An Open Letter to MSM Reporter John McArdle

Guy Benson | October 15, 2010 3:01 PM

Dear Congressional Quarterly reporter John McArdle,

We've never met, so allow me to introduce myself. I'm the Political Editor over at a small right-leaning outfit called

Townhall.com. Anyway, I noticed that earlier today, you posted an item on your political blog that engages in speculation about the sealed divorce records of a Republican candidate running in GA-08's very close House election:

Scott's six-year old divorce records have become a subject of heightened interest in the 8th district contest ever since a Democratic activist filed a motion earlier this month asking that they be unsealed. A state Superior Court Judge has scheduled a hearing on the motion for the week before Election Day.
In an interview Thursday afternoon with Roll Call, [Democrat Jim] Marshall said that now that the divorce issue has come up, the public should have a right to know what's in the sealed documents

"I've heard consistent allegations of what's in there and it's not pretty stuff," Marshall said. "There are things that go on in marriages that can shed light on the character of the individual."

Since you've apparently taken such a keen interest in one Congressional candidate's possibly messy divorce, I thought I'd tip you off about another Congressional candidate's documented messy divorce. In Ohio's sixth Congressional District, recently uncovered court documents reveal that Rep. Charlie Wilson, a Democrat [Party Affiliation Redacted], repeatedly abused his ex-wife during their 27-year marriage. I know that you're aware of this race, John, because you

wrote about it last week. Yet, like virtually all of your colleagues in the mainstream media, you've managed to overlook this story--which broke two days ago.

What's really interesting about the spousal abuse allegations against Congressman Wilson, John, is that they're fully chronicled in unsealed files--and all the documentation you'd need to verify this possibly game-changing development is conveniently provided by the source that originally reported the story. As a reporter, I'm sure you'd agree this represents substantially more persuasive sourcing than quotes from a political candidate's opponent about scuttlebutt he's supposedly heard from nameless third parties regarding nasty details of a sealed file he hasn't seen.

I just thought I'd give you a heads-up about the Wilson story because you still have time to "break" this "scoop" in the mainstream media. I'm a good guy like that.

Have a great weekend!

Cheers,
Guy Benson

Political Editor
Townhall.com