CREW AND MEDIA MATTERS ASK CNN TO EXCLUDE RALPH REED FROM "THE BEST POLITICAL TEAM ON TELEVISION"

16 Jan 2008 // Washington, DC – Today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) and Media Matters for America sent a letter to CNN’s U.S. President Jonathan Klein, asking that former Christian Coalition head Ralph Reed, a proven liar with a deep bias against one of the major Republican candidates, no longer be afforded the opportunity to be a part of CNN’s self-proclaimed “best political team on television.” Most recently, Reed provided commentary as a “Republican strategist” during the New Hampshire presidential primary.

Reed played a pivotal role in the recent scandal involving convicted felon and former lobbyist Jack Abramoff, by secretly using his connections and his consulting firm, Century Strategies, to further the goals of Abramoff’s Indian casino clients, while publicly professing he would never take money derived from gambling. During Reed’s 2006 unsuccessful bid to become the lieutenant governor of Georgia, he repeatedly lied about his role in the scheme.

The truth is that Reed was deeply involved in creating television, radio and grassroots campaigns to drum up public opposition to the expansion of gambling in Alabama, Louisiana and Texas, all paid for by tribal casinos seeking to avoid competition. Emails released by the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, and available both on the Senate Indian Affairs Committee website and at governmentdocs.org, confirm both Reed’s role and the fact that he was aware of the various sources of the funds.

Reed’s disdain for Republican presidential candidate, Sen. John McCain, stems from Indian Affairs Committee hearings the senator spearheaded, exposing Reed’s work on behalf of Abramoff’s tribal clients. Reed’s primary opponent in the lieutenant governor race publicized the information that came out during the hearings, contributing to Reed’s defeat at the polls. It has been reported that Reed’s defenders allege that Sen. McCain released the email exchanges between Reed and Abramoff in revenge for Reed’s support of President Bush in the 2000 campaign. Given Reed’s hostility to Sen. McCain, Reed is hardly an unbiased voice commenting on the Republican candidates’ race for their party’s nomination.

Melanie Sloan, executive director of CREW, said today, “If asked, most people would probably agree that “the best political team on television” would not include a person with a tenuous relationship with the truth and a well-known enmity toward a particular candidate. But Ralph Reed is just such a person.” Sloan continued, “CREW and Media Matters sent this letter today asking that CNN no longer include Ralph Reed as part of its much-hyped political team in future presidential or other political news coverage.”

A selection of the emails between Ralph Reed and Jack Abramoff can be viewed here.

*Call CNN's U.S. President Jonathan Klein and ask him to exclude Ralph Reed from the "best political team on television" - (212) 275-7800*

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Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) is a non-profit legal watchdog group dedicated to holding public officials accountable for their actions.

For more information, please visit www.citizensforethics.org or contact Naomi Seligman Steiner at 202.408.5565/nseligman@citizensforethics.org.

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