ayor Martin J. O'Malley of Baltimore yesterday denounced rumors spread by a Republican state official that the Democratic mayor once had an extramarital affair and he called the accusations "despicable lies."Posted on 02/09/2005 8:13:46 PM PST by conservative in nyc
ayor Martin J. O'Malley of Baltimore yesterday denounced rumors spread by a Republican state official that the Democratic mayor once had an extramarital affair and he called the accusations "despicable lies."
In a news conference on the steps of Baltimore City Hall, Mr. O'Malley, standing beside his wife, Catherine, said, "I have always been faithful to my wife from our first date until this date."
Mr. O'Malley was responding to a Washington Post report that Joseph F. Steffen Jr., a longtime government aide and campaign worker for Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., a Republican, had spread rumors on a conservative Web site that the mayor once had an affair with a television news reporter.
After The Post disclosed its plans to print the story, the governor confronted Mr. Steffen on Tuesday evening and demanded his resignation from his position as the spokesman for the state insurance administration, a spokesman for Mr. Ehrlich said. Mr. Steffen, 45, who has held a string of state and political jobs, resigned.
"The governor does not tolerate this sort of behavior from any employee under his oversight," said Henry Fawell, a spokesman for Mr. Ehrlich. "He accepts responsibility for his employees and believes the individual who posted these messages should apologize to the mayor."
The state Democratic Party nonetheless demanded an investigation into whether Mr. Ehrlich had helped orchestrate a "smear campaign" against Mr. O'Malley, who is considered a potential opponent of Mr. Ehrlich in 2006. Deborah Martinez, a spokeswoman for the state Republican Party, said: "We're not involved in the politics of personal destruction. Mayor O'Malley has a weak record on crime control that we're more interested in highlighting."
Mr. Ehrlich told reporters in Annapolis that Mr. Steffen's behavior was "inappropriate," in part because the aide had apparently sent e-mail messages spreading the rumor while working in his state office.
In an interview with The Post on Tuesday, Mr. O'Malley asked the governor to apologize. But Mr. Fawell said Mr. Ehrlich was not offering an apology because he had not been aware of Mr. Steffen's actions.
Though Mr. Steffen did not offer an apology yesterday, aides to Mr. O'Malley said that Mr. Steffen's former boss Alfred W. Redmer Jr., the state insurance commissioner, apologized in a phone call to the mayor.
Mr. Steffen did not return calls for comment. But in postings Tuesday night on FreeRepublic.com, the Web site where he had spread rumors about Mr. O'Malley, Mr. Steffen said that Mr. Ehrlich had been unaware of his actions.
Using his screen name, NCPAC, after the National Conservative Political Action Committee, where he once worked, Mr. Steffen thanked correspondents to the Web site for their support, writing, "This might even burnish my reputation."
Mr. O'Malley was re-elected overwhelmingly last year and is now considered a leading candidate for the Democratic nomination for governor in 2006, along with the Montgomery County executive, Douglas M. Duncan.
Mr. O'Malley, 42, said that the persistence of the rumors had led him to believe they were part of a "sustained," "orchestrated" and "relentless" campaign.
Aides to Mr. O'Malley said they became aware of rumors about an affair 18 months ago. Then last summer, they said, the rumors seemed to become more coordinated, with Baltimore television stations receiving the same tips on the same day.
The mayor's wife, a district court judge in Baltimore, said the rumors had even reached the couple's four children. In the news conference, she said one of their sons, William, recently insisted that both parents sign his report card so his teachers would not think the couple had divorced.
"I just looked at him and my heart broke, that this poor 7-year-old kid has to worry about these lies," Ms. O'Malley said.
Hi. I have a question. Why did O'Malley come out with his PC today when the rumor was most likely only known to Marylanders? By his own doing the rumor is now known by the entire country! That just baffles me.
One of your own got nabbed, red handed, lying about a public official, while working on taxpayer time.
If you could read, you'd have noticed he didn't start the rumour or fuel it. You leftys are pathetic.
Courtesy ping.
Not just him. I've caught Fox Butterfield and Nicholas Kristof in bald faced lies on gun issues.
The whole d*** thing is ridiculous. I have yet to see any wrongdoing.
VelmaCruther
terrapinfan
Gerry Jarcia
This would go for the Baltimore Sun (btw, note the initials are "BS")
Y'ALL ARE PATHETIC! YOU NEED TO GET OVER THE FACT THAT YOUR VIEWS AND OPINIONS ARE NOT THE ONLY ONES THAT COUNT, NIETHYER ARE THEY RIGHT!
STOP YOU BABYFIED WHININGS AND GET THE HECK OUT OF THE COUNTRY YOU ALL SEEM TO REALLY DESPISE!
WHILE YOU ARE AT IT WHY NOT TRY SOMETHING NOVEL!!
FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIVES QUIT BEING SUCH
HOW'S THAT AR?
DID I TELL THEM OFF GOOD ENOUGH?
The lack of direct quotes is a good indication that the evidence did not support the allegation.
Yes, I was reconsidering the issue last night. If they lied about the contents of a post on FreeRepublic that is publicly available, then they almost certainly lied about a mysterious email that is otherwise completely unidentified.
When was the email sent? To whom? Was it a FreepMail or an ordinary email? WHAT DID THE EMAIL ACTUALLY SAY? How did they get it? Was there actually any email at all, or did someone forge it?
None of these questions are even considered in the Washington Post or NY Times articles. This is even worse that their usual "anonymous expert" or "anonymous official" cited as a source for their lies.
Please hold your fire.
Nothing on the original thread of last August indicates that any of these FReepers are moles.
LOL -not to worry, safety is on...
Regarding O'Malley and Bederinwa, a friend of mine did a search and directed me to the web site mdsocietyforblind.org. If you click on the children's event on the homepage, it goes to a huge (click on photo to blow it up) photo of O'Malley, Bederinwa and others at a function. This was in Feb 2002 and word is that is night the affair started. It matches up with the timeline.
check out great 2/2002 photo of O'Malley and Sade on website mdsocietyforblind.org. Click on the children's event on home page.
was mistaken on web site address - it is mdsocietyforsight.org
Here is a helpful reference that will help you in posting html links etcetera in the future...
I would not cry if he put the Baltimore Sun under. I laugh in the face of people who come to my door and ask me to subscribe to the Sun. Why would I pay for something that I can read for free on the internet. Plus I tell them that the Sun is racist for saying that the only thing Michael Steele brings to the ticket is the color of his skin. Screw them I say.
I hope he sues the Post, the Sun, and Mayor O'Malley.
BTW, O'Malley is nuts. He has threatened talk radio hosts in Baltimore before. He has a temper. (How do you like those rumors).
I'm not even close to being qualified to evaluate the truth of rumors spread about a Baltimore mayor. But from what I've seen here, no one has offered any proof that he had an affair with that reporter - i.e. there's no blue dress here. A photo of a political elite with a media elite at a charity function proves absolutely nothing.
True, but why does Sade travel to Baltimore almost every weekend with her new baby to visit with her mother in Roland Park?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.