Columnists are given more leeway that regular journalists to slant the news. But when Richard Cohen of the Washington Post devoted an entire column to promoting falsehoods about America’s first openly gay ambassador, something has to be said about it. Cohen flatly denied that James Hormel was a gay activist and insisted that Senator James Inhofe, who opposed the nomination, was guilty of “homophobia.” This is supposed to mean an unwarranted fear of homosexuals.

But it appears that Cohen has a fear of the truth. Here’s what he said about Inhofe and Hormel: “Inhofe calls Hormel a ‘gay activist.’ Never mind that Hormel is not a gay activist…” Cohen insisted that Hormel is a “philanthropist”—someone who puts money into worthwhile purposes, but he was careful not to tell us where he is actually putting his money. This is where Hormel’s gay agenda really comes into view.

Andrea Sheldon, executive director of the Traditional Values Coalition, puts the issue bluntly: “Mr. Hormel is a purveyor of smut. His center, the James Hormel Gay and Lesbian Reading Center in San Francisco, is one of the biggest collections of pornography and pro-pedophilia literature ever assembled.” Sheldon should know something about this, for she visited the reading center and was shocked by the pornography, particularly the material dealing with incest and pedophilia that she found there. But that’s not all. Hormel has also funded “It=s Elementary,” a program that recently aired on public television promoting the gay lifestyle to children; a campaign to open the military to homosexuals; campaigns promoting same-sex marriages; and numerous radical homosexual organizations.

Hormel has also been associated with an anti-Catholic group called the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, which mocks Catholic teachings. Senator Tim Hutchinson once gave Hormel the opportunity to disassociate himself from the group and he rebuffed him. This is one reason why the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights has called Hormel an anti-Catholic bigot.

Hormel’s nomination as Ambassador to Luxembourg had not been acted upon by the U.S. Senate for over a year before President Clinton decided to appoint him anyway, through a device known as a recess appointment. That is, he waited until the Senate took a recess to give him the post. This clear abuse of presidential power caused Senator Inhofe to promise to halt all other non-military presidential appointments. And this led to Richard Cohen’s hysterical attack on him. Going further than Cohen, the Washington Post ran a story about Hormel that referred to his “advocacy of gay rights.” On ABC world News Tonight, reporter John Cochran cited Inhofe’s complaint that Hormel would “advance a gay agenda.” But this doesn’t go far enough. It appears the media are covering-up his real record, out of fear of offending the homosexual rights movement. Hormel’s record may, in turn, lead to a scandal involving his links to the Democratic Party. Hormel is a big funder of the Democratic Party and Al Gore reportedly has personally asked him for a big contribution.

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