Write Penguin Books and complain about "The Lies About Hillary"

[Douglas Carpenter]

The Center For American Progress is urging people to let Penguin books

Here is the E-mail address for Penguin:

[e-mail]

Here is the article from The Center for American Progress:

The Progress Report

by Judd Legum, Faiz Shakir, Nico Pitney, Mipe Okunseinde and Christy
Harvey
www.progressreport.org

6/22/2005

Anatomy of a Right-Wing Smear Campaign

Penguin -- the same company that publishes The Canterbury Tales
(http://us.penguinclassics.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,10_0140424385,00.html)
, Treasure Island
(http://us.penguinclassics.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,10_0140437681,00.html)
and Leaves of Grass
(http://us.penguinclassics.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,10_0140421998,00.html)
-- has lended its imprimatur to a book of right-wing smears against
Sen. Hillary Clinton. In an effort to make a few quick bucks, Penguin has
published a book by Edward Klein called " The Truth About Hillary
(http://us.penguingroup.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,0_1595230068,00.html) " which, despite its title, is filled with false, defamatory and
easily discredited allegations (http://mediamatters.org/items/200506200004)
against the former First Lady. Predictably, Klein's sloppy attempt at
character assassination has been championed by pillars of the right-wing media like Sean Hannity (http://mediamatters.org/items/200506210005) ,
Rush Limbaugh (http://mediamatters.org/items/200506080002) and Robert Novak (http://mediamatters.org/items/200506170008) . Write Penguin E-mail: [e-mail] and tell them their involvement in this kind of smear campaign is unacceptable.

BOOK LACKS BASIC FACT-CHECKING: On Page 94 of the book Klein,
"introduces Nancy Pietrafesa, whose name he misspells throughout, as someone ' rumored to be Hillary's lesbian lover
(http://mediamatters.org/items/200506200004) .'" (It's just one of many instances of " gay-baiting innuendo
(http://mediamatters.org/items/200506070005) " that litter the book. In an interview about the book Klein asks rhetorically, " What kind of woman (http://www.salon.com/books/feature/2005/06/21/klein/print.html) is
purposefully surrounding herself as a public figure with women known to be lesbians?") Ms. Pietrafesa, who has been married 35 years and is the mother of three sons, calls the allegations "totally false and
unsubstantiated." Moreover, Klein "did not even bother to contact her before repeating a false rumor as if it might be true." That the allegation made it into print anyway "suggests a serious lack of due diligence on the part of Mr. Klein" and Penguin. Now, even Klein won't stand behind the allegations he printed. In an interview, Klein said, "If she had had lesbian affairs, don't you think the right-wingers would have uncovered
(http://www.salon.com/books/feature/2005/06/21/klein/print.html) at
least one lover?" It is not an isolated incident. Throughout the book, " the author repeats rumors and then footnotes them to a prior author who referenced the rumors.
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/20/AR2005062001465_pf.html)

KLEIN REPEATS LIES DISCREDITED BY KEN STARR: In an interview with the
National Review, Klein claimed that "ike Nixon, Hillary has used FBI files against her enemies." This allegation has been rejected by the Office of the Independent Counsel, which was led for many months by Ken Starr. In a 7/28/00 release, the OIC concluded " no senior White House official, or Mrs. Clinton, was involved in obtaining FBI background reports. (http://www.oic-starr.gov/p000728b.htm) " But Klein, like Nixon, has little respect for the truth.

RIGHT-WING MEDIA PARROTS KLEIN'S LIES: No need to check the facts, the right-wing media knows what it wants to hear. Rush Limbaugh on his June 7 show said, "I've got some interesting, juicy details on this book on Hillary by Ed Klein, but I'm not going to be the first to mention them. I'm not going there. It will come out eventually.
(http://mediamatters.org/items/200506080002) It has to do with sexual orientation, and I'm not going to be the one." Matt Drudge used the Klein's book (http://www.drudgereport.com/flash3ek.htm) as a source to claim that Bill Clinton raped Hillary to conceive Chelsea. (Klein now claims that Drudge took information in his book " out of context
(http://www.salon.com/books/feature/2005/06/21/klein/print.html) ."
Which makes one wonder: what is the appropriate context for a false rape allegation?) As noted by Media Matters, Sean Hannity has booked Klein for a spot on his show (http://mediamatters.org/items/200506210005) . And Robert Novak, the nationally-syndicated columnist, said on CNN that Klein's work " looks to me like a well-attributed book; it doesn't look like gossip to me. (http://mediamatters.org/items/200506170008) "
Meanwhile, several prominent conservative bloggers say the book doesn't meet their ethical standards
(http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-06-21-hillary-clinton-book_x.htm)
.
KLEIN PROUD OF SWIFT BOAT COMPARISON: Last summer, John O'Neill - the
leader of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth - printed a thinly-sourced, widely-discredited (http://www.factcheck.org/article231.html) book
full of unfounded allegations about John Kerry's military service. Klein welcomes the comparison. He told the National Review, "I intended my book to take a good hard look at Hillary's true character, and if the book is being compared to the Swift Boat Vets' book on that account, then I am proud of the comparison
(http://www.nationalreview.com/interrogatory/klein200506200754.asp) ."


_______________________________

Here is my own personal letter:

Dear Sir/Madam:

I wish to express my great disgust with Penguin books publishing of “The Truth About Hillary” by Edward Klein.

There was a time when reputable publishers would touch hate-filled smut, especially when it contains an endless number of provable lies and a thinly disguised political agenda.

How dare you propagate the notion that Chelsea came about as a result of Hillary being raped by the former President of the United States.

Have you people no decency?

Sincerely,

[dave123williams]

1. Klien's book isn't on Penguin, I think.

Sentinel Press, or something like that, is the culprit.

[Douglas Carpenter]

2. actually Penguin is the parent company

If you check with Center for American Progress and Media Matters they go into greater detail about that

[dave123williams]

3. Yeah; I worked in publishing in NY. It's not so much about politics....

....as it is about money. Contrived controversy sells; the truth be damned.