Ashley Todd mugging hoax: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 07:10, 25 October 2008
 | This article is about a person involved in a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The last updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. (October 2008) |
Ashley Todd is a campaign volunteer for United States Republican presidential candidate John McCain who made news headlines on October 23, 2008, for falsely reporting to authorities that she had been the victim of robbery and a politically motivated assault by a supporter of U.S. Democratic nominee Barack Obama.
Todd claimed she was robbed at knifepoint[1] by a "tall black man" at a Citizens Bank ATM in the Bloomfield neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where he took $60. She alleged that after seeing a bumper sticker showing her political support for Senator McCain, he assaulted her and cut a reversed letter B into her cheek,[2] and told her "you are going to be a Barack supporter".[3] She later confessed to making up the story.[4]
News coverage
Todd's story gained attention, with prominent play on the Drudge Report and FOX News. John Moody, executive vice president at Fox News, commented that "this incident could become a watershed event in the 11 days before the election.[5]
Propagation of the hoax
By Oct. 24, 2008, it was discovered that McCain's Pennsylvania Communications Director told reporters several aspects of the story before facts had been known or established. According to Talking Points Memo, 'Verrilli, the news director for KDKA in Pittsburgh, told TPM Election Central that McCain's Pennsylvania campaign communications director gave one of his reporters a detailed version of the attack that included a claim that the alleged attacker said, "You're with the McCain campaign? I'm going to teach you a lesson." Verrilli also told TPM that the McCain spokesperson had claimed the "B" stood for Barack'.[6]
Exposure
On October 24, she confessed to making up the story after police reviewed surveillance camera photos and administered a polygraph test.[4] A police spokesperson said she would face a misdemeanor charge for filing a false police report.[7] It was at this point when other news sources picked up the story.
References
- ^ PLUSHNICK-MASTI, RAMIT. "McCain volunteer claims attacker cut 'B' into face". Associated Press. Retrieved 2008-10-24.
- ^ "Mugger Attacked Campaign Volunteer In Pittsburgh". KDKA Online. Retrieved 2008-10-23.
- ^ Strange, Hannah (2008-10-25). "Republican volunteer charged over false claim of mutilation by Obama supporter". Times Online. Retrieved 2008-10-25.
- ^ a b "Police: Campaign Worker Admits Making Up Story". KDKA Online. Retrieved 2008-10-23.
- ^ http://foxforum.blogs.foxnews.com/2008/10/23/jmoody_1023/
- ^ "McCain Campaign Pushed Now-Discredited Attack Story". TPM. 2008-10-24.
- ^ "Woman admits making up McCain sticker attack, police say". CNN. 2008-10-24.
External links
- Police: Campaign Worker Admits Making Up Story, KDKA Online
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