By ERIC BARTON
Over the years, we here at The Pitch haven’t been fans of Phill Kine. We’ve called him a “douche bag,” a “dimwit” and a “conservative cyborg.”
We’ve put a dunce cap on him and dressed him up like a doctor ready to prod kissing teenagers.But today, we’re defending the guy.
Last night, KCTV Channel 5’s chief investigative reporter, Ash-har Quraishi, aired this anti-Kline report based largely on data that any journalist should’ve seen as faulty.
Quraishi’s report mostly used Johnson County documents that you can find here, here and here; they note the times when Kline, the Johnson County district attorney, used his keycard to access his secured parking area. Quraishi concluded that the documents prove Kline doesn’t show up for work on many days, and when he does, he works an average of just 29 hours a week.
The problem is that the keycard data is faulty. That’s clear by the fact that on some days it shows Kline coming in but never leaving, or vice versa. The keycard data also wouldn’t track Kline’s movements if he parked elsewhere or rode to work with someone else. Insiders in Kline’s office have told The Pitch that Kline sometimes hitches a ride to work. Also, there are several weeks of missing data, because the county says keycard information is routinely purged from the system. So it's impossible to tell which days he actually shows up by using the keycard documents.
Quraishi mentioned these problems in his report. But he still used them to draw faulty conclusions about how much time Kline is in the office.
We’re familiar with these documents because we tried to draw the same conclusions. Pitch reporter Justin Kendall requested the documents back in May, after a tipster told him that Kline rarely showed up for work. In this letter, our records request was denied by Cynthia Dunham, the assistant county counselor. Dunham cited a state law that allows government agencies to keep confidential any records related to security.
KCTV made the same request, and Dunham refused the station’s request, too. But KCTV sued the county on June 4 (click here to read the lawsuit). Senior Judge John Weckel agreed with KCTV, and on September 5 he ordered the county to turn over the records (click here to read the judge’s ruling).
The county then released the records to The Pitch and KCTV. After reviewing the records, The Pitch decided against publishing them.
Quraishi also tried to determine whether Kline is really living in Johnson County. Kline’s critics have charged that he isn’t actually living at the Stilwell apartment he rents. KCTV staked out the apartment overnight and saw no sign of him. The camera crew also tailed him from work and found that he went to the home he still owns in Topeka.
That portion of the report could be more damning. State law requires Kline to live in the county where he’s a public official. But the footage also felt creepy, especially when it showed hidden-camera video of Kline’s wife, Deborah, picking up their daughter from school.
Kline wouldn’t comment for Quraishi’s report. Quraishi caught him in his car outside the Johnson County Courthouse one day, but Kline pulled away during the interview.
Kline didn’t return our phone call this morning. His spokesman, Brian Burgess, said his office has a “general policy” of not commenting to The Pitch. But he did say that he tried to explain to Quraishi that the keycard data was flawed. “They wanted [Kline] to explain where he was during these gaps, and we said, ‘What gaps?’”
According to Web site Kansas Meadowlark, Kline spoke about the surveillance at a November 14 meeting of the Zenith Boosters Club. Kline complained about a camera crew tailing his daughter and the KCTV helicopter hovering over his property, according to this post. (Zenith head Jack Cashill declined to allow The Pitch to attend that meeting.)
Quraishi and his editor, Sam Zeff, KCTV’s executive producer for special projects, defended the report during a phone call with The Pitch this afternoon. They said they discussed the shortcomings of the data but decided it was backed up with “numerous” interviews with people who knew that Kline wasn’t in the office much. “We felt very comfortable with the conclusions we made with the data,” Zeff said. As for showing video of Deborah Kline and tailing the couple’s daughter, Zeff defended their actions by saying that Deborah Kline had made herself part of the story when she registered to vote using the Stilwell address.
“We stand by our report,” Zeff said. “We’re very proud of what we’ve done.”
Hey, we don’t see a problem with investigating Kline. We just think the data should back up the claims.
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This is classic Channel 5 bullshit for you. The sad thing is that they're number one in the ratings, so it appears this is what the public wants.
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The commissioners didn't put him in office. The republican precinct leaders did. Remember that on election day. Republicans don't care about Johnson County. They gave us Phill.
