As you may have heard in the news recently, veteran KMOV news anchor (and right-wing hero) Larry Conners (@lconnersnews4) is in really hot water because he claimed (falsely) that he was "harassed by the IRS" after his infamous interview with President Obama last year in which he asked right-wing gotcha questions (most notably the "Obamas take too much vacations" lie promulgated through the wingnut universe).
From the 05.14.2013 edition of KMOV's News 4 at 6:
Transcript:
Dear KMOV (or KMOTea), if you want any credibility left, you should do the right thing and fire Mr. Conners ASAP!
From the 05.14.2013 edition of KMOV's News 4 at 6:
Transcript:
“First, I need to state those were my personal views, not those of KMOV-TV,” Conners said (video above). “Second, to be fair, I should disclose that my issues with the IRS preceded that interview by several years. As a journalist I understand the importance of keeping personal matters separate from my professional work — sometimes you have to do that retain your independence as a newsman. Those lines might have been unintentionally crossed yesterday by my [Facebook] post.”
The facts: Conners' tax problems with the IRS go back to several years BEFORE his interview with Obama.
Conners backed off his earlier claim about the IRS on KMOV's 5 p.m. newscast Tuesday. The Post-Dispatch reported his initial IRS suspicions at 11 a.m. Conners declined to comment in the time between the Post-Dispatch report and his televised statement.
St. Louis County records show that a federal tax lien has been placed on Conners’ property in Clayton. The lien claims that Conners and his wife, Janet L. Conners, owe more than $85,000 in “small business/self employed” taxes.
The lien, filed Sept. 20 in Chicago and then recorded in St. Louis County on Oct. 4, specifically alleges that the Conners owe the government $7,793 from 2008, $38,482 from 2009 and $39,508 from 2010.
Dear KMOV (or KMOTea), if you want any credibility left, you should do the right thing and fire Mr. Conners ASAP!
