Rafael Bernal writes for The Hill, covering, in his words, “Hispanic politics.” Asked what the most common misperception about his beat is, he replied, “That identity politics is necessarily a bad thing. The need for representation stems from diversity. Covering voting blocs just makes sense.” OK, but for a journalist, it’s important to remember that “covering” is not the same as white washing and advocating.
This morning he penned a laughable puff piece— pure, journalistically lazy p.r.— for San Fernando Valley New Dem Tony Cárdenas, boosting his bid to be appointed DCCC Chair. Bernal is a Cárdenas cheerleader and in this article, wrote about the corrupt congressman’s time on the L.A. City Council, but without a word about his notoriety for taking bribes from unsavory developers and for an unending series of fines for hundreds of financial improprieties. And not a word about the grooming and raping case of a minor that Cárdenas is hoping has disappeared down the memory hole.
Lauding Cárdenas’ prowess as a political fundraiser, Bernal wrote that “Under Cárdenas, Bold PAC fundraising took off, going from just under $1 million in the 2014 cycle under Luján to $6 million in the 2016 cycle and almost 12 million in the 2018 cycle. For the 2020 presidential election year, Bold PAC under Cárdenas raised more than $18 million. The expansion of the group’s reach has continued under current Chair Rep. Ruben Gallego, with new investments in competitive primaries and an independent expenditure program led by Cárdenas.”
I recall covering that fundraising effort in January, 2019 during the government shutdown when BOLD PAC held a corporate lobbyist fundraiser/boondaggle— their “annual winter retreat”— at a fancy beach resort in Puerto Rico. Among the 100+ lobbyists and corporate executives in attendance were representatives of R.J. Reynolds, Facebook, Comcast, Amazon, PhRMA, Microsoft, Intel, Verizon… I noted at the time that BOLD PAC under Cárdenas got it’s millions of dollars in funding from Goldman Sachs, Dell, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, JPMorgan Chase, Microsoft, Coca-Cola, KPMG, Visa Card, Toyota, Primerica, Herbalife, Charter Communications, FedEx, Univision, iHeartMedia, AstraZenica, Humana, Amgen, Lockheed Martin, General Motors, AT&T, Intel, the National Beer Wholesalers Association, New York Life Insurance, Walgreens, Ernst and Young, Sprint, Walmart, Merck, PNC Financial Services, Pfizer, the American Bankers Association, the Mortgage Bankers Association, Honeywell... in other words, every corporate PAC that has business with the federal government. The bulk of the money they took in went not to candidates but to consultants and administrative costs. Mothership Strategies alone got $2,141,769.
An ability to launder corporate bribes in considered the top attribute for potential DCCC chairs, but what about raping minors? When Lisa Bloom— Harvey Weinstein’s attorney and, unfortunately for her, also the rape victim’s— made the case disappear, Cárdenas claimed vindication. This is how the L.A. Times covered the "vindication."
The sexual assault case filed against U.S. Rep. Tony Cárdenas collapsed on Wednesday, with the congressman’s accuser dropping her lawsuit and saying she regretted hiring her attorney to represent her in the proceedings.
Angela Villela Chavez, who had accused Cárdenas of molesting her when she was 16, agreed in court to have her lawsuit dismissed with prejudice, a move that will prevent her from refiling the case.
Lawyers for the congressman said after the hearing that they had achieved “total vindication” for their client. Cárdenas, in turn, welcomed the resolution of the case, saying “the truth prevailed.”
“I humbly thank my family, community, and constituents who know I am a person of integrity," he said in a statement.
It was an abrupt end to an incendiary case that, according to Chavez, was inspired in part by the #MeToo movement, which has surfaced incidents of sexual harassment and abuse by celebrities and politicians.
The two sides reached their agreement two months after Chavez’s attorney, Lisa Bloom, said her firm needed to drop out of the case for unspecified reasons. Chavez, now 28, told The Times after Wednesday’s hearing that she never would have come forward with her allegations without her lawyer’s “confidence and backing.”
“I regret my decision in choosing her as my attorney,” said Chavez, who now lives in Lancaster.
Lawyers for Cárdenas, who represents much of the San Fernando Valley, said the agreement between the two sides was a resolution, not a settlement. As part of the deal, Cárdenas will not pay Chavez any money but also will not sue her for malicious prosecution, they said.
...Superior Court Judge Steven Kleifield dismissed the case with prejudice and relieved Bloom from serving as Chavez’s attorney.
Asked about the statement from her client, Bloom said she was forced to withdraw for “ethical reasons, which the judge recognized.”
“Ms. Chavez has been through a very tough experience and I wish her all the best,” Bloom said in an email.
Chavez had alleged in her lawsuit that Cárdenas had molested her in 2007, when she was a rising junior golf star, after she collapsed at a country club in Cheviot Hills. She said the incident occurred while Cardenas, then a councilman, was driving her to a hospital.
Chavez also claimed that Cárdenas had given her ice water with a peculiar taste shortly before she collapsed.
Cárdenas, one of the highest-ranking Latino members of Congress, vigorously denied the allegations. Glaser described his accuser as the daughter of a disgruntled ex-employee and said she expected her client to be fully exonerated.
Chavez filed her case in April 2018. Although she was initially identified as a Jane Doe, she later revealed her identity, saying she had been inspired by Christine Blasey Ford’s accusations against now-Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
After the lawsuit was filed, no one else stepped forward with similar allegations against Cárdenas, who took office in 2013. He largely weathered the controversy, unlike several other politicians accused of sexual misconduct.
...Despite calls for Cardenas to resign, from Los Angeles school board member Kelly Gonez and a handful of activists, he easily won reelection last year.
The first major sign of trouble for Chavez’s case came in May, when at least one of her lawyers left Bloom’s firm. Later, Bloom revealed that she wanted the judge to release her from the case.
Bloom declined to reveal the precise reason for her request, saying only that such a move was required under the State Bar’s Rules of Professional Conduct. Weeks later, Chavez told a judge she opposed Bloom’s effort to drop her as a client.
The State Bar’s conduct rules offer a handful of scenarios in which lawyers must end their representation of a client.
For example, attorneys must stop representing a client if they conclude that the client is bringing an action that is “without probable cause” and is being pursued “for the purpose of harassing or maliciously injuring any person.”
Lawyers also must withdraw if they know, or reasonably should know, that their representation would violate State Bar rules. In addition, lawyers must end their relationship with a client if they are not physically or mentally well enough to continue providing effective representation.
When Wednesday’s court hearing began, Bloom noted that a Times reporter was in the courtroom and asked for the parties in the case to speak privately in the judge’s chambers. After roughly 10 minutes, they emerged and began trying to track down the congressman.
Eventually, the judge got Cárdenas on speakerphone and asked him if he agreed with the terms of the proposal for resolving the case. Cárdenas said he did. The judge then agreed to release Bloom as Chavez’s attorney.
Confused? Watch this trailer from the upcoming documentary film, Pariah, about top Cárdenas ally, Khan Tusion, America’s most violent pornographer— and a crooked property developer. It helps put Cárdenas’ unfitness for office into clear perspective— regardless of identity politics.
As for Bernal, he wrote that he prefers “pitches via email in the morning (between 9am and 11am). I sometimes respond if I'm not going to cover the story you pitch me. If emailing, my ideal email length is 2–3 paragraphs and limited follow-up emails are ok. I occasionally check newswires for new story ideas. Before calling me, it helps to text me to flag an email. I try to be thorough, but between filters and a crowded inbox, pitches can sometimes get lost in there.”