While I support Phil Kline's stance on late term abortions, the fact that the man is an idiot does not change. We need to all get out and vote when his time in office is up. He doesn't spend any time doing the job, doesn't live in the county and considers himself above the law. He needs to go and so do the commissioners who put him in office.
Uh..Pitch...
The Kansas Turnpike uses electronic passes allow daily communters between Topeka and JOCO avoid paying cash...
How about a request for those Kline records. I bet the county pays his toll charges???
Inquiring minds want to know...:-)
I am a Phill Kline supporter. I voted for him in 2002 and 2006. But it is obvious that he doesn't live with his family in Johnson County. Kline is definately a bright guy but has some serious flaws, much like Richard Nixon. And breathe easy everyone...he WON'T be elected to the U.S. Senate or the Governor's mansion anytime in our lifetime. Let him enjoy the last year of his B.S. $140,000 job and then let him ride off into the sunset.
I want to know when Paul Morrisons' office will open up an investigation into this. Phill Kline is defrauding the taxpayers of Johnson County. He needs to be removed from office immediately.
Rules are rules for everyone.
I want to know when Paul Morrison's office will open up and investigation into this matter. Pure, plain and simple...Phill Kline is defrauding the taxpayers of Johnson County. He needs to be removed from office immediately.
Rule are rules for everyone, Phill.
Will you liberal creeps leave my L'il Philly alone!
Yours in Jesus.
Phill Kline's Mother
Not only is Kline a terrible DA, he's a terrible politician. Claiming "no comment" everywhere except those cozy outlets where he gets to yap his head off about how he's being victimized, stalked, hounded by the media, yadda yadda. All I can say is, Morrison was the real deal, and Kline is a fake, a fraud, and a poseur. The fact is the LAW states he must live in JoCo. Obviously he does not live in JoCo, else why does his daughter attend school in Topeka? And this hypocrite screams "Law!!" at legally run abortion providers, who are abiding by the law. And yet he himself does not abide by the law. Oh yes, I forgot, he's a man of god and abides by a higher law. So that makes everything right. And the adulation he gets from the fringe is what keeps him fueled, locked, and loaded. When will this man ever, ever go away and leave us with a well-run DA's office?
Without getting into the yays or nays of 5's ethics... Kline apparently never took Public Relations 101 -- you NEVER NEVER NEVER say "no comment" or refuse to talk about a subject in that type of situation. We may live with a "guilty until proven innocent", but in the court of public opinion, it's the other way around -- and by not saying anything, you've said plenty.
Kline may or may not have something to hide, but I guarantee you that if he had taken the time to, as 5's story says, "talk about when a garage door opens and closes"... we probably wouldn't be talking about it here.
The only reason that Phil Kline is being watched and investigated is because he does not tow the liberal line like the rest of the Johnson County trendees.
He should be praised for his work against Planned Parenthood using MY tax dollars to abort babies, yes that is what they are you know.
Thanks to the Pitch for at least standing up the the BS that Channel 5 pushes.
Sorry, using the words "dimwit' and "douchebag" to descibe a public official are surely not acceptable journalistic practice. I don't care what he's done. Yeah, that's could journalism - namecalling. Who are you guys t say KCTV used faulty data?
After KCTV5 had the balls to fight the legal fight and put their money where they mouth is to get it the Pitch couldn't make heads or tails of it and now their pissed that Channel 5 is making headlines by doing REAL journalism. I don't live in Johnson County but I'll tell you one thing - Phil Kline is a public official who's salary is paid for by taxpayers and he seems to think he's above the law.
As for his wife and daughter - I never saw one shot of the kid in that entire piece. They didn't show her face or even name her. The only mention of her was that Mrs. Kline dropped her off at school in Topeka. I think that's an important fact - since they both claim to live in Johnson County. What kind of a brat needs to go to school an hour away from where her parents supposedly live?? It's a scam and Kline got caught. Good Job KCTV!!!!
Why do people defend political figures when someone in the media actually does their job? People tend to forget that these people's salary comes from the taxpayers, and unfortunately, not enough tax-payers are questioning their public figures and if someone in the media questions them, they get crucified? We already have an example when the media did not do their job - had they done it, we would not have been in this War right now. Now that someone is doing their job and questioning the corruption, the messenger is being shot down?
