In an exclusive interview with Breitbart News, Janice Leahy, the primary source for what clearly amounts to a Time hit piece on Republican Senate candidate Scott Brown, claims she was “duped” and “taken advantage of” by Time journalist Jay Newton-Small.
Leahy likened Newton-Small’s effort to “tabloid journalism,” questioning how it was possible for what she once thought a credible publication to behave so irresponsibly.
“It’s ridiculous. Why is this acceptable,” asked Leahy, in discussing what she feels Time did in terms of twisting her thoughts and words with regard to an award Brown gave her and her thoughts regarding the New Hampshire senate race as a whole.
Below is how Time‘s Jay Newton-Small sets a narrative that Leahy now insists she was unknowingly “baited” and “tricked” into helping to create. “I didn’t even know she was writing an article,” said Leahy.
Armed with spreadsheets, Leahy had met with Brown at a diner in Windham to talk about the burden of Obamacare on her small software and professional services businesses. That’s when he presented her with a polished black plaque, emblazoned with the words, “Women for Scott Brown.” A press release followed. “I’m pleased to award Janice with a Hero Award to celebrate her determination to maintain a business despite government red tape and burdensome regulations that make for a very tough environment not only for women-oriented businesses, but for everyone,” Brown said in the statement. “That’s why I support full repeal of Obamacare.”
Leahy, a Republican, says she was left confused and embarrassed by the whole episode. She also says she is not sure she will vote for Brown in November, given his 2012 vote against an equal pay bill, an issue close to her heart given that she works in a male-dominated industry. “I’m not happy about his vote against it and I would need to know more about it before I vote for him,” Leahy says. “I haven’t decided yet which way I’ll vote in November.”
The episode is emblematic for Brown, who has been struggling to connect with women in his bid to unseat Democrat Jeanne Shaheen.
Leahy claims to the extent she was “confused and embarrassed,” it had to do more with journalist Newton-Small primarily asking her about, not her main issue, Obamacare, but evidently Newton-Small’s key issue, an equal pay bill Brown supposedly voted against.
Leahy says she neither knew, nor cared much about that bill then, still doesn’t and now sees it as an obvious attempt to get her to make negative comments about Scott Brown. Leahy believes she told Time’s journalist she knew nothing about what she was asking and would have to look into it in more detail before saying much of anything about it and if she did comment, she feels it was misconstrued or “twisted” by Time.
As for her actual meeting with Scott Brown, Leahy also mentioned meeting his wife and said Brown’s expressed concern for both her business issues and in discussing his own daughters and their future seemed “heart-felt,” leaving her with the distinct impression that he would be incapable of backing legislation that was anti-woman in any way.
That’s certainly a far cry from the narrative Time created with its piece. Leahy also insists she told Newtown-Small there was no way she would vote for Jeanne Shaheen and would be backing the Republican nominee in November, no matter who it was.
She also told Breitbart News that she absolutely is voting for Scott Brown in the GOP primary and intends to vote for him in November should he win the primary as is anticipated.
The ending of the Time piece below also shocked Leahy, especially as she says she made it clear to Newton-Small there is no way she can vote for Shaheen under any circumstances. Shaheen voted for the Affordable Care Act and Leahy’s chief concern is that her small business’s health care costs have gone up 85% as a result – an increase she calls “unsustainable” for her as a businessperson. The plan she did have didn’t meet ACA criteria and is no longer available, putting her in the if you like your plan, you’re screwed class of ObamaCare victims.
Leahy says she now sees the award as a thing meant to mean more for Brown than her. “I think it’s his push to show women in the area he understands inherently their issues, what’s near and dear in their hearts,” Leahy says.
But she noted that Brown has a tough task ahead of him, given the pride the state now has in having an entirely female Congressional delegation, which includes Brown’s rival Shaheen. “I do think it’s the coolest historical thing that we have full female congressional delegation,” Leahy said. “Being a woman, I like that that’s brought to the forefront all the time.”
Leahy said she can’t remember everything but genuinely has no idea where that last quote from above came from.
“She was baiting me,” Leahy said more than once in her interview with Breitbart News, calling what Newton-Small wrote based upon their brief conversation “disgusting.” “Why is this okay? Why is this acceptable? It’s tabloid journalism,” said Leahy.
While claiming to have once regularly read Time, though not lately, Leahy said she assumed it was still a credible publication. After this experience, she no longer believes that to be the case. Leahy feels her views were totally turned around at Scott Brown’s expense and that after meeting with him, she was confident he deserved her support both as a businessperson and a woman.
Unfortunately, it’s impossible to imagine anyone reading this Time piece in which she’s featured coming away with that impression. Leahy said she spoke with Breitbart News because she wanted to put the record straight.
In hindsight, perhaps the passage below from Newton-Small’s latest bit of “tabloid journalism” for Time applies more to Leahy’s unfortunate experience with Time, than it does an award Janice Leahy was given after talking to Scott Brown about her now disastrous health care financials courtesy of the Jeanne Shaheen supported Affordable Care Act.
Leahy, a Republican, says she was left confused and embarrassed by the whole episode.