“F–k you @EricGreitens.” “Lying sack of s–t Governor Greitens.” “#ResignNowEric.”
This is just a taste of the invective hurled against Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens by Eli Karabell, the star source of CNN’s recent inappropriate story suggesting Gov. Greitens, who recently admitted to an extra-marital affair prior to taking office, is under investigation by the FBI.
Did CNN disclose its source’s extreme anti-Greitens bias? Of course not. That would have compromised its already-flimsy political hit job.
These are not just a few harmless tweets from a partisan internet troll. Karabell’s abuse was so relentless that Gov. Greitens’s press secretary was forced to block his number, and state Republican Party staff attempted to intervene with his family.
The lack of condemnation for such political harassment goes beyond simply disclosing a compromised source. Left unchecked, left-wing nut jobs like James Hodgkinson, who tried to assassinate Republicans playing baseball last year, have carried out their violent fantasies. Left-wing Antifa radicals have made it known in word and in deed that they are willing to respond to micro-aggressions (i.e. perceived verbal slights) with macro-aggressions (i.e. physical violence).
Basic journalistic vetting by CNN should have raised these major red flags. And if they actually invested some old-fashioned investigative journalism about their origin, it could have made for a really good story. It turns out that Karabell’s invective may go beyond mere partisanship and to the root of most emotional and irrational decisions: money.
Karabell’s family is in the Missouri real-estate development business, and Karabell appears to be in that line of work as well. Gov. Greitens recently slashed a $140 million tax credit program that was popular with real estate developers. “No. More. Giveaways,” said Gov. Greitens at the time about this state-run slush fund for the wealthy and well-connected. The decision to end this crony gravy train may have hit Karabell where it hurts most: his wallet. No wonder he is so mad at the Governor.
One other oddity: Karabell is represented by Al Watkins, the same lawyer representing the ex-husband of the woman with whom Greitens had an affair. Could they be working together? I don’t know. But that would be another good story for CNN to investigate. Don’t count on it. They’d rather pursue flimsy political hit jobs instead. No wonder they’ve lost all credibility.
Steven Hantler is a retired auto industry executive and frequent contributor to Breitbart.
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