SAF Gunning for Donaldson

The Second Amendment Foundation today sent a letter to ABC News President David Westin, asking that reporter Sam Donaldson be barred from ever again reporting on gun rights issues, because he is serving as master of ceremonies at a fund-raiser for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence...

"We believe that the appearance of such a high-profile ABC reporter and commentator as the host of an event that raises money for one of the nation's most hysteria-driven gun control organizations is a terrible breach of propriety..."

This is not unlike the Mike Wallace episode of a while back. So that makes it more than a matter of propriety--that makes it, minimally, a matter of breaching journalistic ethics, with implications that may even go further. For instance:

Sam Donaldson is "exclusively represented" by the Washington Speakers Bureau.

What is his traditional speaker's fee? (It was supposedly $30,000, but that was back in the mid-90s. And as The Washington Post reported:

The issue began to fade as a number of news organizations, including ABC and NBC, banned the practice.

If so, what's in it for the Washington Speakers Bureau?

A report about Chris Matthews charging speaker fees may or may not apply here:

According to Kaplan, while these groups may have paid fees for Matthews to speak, the fees did not go to Matthews directly, but to a charity of Matthews’s choosing.

While we've seen with his government wool and mohair subsidies that Donaldson appears to be his own favorite charity, not to mention rich federal welfare recipient to the tune of $100,000 per year, perhaps Sam is giving away his fee? Or perhaps not charging one this time around?

If that's the case, will the Brady Campaign disclose the value of the uncharged fee as a "noncash" contribution, or will Mr. Donaldson write if off on his tax filing?


Inquiring minds want to know.