“Non-Partisan” Conservative Pundit Fred Barnes Took GOP Cash

Conservative commentator Fred Barnes has recently criticized liberal journalists for discussing ideas on a free, private email list. Barnes claims that, unlike the denizens of journo-list, he’s a non-partisan conservative:

“If there’s a team, no one has asked me to join. As a conservative, I normally write more favorably about Republicans than Democrats and I routinely treat conservative ideas as superior to liberal ones. But I’ve never been part of a discussion with conservative writers about how we could most help the Republican or the conservative team.” [WSJ]

Joe Conason of Salon points out that Barnes, who was a reporter before he became a conservative commentator, has traveled around the country speaking at Republican Party events, helping the GOP raise money as a banquet speaker. What’s more, public records show that Barnes has accepted over $25,000 in speaking fees to present at Republican events.

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