News media has forgotten how to ask 'REAL' questions. This piece was a breath of fresh air, because it did ask those questions, and for those people who condemn the reporter and Channel 5, you should remember that this would have been a non-news story, only if Phill Klein had sat down and provided all the information that they requested, which he refused to do 4 times. If you are not doing anything wrong, then you should have nothing to hide, and he clearly does NOT want to answer those questions, so there MUST be something he is hiding. Should we let him continue without knowing the truth? what is more important? Truth or political affiliations?
I am no fan of the Johnson County DA but for all who do not like Mr. Kline, there is an even bigger threat coming in the elections next year.
One of the candidates is a bigot, a money monger, a man with no ethics or scruples, typical JOCO DA material under Morrisson. The man is a slime ball.
I know, he has shadowed my life for the last 10 years, never leaving me alone, threatened me in court, yelled, screamed and threw tantrums but was never rebuked by the judge in the courtroom. He is not someone who seeks justice and yes he should have been fired, in fact he was the first to go. If this man is elected, there will be no justice and if one of his friends and contributors wants your behind in a sling, well it will be, right or wrong. I really wish there was an alternative to the two people who are running, someone new and willing to take a fresh approach, not go back to the corrupt DA's office of Morrisson. Whoever has the most money will get what they want. No doubt it is the way of the Morrision rule.
One woman got 7 years for embezzlement, at the same time another woman got 5 years for conspiracy to commit murder, premeditated. Can we look at that???? Both are wrong, both are crimes but because one persons family was influential, one persons family got through to the JOCO DA's office and she is in prison knowing there are others there for the same crime and serving sentences of 15 years or better.
God help us all if this man is elected and he re hires his cronies.
I wish someone would step up besides the two former JOCO DA's to run for this office.
If Kline is not a Johnson County resident; does that mean that he is not the DA? Dooes that also mean that any Johnson County convictions that have occued during his tenue are void and get overturned? Does that mean that teh people he fired are not actually fired? Interesting questions.
Amen, Eric.
While I despise Kline's politics, and regret with great embarrassment that he has "represented" me as a public official, that in no way justifies the KCTV5 story or the hype that went with it.
Bad journalism is bad journalism, whether practiced by KCTV5, the Star, the Pitch, or some politically driven blogger.
Kline needs to get fired. Regardless of what you think of TV5, they did a report and facts are facts, I only wished they would have provided hours Kline is out working on Planned Parenthood or his future career as a potential (God help us) speaker for Anti=Abortion Groups - he needs to be fired, he is breaking the law and the law is the law. The Republican Party needs a big slap in the face for putting the fool back into office since the People voted the idot out! Write to them too people and demand he be removed from office. Kline's office last month alone lost a capital punishment case based on the screw up of the DA's office - MISTRIAL anyone? Barred DA because they cant get it together, well hell the leader President Kline is never there, you think that doesnt matter? His prosecution rate is up for DUI's - but what about the criminal rates? DOWN for sure. Unless you live thru a case like this, NEVER judge this does not matter because it does.
It seems likely that Phill Kline IS ignoring the law that requires him to live in Johnson County. Sadly, that's typical behavior for Kline, who is willing to ignore, bend, or even break any law that stands between him and doing what he wants to do. This guy has no integrity.
This is classic Channel 5 bullshit for you. The sad thing is that they're number one in the ratings, so it appears this is what the public wants. They someday might be stalking you.
"Investigating Kline?" Hey, no problem. Public officials are fair game.
Stalking the man's family and neighbors? That's another story. When the KCTV "investigators" had Kline's Stilwell neighbor afraid to leave her house for fear of being attacked, and other parents of children attending school with Kline's kids afraid a pedophile was lurking around the school - thanks to their agressive, blatant shadowing of the Kline family - the TV station clearly crossed the line from journalism to petty harassment. The Kansas Meadowlark article noted that they actually chased Kline's teenage daughter at one point.
Anybody else who was caught following and harassing women and children would have been arrested and prosecuted. Why not Zeff and Qurashi?
And they're actually "proud" of harassing women and children. No doubt they'll win some sort of journalistic award for harassing the Klines in pursuit of a non-story.
What these "journalists" actually deserve is a buckshot forget-me-not.
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