybersex partner who wanted job/condo is Obama activist spread lies abt Palin re Tucson http:…

  22. K-Bob
    July 24th, 2013 @ 7:27 pm

    Crikey! Evidently a slight majority of Dems polled really do want Wiener to hold their hair as he, …well, you know.

  23. K-Bob
    July 24th, 2013 @ 7:33 pm

    Hank the Deuce? Energetic rascal, as I recall.

  24. Richard McEnroe
    July 24th, 2013 @ 7:47 pm

    Is Sydney Leathers any relation to the famous Leather Tuscadero? http://tinyurl.com/lcfkcam

  25. Richard McEnroe
    July 24th, 2013 @ 7:50 pm

    So I guess given “Carlos’s” predilections, “Sydney or the Bush!” will not be a campaign rallying cry?

  26. Richard McEnroe
    July 24th, 2013 @ 7:51 pm

    This is why Democrats abort. How could they face their children?

  27. Da Tech Guy On DaRadio Blog » Blog Archive » A question Worth Asking on Anthony Weiner
    July 24th, 2013 @ 7:55 pm

    […] Today at his site Stacy McCain men­tioned the con­nec­tion between the down­fall of Anthony Weiner and issue that sev­eral blog­gers who were involved in the same had: […]

  28. Why Does Huma Abedin Stay? | The Camp Of The Saints
    July 24th, 2013 @ 8:17 pm

    […] Also: I would recommend Stacy McCain’s posts on this whole, sordid story [here and here]. […]

  29. ThomasD
    July 24th, 2013 @ 8:42 pm

    Playing the long odds, eh?

  30. ThomasD
    July 24th, 2013 @ 8:44 pm

    Put that way it sounds more like a euphemism for a prostate exam.

  31. ThomasD
    July 24th, 2013 @ 8:47 pm

    I’d have to agree. Maybe there was a time when such an affinity was associated with pedophilia. But I think that era ended sometime around 1985. Furry seems to be the new fetish.

  32. bet0001970
    July 24th, 2013 @ 9:39 pm

    I predict that George will become the most popular name in America in 2013.

  33. Evi L. Bloggerlady
    July 24th, 2013 @ 9:47 pm

    Stacy, you are starting to get like one of those FBI profilers.

    Don’t let these freaks live in your head!

  34. Richard McEnroe
    July 24th, 2013 @ 10:22 pm

    chicken-fried fava beans and a nice box of chianti: f-f-f-f-f!

  35. ECHackett
    July 24th, 2013 @ 10:41 pm

    Who Tipped BuzzFeed About Weiner’s Cyber-Girlfriend Sydney Leathers? http://t.co/RrGsu1pD2m

  36. Evi L. Bloggerlady
    July 24th, 2013 @ 10:43 pm

    I am old school with you Bob: The monarchy went downhill after Richard…

  37. Evi L. Bloggerlady
    July 24th, 2013 @ 10:44 pm

    I am glad they picked George. His great great grandfather was a good man and a good king. His great great uncle…not so much.

  38. Richard McEnroe
    July 24th, 2013 @ 11:04 pm

    THAT WAS NOT MY FAULT! i BLAME THE CLIMATE OF MISTRUST ENGENDERED BY THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION!

  39. BizzyBlog
    July 24th, 2013 @ 11:30 pm

    […] election campaign manager” and “a liberal activist.” Robert Stacy McCain also found that Ms. Leathers “authored a 2011 petition that condemned Sarah Palin for ‘inciting […]

  40. DocWashburn
    July 24th, 2013 @ 11:48 pm

    RT @rsmccain: UPDATE: Neal Rauhauser became obsessed with the 2011 WeinerGate scandal and the blogger Patterico http://t.co/tdnh26ypdq

  41. DocWashburn
    July 24th, 2013 @ 11:53 pm

    RT @FilmLadd: Who did #CarlosDanger hire to do damage control? RT @rsmccain: PROBABLY JUST ANOTHER RANDOM COINCIDENCE http://t.co/XANPjkiWzK

  42. DocWashburn
    July 24th, 2013 @ 11:53 pm

    RT @OwainPenllyn: Who Tipped BuzzFeed About Weiner’s Cyber-Girlfriend Sydney Leathers? http://t.co/ksSjWkg76Q via @rsmccain #tgdn #tcot

  43. DocWashburn
    July 24th, 2013 @ 11:53 pm

    RT @rsmccain: PROBABLY JUST ANOTHER RANDOM COINCIDENCE http://t.co/tdnh26ypdq @FilmLadd @AceofSpadesHQ @Patterico @Stranahan @Liberty_Chick…

  44. cbinflux
    July 24th, 2013 @ 11:53 pm

    RT @rsmccain: PROBABLY JUST ANOTHER RANDOM COINCIDENCE http://t.co/tdnh26ypdq @FilmLadd @AceofSpadesHQ @Patterico @Stranahan @Liberty_Chick…

  45. robertstacymccain
    July 25th, 2013 @ 1:23 am

    The question of motive, as I say, is what leads to down these winding trails of psychiatric exploration. Why would any sane person defend a creep like Anthony Weiner?

  46. BeccaJLower
    July 25th, 2013 @ 2:19 am

    ICYMI: Who Tipped BuzzFeed About Weiner’s Cyber-Girlfriend Sydney Leathers? http://t.co/Oypy4JUW2Y via @rsmccain #tcot #brettkimberlin #War

  47. amaterialsscience.com | There’s Stupid, and Then There’s Anthony Wiener…
    July 25th, 2013 @ 3:35 am

    […] So why can’t I stop laughing? […]

  48. nonya business
    July 25th, 2013 @ 5:13 am

    All of you are literally insane. Coming up with a conspiracy theory of who outed her? Do you really think it would be that easy to identify blurred pictures of some random midwestern girl? Get your heads out of your a*ses!!! The only people who would be able identify her from blurred pictures would be 1. someone Sydney has admitted the Anthony thing to 2. someone who knows her well enough to see through the blur. Who could this be? Obviously a former friend turned enemy. Don’t be absurd. The truth is simple….stop trying to complicate things and make it something its not.

  49. Evi L. Bloggerlady
    July 25th, 2013 @ 9:07 am

    Separated by Birth: Huma Abedin and…?

  50. rmnixondeceased
    July 25th, 2013 @ 10:07 am

    Concur except I am hording ammo and reloading supplies …