AP Rezko Story: No Dem Label for Illinois Gov, Former RNC Treasurer Tagged

March 19th, 2008 3:50 PM

Yesterday NewsBusters contributor and MRC News Analysis Division intern Lyndsi Thomas noted the Chicago Tribune leaving out the Democratic Party affiliations of two politicians tied up in the Tony Rezko trial: Gov. Rod Blagojevich and Chicago Alderman Richard Mell, the governor's father-in-law.

Now it's the AP's turn in a related story tied to the Rezko trial in "Lawyer testifies he plied Blagojevich." (h/t e-mail tipster James Poisso)

Indeed, it's arguable the story might leave uninformed readers suspecting Blagojevich is a Republican, given the reference to a White House dinner function and a Republican attendee at same:

Millionaire attorney Stuart Levine testified Wednesday that he curried favor with political big shots by chartering planes to ferry Gov. Rod Blagojevich to visit campaign donors and fundraiser Antoin "Tony" Rezko to a Christmas dinner at the White House.

[...]
Levine testified in his second day on the stand that he had received an invitation from Springfield lobbyist Robert Kjellander, former treasurer of the Republican National Committee, to attend a White House Christmas party on Dec. 3, 2003.

The story ran for 11 paragraphs, yet the AP found no space for the word "Democrat" to label the Illinois governor.