But you wouldn’t have known it was California Dem Congressman Bob Filner in some of the early reporting on the story, which Mark Finkelstein discusses here.
As ST reader sanity noted in the comments of the most recent open thread, had this guy been a Republican, it would have been one of the first things you read about him.
Here are the details of the alleged incident:
Rep. Bob Filner (D-CA) was involved in an altercation last night at Dulles Airport. He was allegedly angered by the amount of time it was taking to get his luggage and tried to push his way through the United Airlines baggage claim office. The release below is from Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority.
“Around 6 PM on Sunday, Aug. 19, Airports Authority Police were called to the United Airlines bag claim office at Dulles for a report of an incident with a passenger regarding his baggage. The individual allegedly attempted to enter an area authorized for airline employees only, pushed aside the employee’s outstretched arm and refused to leave the area when asked by an airline employee. When MWAA officers arrived a few minutes later, the man had left the office and was waiting in the area of a bag carousel. Officers interviewed him and witnesses and released him. Before the individual left the airport, officers advised him that the airline employee would be pursuing charges. The airline employee appeared before a Loudoun County Magistrate later that evening and a summons was obtained charging Robert Filner (DOB 09/04/1942) with assault and battery, a class 1 misdemeanor. Mr. Filner is scheduled to appear in Loudoun County General District Court on October 2.”
Filner’s people had this to say in response:
“Congressman Bob Filner is on his way to Iraq, visiting our troops, and will have a full statement when he returns. Suffice it to say now, that the story that has appeared in the press is factually incorrect-and the charges are ridiculous.”
Mmmhmm.
Gateway Pundit reminds us that Filner is the founder of the “Progressive” Caucus. I’d say “Aggressive” Caucus would be more like it. (badaboom! I’ll be here all week, folks …)
Here’s more, from The Politico’s Crypt blog (h/t: Kim Priestap):
It remains to be seen how Filner will handle the potentially embarrassing incident. The charges and the details of what happened at Dulles Airport on Sunday night are now part of the public record at a magistrate’s office in Loudoun County, Va., near Dulles Airport.
Will be interesting to see if the mediots follow up on this once Filner returns from his trip to Iraq, and furthermore, what the ‘real facts’ are as per Filner’s office.
Incidentally, Jammie Wearing Fool reports that Cynthia McKinney, also, was unavailable for comment 
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Thanks for the link, ST.
May I note the typically classy response from Wonkette:
Comment by JammieWearingFool @ 8/20/2007 - 7:58 pm
From an AP report, linked to from the Washington Post:
WASHINGTON — Rep. Bob Filner, D-Calif., has been summoned to court on assault and battery charges after an incident at Dulles Airport on Sunday night where he allegedly pushed a United Airlines bag claim employee.
LINK
Emphasis mine.
As for Wonkette, shame on them.
Comment by Leslie @ 8/20/2007 - 8:02 pm
I’m sure some of them got it right, Les, but some of them went back and added it in after the criticism was either pointed out or realized. As I noted, the absence of the “D” was apparent in some early reporting on the story.
Comment by Sister Toldjah @ 8/20/2007 - 8:10 pm
Nods - the ABC story and the CNN story both were missing any party affiliation when I last checked.
Comment by sanity @ 8/20/2007 - 10:16 pm
Another example of someone who perceives that they are more important than everyone else.
Comment by G Monster @ 8/21/2007 - 2:38 pm
This is just like when the police beat up a girl at Reagan National Airport in DC. They assaulted this girl and gave her a serious brain injury and made her entire body black and blue.
Then they arrested HER and charged her with a made up crime. You can be beat up by police and then have them charge you with a slew of imaginary crimes to cover up the beating, even if you are a law abiding citizen.
I seriously doubt Congressman Filner, who has devoted his entire career to public service and was going to visit our troops in Iraq, assaulted anyone. Fly through Washington DC airports at your own risk!
Comment by Fly through Washington DC airports at your own risk @ 8/23/2007 - 5:11 am
Really? Do tell, how does it work? Do the police just decide that they have nothing better to do than assault someone for no reason or maybe it’s because they didn’t have their morning coffee???
Really? Why? Because he’s a congressman, or because he’s a democrat? How interesting that you can generalize and bash hundreds of thousands of police officers in this country without a thought, yet declare this congressman innocent without ever having been there. You’re quite the fortune teller.
Yet somehow I can’t help but think that if you’re in trouble somehow you’ll be the first one screaming for their help.
What a stupid post.
Comment by NC Cop @ 8/23/2007 - 8:57 am
NC Cop,
I think our anonymous Liberal friend is just a flunky from Filner’s office doing a Glenn Greenwald for their boss.
Comment by PCD @ 8/23/2007 - 9:28 am
comment by mr. drive by, “Fly through Washington DC airports at your own risk!”
I’ve done so more than 16 times and with my daughters.
At no point did my fists start flying.
Comment by Baklava @ 8/23/2007 - 9:35 am
9, Bak, I’ve gone through Reagan and Dulles more times than I want to count. This Democrat is drunk with power. He needs to be jailed, then shown the unemployment line this next election.
Pelosi said she clean up the House. Evidently she didn’t mean in conduct or content. Pelosi must have meant that she’d get out the bucket and mop to clean out the chamber.
Comment by PCD @ 8/23/2007 - 10:21 am
I predict cold hard $90,000 in cash William Jefferson and Mr. Flying Fists Bob Filner will continue on in their districts….
Republicans are held accountable. Democrats are admired.
Comment by Baklava @ 8/23/2007 - 12:44 pm