Conservative group takes aim at Media Matters, Justice Dept collaboration

The American Conservative Union lobbying group sent out a fundraising email Thursday afternoon calling attention to collaboration between Media Matters and the United States Department of Justice.

“The liberals at Media Matters have just been caught conspiring with the Obama Justice Department in an aggressive and deceitful attempt to discredit Fox News reporting!” reads the email from ACU Executive Director Gregg Keller.

Keller encouraged recipients of the ACU’s email to donate to the group “to reaffirm your belief in liberty, personal responsibility, traditional values, and a strong national defense.”
While Keller suggested the two organizations “have just been caught,” The Daily Caller first reported in September on regular collaboration between Attorney General Eric Holder’s communications staff at the Justice Department and the left-wing advocacy group Media Matters.

Emails obtained by TheDC through a long-delayed Freedom of Information Act request revealed multiple instances where a Justice spokeswoman would work together with a Media Matters staffer to diminish news stories critical of the Department — particularly those stories related to Operation Fast and Furious.

Obama Justice Department critics reacted swiftly to the news. Hans von Spakovsky — a Heritage Foundation fellow who was named in emails between Schmaler and Gertz — wrote on September 21 that Schmaler “should resign” over “her flagrant misbehavior.” (RELATED VIDEO: Media Matters silent as networks ignore ongoing union violence)

“If she does not resign or is not terminated, it will be a sign that Eric Holder approves of such abuses and sees nothing wrong with using government resources to attack his own employees as well as reporters, ordinary citizens, and others doing their jobs or exercising their right to report or criticize the conduct (and misconduct) of the Justice Department,” wrote Spakovsky.

But Schmaler hasn’t gone anywhere — she’s spoken to the press on behalf of the Justice Department as recently as Wednesday, but did not respond to a request for comment for this report. Neither did Jess Levin, a spokeswoman for Media Matters.
When asked about Schmaler’s continued employment as a representative of the Justice Department, von Spakovsky told TheDC, “It shows that her shrill, unprofessional behavior is apparently acceptable to the Attorney General.”
“It is another sign of the politicalization (sic) of DOJ and how low it has sunk,” he said, via email.

Source