Two Dozen Members of Congress Protest Scheer Firing

By: E&P Staff Twenty-four Democratic members of Congress signed a letter objecting to the Los Angeles Times' dismissal of Robert Scheer earlier this month.

The letter -- addressed to Times Publisher Jeffrey Johnson -- was posted on HuffingtonPost.com in a blog entry from Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio).

In the letter, the Congress members cited several examples of Scheer's "long history of excellence in reporting and Op-Ed pieces." Among the examples:

-- "In 2000, Scheer predicted the Bush/Cheney ticket's close ties to the oil industry would ensure consumers would 'feel the sting from the exhorbitant price of gas.'"

-- "In 2003, Scheer was already making a strong case for the U.S. getting out of Iraq."

-- "Scheer's final column highlighted military intelligence documents that suggested Iraqi intelligence was manipulated, as opposed to simply bad intelligence."

The letter to Johnson concluded: "Your readers, and the nation, deserve better. We hope that you will reconsider your dismissal of Robert Scheer."

In addition to Kucinich, the other signees included Diane Watson (D-Calif.), Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.), John Tierney (D-Mass.), Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii), Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), Richard Neal (D-Mass.), Michael Honda (D-Calif.), Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.), Juanita Millender-McDonald (D-Calif.), Bob Filner (D-Calif.), Maurice Hinchey (D-N.Y.), Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), Gwen Moore (D-Wisc.), John Lewis (D-Ga.), George Miller (D-Calif.), Bill Clay (D-Mo.), Donald Payne (D-N.J.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), Hilda Solis (D-Calif.), Sam Farr (D-Calif.), and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio).

The San Francisco Chronicle is now the home newspaper for Scheer, whose column is distributed by Creators Syndicate.