In my Weekly Standard column today, I note the lack of media interest in the scandal that Hugh Hewitt dubbed "Chuckaquiddick". Senator Chuck Schumer runs the DSCC, which we found out last week had fraudulently obtained the credit report of Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele -- and had kept it quiet for over two months. I write that what this scandal needs is Congressional hearings, chaired by an expert on data privacy:

Where would we find experts on data privacy in Congress to hold this hearing? For starters, we would need senators and congressmen like--well, like Chuck Schumer. Schumer, after all, co-authored and sponsored the Schumer-Nelson ID Theft Prevention Bill, introduced in April of this year to discourage the kind of actions that Barge and Weiner took on Schumer's behalf. At the time, Schumer himself said the following, a prescient warning about how someone's personal information could be abused:

[O]ur comprehensive measure focuses on making sure that your personal information isn't surfing the Internet without your permission and that companies handling your Social Security number and other sensitive information should come under the watchful eye of the Federal Trade Commission immediately.

Who knew that within weeks of uttering this statement, his staff at the DSCC would have provided such a compelling example of the problem? Once again, Senator Chuck Schumer was ahead of the curve.

Inspired by a tip from CQ reader Donald Morrissey (no relation), I use questions that Schumer posed to Choicepoint VP Don McGuffey during his appearance at the Senate Banking Committee to imagine a Schumer vs Schumer showdown in Congress. In fact, I see that Mark Kennedy anticipated one of my questions by demanding to know whether the DSCC has acquired his credit report as well (via Fraters Libertas).

UPDATE, IN THE GREAT MINDS THINK ALIKE CATEGORY: Michelle Malkin's latest column addresses the DSCC scandal as well:

Law enforcement officials are taking this criminal intrusion into private records deadly seriously. But left-wing partisans are nowhere to be found. Steele's staff tells me that longtime crusader against identity theft Sen. Schumer, who denies having any knowledge of the scheme, has still issued no apology for the abuse of Steele's personal data. And there has been no outcry from the ACLU, the champions of clean campaigns, or any major national newspaper editorial board.

(Protecting privacy only seems to matter to liberals when it comes to 14-year-old girls seeking abortions behind their parents' backs, illegal aliens seeking sanctuary from the police, and registered sex offenders objecting to community registration requirements.)

Michelle gets to the heart of an issue like no one else. Be sure to read the whole thing.

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» Chuck Schumer: The Man in the Mirror from Penguin Proletariat
I wanted to post something on this today, my title was going to be “The Scandal that Wasn’t There” but my writin’ talents ain’t no match for Captain Ed’s: In my Weekly Standard column today, I note the lack of medi... [Read More]

Tracked on September 28, 2005 1:48 PM