A weblog by Knot O'Reilly

FOX News issued a retraction (see update) for smearing Kevin Jennings, the highly qualified and respected assistant-deputy of the Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools, with a false and malicious claim that he helped conceal a rape that did not occur.

UPDATE FOX did issue a retraction, but they have now continued with the false allegation that the student counseled by Jennings was 15 and that a sexual relationship took place. Media Matters has video and fact checks.

This is Hannity on his show, pretending to speak to White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs:

The truth, Robert, is that Jennings admitted he was aware of a sexual relationship between a high school sophomore — who now claims he was 16 at the time — and an older man. It was Jennings who originally said the boy was 15, and Jennings who admits that he did nothing wrong.

CNN and others have proven that the boy in question did not ‘claim’ he was 15, he was 16, and he did not have sex with the man in question. Media Matters compiled this clip and asks if Hannity will retract his statements:

Not only does Hannity not offer an apology or retraction, he raises the stakes by using a guilt by association tactic that he lifted straight from the far right Powerline blog and smears Jennings again by falsely connecting Jennings to the National Man Boy Love Association.

It is a good thing that Glenn Beck is fighting a legal battle against a satirical website mocking and pointing out his ad hominem and guilt by association attack style that includes a ‘rape accusation’ as a parody, otherwise he would surely be joining in this attack.

Media Matters has an extensive fact check on the latest smear campaign, and they start with this:

The Fox Nation and The Washington Examiner linked Department of Education official Kevin Jennings to the North American Man-Boy Love Association (NAMBLA) based on a 1997 speech in which Jennings praised gay rights activist Harry Hay, who had spoken in support of the organization. But like many obituaries written about Hay upon his death in 2002, Jennings was touting Hay as a gay civil rights pioneer for his role in helping start “the first ongoing gay rights groups in America” in 1948, and Jennings’ comments had nothing to do with NAMBLA.

Hannity finishes his attack on the renowned author and educator that he has now linked with rape and child abuse in the minds of his viewers with this ludicrous statement showing his intentions to be nothing more than raw political power over others:

I said it last week and I’ll say it again: It is time for Kevin Jennings to resign.

UPDATE #2 Oct 7 News Hounds has a good informative post with video of Hannity continuing his smear campaign on his show last night. He has some comments that pretend to be including balance, but he claims it is not important if the boy in question was 16, because Jennings mistakenly said he was 15, so Hannity can continue to feign outrage and keep calling for his resignation. Mostly, they just rehash the same bogus claims and fear-mongering that gays are infiltrating and sexualizing elementary schools, so it is time to bring back the republicans.