The New York Times continues its string of bad tweets this week with the following whopper:
Two men died in the home of Ed Buck, a small-time Democratic donor and political activist. Now federal prosecutors say they have detailed a disturbing pattern in which he exchanged drugs and money for sexual favors, citing at least 11 victims. (Emphasis added).
Anyone with even a vague sense of who Buck is knew the idea that he was a “small-time” donor was ludicrous. A quick search of the Open Secrets database shows Buck has donated at least $100,000 to Democrat candidates and groups over the past decade. A Fox News review of federal records showed that “Buck also contributed more than $500,000 to Democratic groups, including $1,500 to the Obama presidential campaign and $2,950 to the Hillary Clinton campaign.”
The Times’ tweet was not an error outside of the article behind it. The article, written by four reporters, called Buck “a small-time Democratic donor and political activist” in its lede.
The reporters do not address Buck’s donations until the end of the article, where it again claimed he “was not a major Democratic donor, but he handed out tens of thousands of dollars to California Democrats.”
The Times also acknowledged Buck’s influence, writing that he “is a recognizable figure in West Hollywood, a former model who became a fixture in Los Angeles Democratic political circles and was known for focusing on animal rights.”
The Times also added that “politicians began distancing themselves from him, with some donating his contributions to nonprofit organizations” after reports surfaced of multiple men dying at his home.
None of this, apparently, makes Buck anything other than a “small-time” donor.
Buck was arrested on September 17, 2019 “for allegedly operating a drug house after three men connected to Buck have overdosed on methamphetamines over the last two years,” The Daily Wire’s Ryan Saavedra previously reported.
Gemmel Moore, 26, and Timothy Dean, 55 each reportedly died in Buck’s West Hollywood apartment within two years. Buck is white; Moore and Dean were both black. In fact, most of Buck’s victims were gay black men.
Buck was charged last week with providing methamphetamines to a 37-year-old man who overdosed in Buck’s apartment but managed to survive.
Buck had previously avoided criminal charges for the death of Moore, whose death was initially ruled an accident before a new investigation was launched in 2017 following questions from his mother about whether he himself administered the drugs that killed him.
The Times, in its article downplaying Buck’s Democrat donor status, reported that Buck has been accused of trading “drugs and money for sexual favors.”
“There were at least 11 victims in the last two years, according to the complaint, including one who said he left Mr. Buck’s apartment after overdosing last week and called 911,” the outlet reported.
Nine of the victims said Buck either administered the drugs for them or encouraged them to take the drugs. Some said Buck had injected them while they were asleep and without their knowledge or consent.