This morning, the local channels and newspapers were abuzz with the news report that a young McCain campaign worker had been robbed and assaulted near an ATM in Pittsburgh.
[Ashley]Todd is a 20-year old Texas woman, a volunteer for the McCain-Palin
campaign, who told police she was robbed and attacked by a man in
Bloomfield.
A police report states that Todd said the incident occurred around 9 p.m. Wednesday night near an ATM.
Todd said she made her ATM withdrawal and was approached from behind by a man who put a knife to her neck and demanded money.
She said she gave him $60 and managed to step away from the robber.
But, then Todd claimed the mugger spotted a McCain sticker on her car, and became angry.
She
said she was punched in the back of the head, knocked to the ground and
the man etched the letter "B on the right side of her face.
Among other things, police are checking security cameras in the neighborhood to see what, if anything, they may have recorded.
A Drudge report photo of the young woman showed a reversed letter B on her cheek, but could not be authenticated by the KDKA news channel reporters.
The Pittsburgh police were skeptical about certain inconsistencies in Todd’s report and administered a polygraph test to her, for which they have declined to release the results. They have however released this statement regarding the changing stories Ms.Todd keeps coming up with.
The moot point in the statement :
"We have received photos from the ATM machine at the Citizens Bank and the photographs was verified as NOT being the victim making the transaction." (sic)
Is the whole thing real or just a hoax perpetrated on credulous media? Is this just another blatant attempt to play on the ‘hidden racism’ in Western Pennsylvania that Congressman Murtha was castigated for talking about in regards to Obama’s chances at electoral victory here?
The whole thing seems like the plot of a bad B movie to me.
Update from KDKA news:
A Pittsburgh police commander says a volunteer for the McCain campaign
who reported being robbed and attacked near a bank ATM in Bloomfield
has confessed to making up the story. Police say charges will be
filed. More details to follow.
Hmmmpf, it’s not even a full moon, and the loonies are creeping out of the woodwork!
Accidental Blogger 
One response to “B Movie (Sujatha)”
The original story published on the Pittsburgh KDKA news website was even more explicit in its description of the so-called ‘perp’:
Todd told police that the suspect, described only as a dark-skinned African-American man about 6’4″, stole $60 from her and became enraged after seeing a bumper sticker supporting Republican Presidential Candidate John McCain on her car.
…
In an official statement the McCain campaign says: “We’re shaken up by this. It’s sick and disgusting.”
Governor Sarah Palin reportedly spoke with the victim by phone.
So, evidently, the McCain campaign was positioned to make hay out of the situation before all facts were thoroughly investigated. Curiouser and curiouser!
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