Time Line of Events Leading Up to Congressman Billy Long's Blogger Witch Hunt

I enjoyed my conversation today with Brian Thomas on Cincinnati's 55KRC, The Talk. Thomas heard the story about how a Republican Congressman used the FBI in hopes of silencing criticism and asked me to be on his show early this morning. During the interview, Thomas became privileged to new information he had not heard prior to hearing the story as it broke across the national airwaves of conservative talk radio last Friday.

While many listening may believe this was the first attempt Congressman Billy Long made to silence a blogger, it is not. Here's a timeline for anyone else following the story:

August 31, 2009: Standing in line for the Claire McCaskill Obamacare town hall meeting at the Gilloz Theatre in Springfield, Missouri, Billy Long shows up handing out campaign stickers and meeting voters. When I engage Mr. Long in a question about the Constitution, he gives me a generic answer. When I ask him to explain his answer, he walks away from me.

January 2010: I post a blog asking for Republican candidates other than Billy Long to contact me to discuss issues in hopes of getting other true Constitutional conservative candidates noticed through my blog knowing that Billy Long had a huge war chest built for the primary.

Early February 2010: Republican congressional candidate Michael Wardell contacts me for coverage on my blog. I conduct and interview with him over the phone that I publish later in the day. During the conversation we bring up Billy Long, and I explain that it is my goal to use my blog to promote other true Constitutional conservative candidates that follow the Tea Party's philosophies. He suggests I create a blog called Long is Wrong.

February 8, 2010: Billy Long is Wrong goes live with a lead Wardell gave me that Billy Long was dodging early debate challenges.

Early February 2010: I send Billy Long an e-mail asking him if he dodged early debate challenges. Long responds, which gets the attention of Rabbi DF Eukel, who was trying to organize the debates. Rabbi Eukel states that Long was in fact guilty of dodging debates. Momentum picks up early as local news station KSGF runs a story on the new Blog.

March 2, 2010: I attend the Joplin Federated Republican Women meeting with candidate Bob Schanz. When the meeting ended, Billy Long rushed to the back room where I was sitting and asked if we could do coffee, worried that we got off on the wrong foot in August. Congressman Long staff member Curtis Trent joined Long and myself at a table at Pizza by Stout. I listened to Long make a case hoping I will take down the site, eventually telling me I am a smart guy who he could use in his campaign, and their could be a job in this for me if I was to remove the Long is Wrong Web site. This is the first time Long tried to silence me--through a bribe.

April 15, 2010: Blogger Duane Graham interviews Billy Long about the attempted bribe and releases the video on YouTube. A subsequent video appears a few months later examining Billy Long's uncomfortable body language during his response to Graham.





June 8, 2010: I along with a 17-year-old blogger receive an ethics complaint from the Federal Election Commission from a man who worked for Billy Long's campaign named Andrew Bruner. In the complaint, Bruner, under oath, tells the FEC the teenager and I are running an illegal political action committee that is taking thousands of dollars in donations from donors and pocketing most of the money.

August 3, 2010: Billy Long wins the Republican Primary.

August 9, 2010: Republican Michael Wardell endorses Demcorat Scott Eckersley citing character issues and lack of political gravitas as reasons to jump parties and endorse Eckersley.

September 2010: Through an organized effort by multiple bloggers and others concerned over Long's candidacy, activists begin attending public appearances Long makes.

September 7, 2010: Blogger Jim Lee attends a stop on Billy Long's business tour. Lee actually gets to engage in conversation with Billy Long, which Long states he's not afraid to answer questions from anybody, anywhere, anytime.



September 14, 2010: Billy Long makes a public appearance at the Spending Revolt Bus Tour. We are told prior to the event Long will be making comments, but after signing the bus, Long quickly leaves avoiding the questions by multiple people who were part of an organized effort to engage in political discussion with Long by asking tough questions. It would be instances like these which Long's office used to create a perceived threat with the FBI.



November 2, 2010: Billy Long wins the election and the Long is Wrong Web site is removed from the Internet.

January 11, 2011: An FBI agent shows up at blogger's house with a Sheriff Jim Arnott, outside of his jurisdiction. Both the agent and the Sheriff claim Long's office were worried about blogger after confrontations near Long's truck. Blogger showed FBI agent the videos of him asking the candidate political questions while allowing Long to enter his truck without any physical or vocal threat to the Congressman.