Our previous two posts covered the official story and how we know it's a fabrication. We had planned on unveiling the rest of the story today, but we're still following up on several leads and fleshing out details. Better to get it right than fast.
In the meantime, there's an important question to be answered. The case against the Nixon administration's involvement in withholding the E. coli tests is getting stronger, despite their attempts to obstruct inquiries. But as they watch the cracks growing in the dam, they're probably thinking the same thing we are: who is going to take the fall for this?
John Watson (4:1 odds)
John Watson is Nixon's chief of staff. We don't have any indication that he has been directly involved (so far), but his authority and influence make for an easy cover story. If he is the lucky winner, expect him to claim that he was keeping Nixon in the dark the whole time.
Kristy Manning (9:1 odds)
Kristy Manning is Nixon's deputy legislative director. She met with Joe Bindbeutel on June 4 - the same time that Bindbeutel was preparing a report on the E. coli test results for the Nixon administration. Could she be blamed? It's unlikely, because taking her down would mean taking Bindbeutel with her, and we're guessing the Nixon administration wants to minimize the damage.
Chuck Hatfield (9:1 odds)
Hatfield is a former Nixon aide turned lobbyist, and it'd be an understatement to say that he and Nixon are close. We hear that he had a meeting with Nixon in early June. The only problem is that the story would be hard to pin on him without taking a Nixon staffer - and possibly Nixon - with him.
Jack Cardetti (4:1 odds)
Jack Cardetti is a Nixon spokesman, and he has been on point during this crisis. As the Nixon administration's voice, it's hard to see him getting out of this unscathed - but he wasn't in a position to orchestrate the whole affair. It'd be hard to take him down without implicating everyone who went along with what he has been saying.
Joe Bindbeutel (7:3 odds)
Bindbeutel's the most likely choice because they've tried blaming him before. We believe he agreed to be the stooge in return for his appointment to the Administrative Hearing Commission. But there are a few problems: his new appointment is subject to Senate confirmation, which is a big problem now that the story is going public. They could disregard his career prospects and throw him overboard completely, but he's been a loyal Nixon subject for years. What kind of reward could they come up with?
Our bet is on Joe Bindbeutel. He's not the perfect scapegoat, but he's easiest to isolate.
In the meantime, there's an important question to be answered. The case against the Nixon administration's involvement in withholding the E. coli tests is getting stronger, despite their attempts to obstruct inquiries. But as they watch the cracks growing in the dam, they're probably thinking the same thing we are: who is going to take the fall for this?
John Watson (4:1 odds)
John Watson is Nixon's chief of staff. We don't have any indication that he has been directly involved (so far), but his authority and influence make for an easy cover story. If he is the lucky winner, expect him to claim that he was keeping Nixon in the dark the whole time.
Kristy Manning (9:1 odds)
Kristy Manning is Nixon's deputy legislative director. She met with Joe Bindbeutel on June 4 - the same time that Bindbeutel was preparing a report on the E. coli test results for the Nixon administration. Could she be blamed? It's unlikely, because taking her down would mean taking Bindbeutel with her, and we're guessing the Nixon administration wants to minimize the damage.
Chuck Hatfield (9:1 odds)
Hatfield is a former Nixon aide turned lobbyist, and it'd be an understatement to say that he and Nixon are close. We hear that he had a meeting with Nixon in early June. The only problem is that the story would be hard to pin on him without taking a Nixon staffer - and possibly Nixon - with him.
Jack Cardetti (4:1 odds)
Jack Cardetti is a Nixon spokesman, and he has been on point during this crisis. As the Nixon administration's voice, it's hard to see him getting out of this unscathed - but he wasn't in a position to orchestrate the whole affair. It'd be hard to take him down without implicating everyone who went along with what he has been saying.
Joe Bindbeutel (7:3 odds)
Bindbeutel's the most likely choice because they've tried blaming him before. We believe he agreed to be the stooge in return for his appointment to the Administrative Hearing Commission. But there are a few problems: his new appointment is subject to Senate confirmation, which is a big problem now that the story is going public. They could disregard his career prospects and throw him overboard completely, but he's been a loyal Nixon subject for years. What kind of reward could they come up with?
Our bet is on Joe Bindbeutel. He's not the perfect scapegoat, but he's easiest to isolate.
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