Liberal Talk Radio, Central Coast, Paul Sanford

CALIFORNIA MYSTERY

Why Did Libtalker Jump From Monterey Hotel?







On the day when a Moonbat Hall Of Fame is finally constructed, its first inductee ought to be libtalker, California civil rights attorney, White House correspondent and Pledge of Allegiance foe Paul Sanford.

After jumping from as high as the 12th floor of a Monterey hotel earlier this week, Sanford passed away at the age of 50. A longtime activist in Santa Cruz's perpetually- unhinged "progressive" community, he was originally from Boston.

Here is coverage from the Monterey County Herald and Santa Cruz Sentinel.

What in the world would have possessed him to make this leap? Between Sanford's various left wing causes, some of which kept him in the media spotlight, it's hard to believe he didn't have at least one fight to look forward to in the future.

This sounds like a mystery we're probably not going to get to the bottom of for some time.


In at least one way, it would be fair to consider him the left's version of Jeff Gannon, the conservative who obtained a White House Press Corp credential under murky circumstances. Claiming to represent Air America Radio affiliate KOMY- AM, Sanford also found his way into press conferences and asked particularly loaded questions about whether the Bush Administration was guilty of treason.

But according to KOMY owner Michael Zwerling, he did not have permission to represent the station at the White House. When pressed, Sanford claimed he worked for Air America Radio, but Zwerling later contacted the White House as the controversy over his presence there grew.

As a result, Sanford sued Zwerling and KOMY, over this matter and a contract dispute related to his deal with the station. A court date was set for February, 2007. From the Sentinel's coverage:

More recently, Sanford was in court on his own behalf, in a breach of contract and defamation lawsuit against Michael Zwerling, the owner of KSCO and KOMY radio stations. According to his attorney and friend Shawn Mills, Sanford alleged that Zwerling broke a 2005 agreement to sell airtime to Sanford and provide him with media credentials. Zwerling declined to comment.

According to media accounts, the disagreement between the men started after Sanford used a KOMY press credential to join the White House press corps and asked then-press secretary Scott McClellan if the administration's leak of Valerie Plame's identity was tantamount to treason. It's unclear what will happen with the case, which was set for trial in February.

"I know it was particularly troubling for him," Brennan said. "He felt he was treated very poorly and it was difficult for him to understand."

From the Herald's version:

Mills said Sanford decided in recent years to add journalism to his many occupations.

Almost immediately, he caused a stir after he joined the White House Press Corps in 2005, making waves as the first reporter to ask then-White House press secretary Scott McClellan whether the leaking of CIA agent Valerie Plame's name might be considered an act of treason.

"There has been a lot of speculation concerning the meaning of the underlying statute and the grand jury investigation concerning Mr. Rove," Sanford asked. "The question is, have the legal counsel to the White House or White House staff reviewed the statute in sufficient specificity to determine whether a violation of that statute would, in effect, constitute treason?"

McClellan was apparently flustered by the question and replied that "those are matters for those overseeing the investigation to decide."

The White House incident sparked controversy after Beltway bloggers incorrectly described Sanford as a reporter for the Air America radio network. At the time, he was associated with Watsonville radio station KOMY, an Air America affiliate, and Sanford told reporters he never claimed to work for Air America.

Sanford eventually filed suit against station owner Michael Zwerling after Zwerling was reported as saying Sanford had not been authorized to represent the station as a reporter, a statement Sanford refuted.

Mills represented Sanford in that suit, which was scheduled to begin in Santa Cruz County Superior Court in February. Mills said he did not know if the case will continue after Sanford's sudden death.

Although the dispute with Zwerling caused Sanford a great deal of stress at the time, Mills said his friend was feeling fine about it and believed he would soon be vindicated in court.

In 2004, Sanford also made national news for his role in an infamous court battle against the Pledge of Allegiance. From the Sentinel:

In 2004, Sanford appeared before the Supreme Court with Michael Newdow, an atheist who sued the Elk Grove Unified School District, claiming that the mention of God in the Pledge of Allegiance violated the First Amendment's separation of church and state.

As to why a guy with a big court battle coming up in February would choose to take his own life, we do not have a good theory. It seems likely that others, including the local media, will continue to probe this very strange case.

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Pledge photo: CNN