Carnahan Arson By Former Campaign Worker, TPM ‘Blogger’

Jim Hoft has the blog world afire again with the news that the guy who firebombed Rep. Russ Carnahan’s office is Chris Powers, a former Carnahan campaign worker and TPM blogger.  Another unhinged leftie showing his true colors!

Except that the connections to Carnahan and TPM are thin, indeed.   TPM’s Rachel Slajda has the facts:

Carnahan held a press conference and confirmed that Powers is a former campaign worker. Carnahan said Powers was paid as a canvassing worker for about a week, but was fired for “not doing his job.”

[…]

As several blogs have reported, Powers wrote a reader blog at TPMCafe under the name Ripper McCord. (Any TPM reader can create a reader blog and comment on the site, and Powers is not affiliated with TPM.)

Late update: Powers’ lawyer, Susan Roach, confirms that Powers had been arrested in connection with the fire. Roach also said that Powers has been “disgruntled” because he was having issues getting paid by the campaign.  “He’s basically a disgruntled employee,” she said. “And perhaps a convenient scapegoat.”

So . . . we have some guy who was hired at the very lowest level of a campaign, got fired for “not doing his job” and is “disgruntled.”    And he also was a glorified commenter at TPM.  Not exactly the stuff of scandal or “walks of shame” here.

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James Joyner
About James Joyner
James Joyner is a Professor of Security Studies. He's a former Army officer and Desert Storm veteran. Views expressed here are his own. Follow James on Twitter @DrJJoyner.

Comments

  1. sam says:

    ” Not exactly the stuff of scandal or “walks of shame” here.”
     
    Not that Hoft would give a crap about that.

  2. AllenS says:

    Mr. Joyner,

    I don’t think that is a picture of Chris Powers. Define scandal. IIRC, when this story broke of the firebombing, the guess was that it came from the Tea Party.

  3. James Joyner says:

    I don’t think that is a picture of Chris Powers.

    It was the one used at Gateway Pundit, cropped to remove bystanders.  I’ve removed it just in case.

    IIRC, when this story broke of the firebombing, the guess was that it came from the Tea Party.

    I think one St. Louis reporter speculated such was the case.  And, frankly, it’s always the natural assumption that violence against political actors came from opponents.  That it frequently turns out not to be the case is a good reason to withhold speculation but that’s not the nature of our media anymore.

  4. AllenS says:

    The photo of the three individuals from Gateway Pundit, said that Powers was the one on the right. You posted a picture of the man on the left. Check again.

  5. James Joyner says:

    Ah.  I just assumed he was the young kid.

  6. PD Shaw says:

    I used to read Josh Marshall a lot, but then I started feeling unnatural urges like peeing with the lid down and supporting the Iraq War.  I got out just in time it seems. 

  7. MM says:

    Jim Hoft?  Inaccurate?  My shock is palpable.