Which Republican U.S. Congressman had a dead aide found in his office while the media was hounding Democrat U.S. Congressman Gary Condit?

Joe Scarborough was recently rewarded

by MSNBC with his own talk show.

• Conservative Republican that served from 1994-2001 when he resigned from office abruptly, just months after being reelected..

• Represented northwest Florida -- a military rich area  -- which includes the Naval Air Station -- Eglin AFB -- Hurlburt AFB

• Never served in the military see his own biography page

• Currently a law partner with Fred Levin - Pensacola, Florida

• Paid to write commentary for the Pensacola News Journal http://www.pensacolanewsjournal.com 

• Rock and Roll musician

• A dead female aide was found in his Florida office at the same time Democrat Congressman Gary Condit was under intense national media scrutiny News article link

• Dozens of local newspaper links that followed the entire story of the death of Lori Klausutis are listed below on the bottom of this page scroll down to Northwest Florida Daily News Articles.

• Listed below are links to other websites and other information on Scarborough and Lori Klausutis.

• http://www.naplesnews.com/01/07/florida/d654225a.htm
  http://www.truthout.org/docs_01/01.05B.Klausutis.1.htm
  http://www.geocities.com/mikailtariq/Scarborough.htm
  http://www.americanpolitics.com/20010808Klausutis.html
  http://www.nwfdailynews.com/archive/news/01/010721news1.html
  http://www.whoseflorida.com/lori_klausutis.htm
   

  ---

Our Editorial: 9-15-01- All Hat No Cattle

Republican stronghold gives kid-glove treatment to local U.S. Congressman Joe Scarborough

     When this story first broke in the Florida panhandle, we wondered if we were in store for some Gary Condit-style media coverage. Needless to say, this story never made national TV.  The big boys of broadcast had their sights set solely on Condit and had no time to cover the unusual death of a healthy, politically active 28-year-old female aide in a U.S. Congressman's district office.

     The so-called Liberal national media -- quite the opposite in this instance as in so many others -- felt it was more important to keep plucking feathers from their latest Democrat goose than to ruffle the feathers of a Republican Congressman who unexpectedly resigned just a few months after being reelected. Now an aide had been found dead in his office, but the national news media simply weren't interested.

     After all was said and done, a few things became quite clear.  The authorities, mainly the police who investigated the scene, gave the appearance of a cover-up by immediately stating that there were no signs of foul play. It subsequently was revealed that the dead woman had a bad wound to her forehead, which seemed to fly in the face of the initial statements by investigators. If this wasn't an example of poor police work, it most certainly was a case of bumbled media and public relations.

     How could police rule out foul play until they knew the cause of the wound, before an autopsy was conducted and toxicology tests performed?

     The local newspaper, the Northwest Florida Daily News, tried to get information from local authorities and claimed they were sandbagged at every turn .  No one suggested that the Congressman had anything to do with the death, but the manner in which authorities handled the press shows one thing.  They gave the benefit of the doubt to the popular Republican Congressman, and it is doubtful they would have done the same for any ordinary Joe. 

Questions still left unanswered

1. Why did the police state, before all the evidence was analyzed , that there were no signs of foul play the day that Lori Klausutis' body was found?

2. Why didn't police reveal the fact of the head injuries?  

3. Why did the dead woman's obituary, which noted every other highlight of her life and career, did not make any mention of the years she had spent working for Joe Scarborough?

4. Why didn't the police believe the security guard who was the only eye witness?

5. Why isn't there a picture of Lori Klausutis? 

?

The following is a collection of links gathered after a dead aide was found in Republican Congressman Joe Scarborough's Fort Walton Beach, Florida office in late July 2001.

Northwest Florida Daily News articles on the dead aide

Northwest Florida Daily News
... Lori Kaye Klausutis. Lori Kaye Klausutis, age 28, of Niceville, Fla.,
passed away on Thursday, July 19, 2001. She was a member of St. ...
www.nwfdailynews.com/archive/obituaries/ 010723briefs5.html - 11k -

Northwest Florida Daily News
... mosquito bite. The deaths of Lori Klausutis and Cody Landsverk were
equally tragic - two young lives that ended all too soon. Both of ...
www.nwfdailynews.com/archive/ralph_routon/ 010729edit3.html - 16k -

Northwest Florida Daily News
... Scarborough aide dies. Police have found no evidence of foul play in the death of
Lori Klausutis. By JEFF AYRES, Daily News Staff Writer An employee of US Rep. ...
www.nwfdailynews.com/archive/news/01/010721news1.html - 10k -

Northwest Florida Daily News
... Florida, is still being given a complete pass by the media, in spite of the dead
(from blunt trauma to the head) congressional aide Lori Klausutis, whose body ...
www.nwfdailynews.com/archive/opinion/010828edit2.html - 8k -

Northwest Florida Daily News
... examiner's office and the Fort Walton Beach Police Department are adding another
layer of mystery to the death of congressional aide Lori Klausutis by refusing ...
www.nwfdailynews.com/archive/opinion/010823edit1.html - 8k -

Northwest Florida Daily News
... Scarborough aide laid to rest. Information on the cause of death of Lori Klausutis
may be released today. By AMBER BOLLMAN, Daily News Staff Writer ...
www.nwfdailynews.com/archive/news/01/010726news3.html - 7k -

Northwest Florida Daily News
... Autopsy report on aide released. The findings confirm Lori Klausutis died after
falling and hitting her head on a desk. By JEFF AYRES, Daily News Staff Writer ...
www.nwfdailynews.com/archive/news/01/010901news3.html - 8k -

Northwest Florida Daily News
... Despite weeks of furious speculation on the Internet, it's likely that Lori Klausutis
died exactly the way investigators say she died: She collapsed because of ...
www.nwfdailynews.com/archive/opinion/010902edit1.html - 10k -

Northwest Florida Daily News
... The medical examiner investigating the death of Lori Klausutis said Saturday
there is absolutely no evidence that the 28-year-old employee of US Rep. ...
www.nwfdailynews.com/archive/news/01/010722news2.html - 10k -

Northwest Florida Daily News
... Blood test results and an autopsy were By unable to reveal Lori Klausutis'
cause of death. By AMBER BOLLMAN, Daily News Staff Writer. ...
www.nwfdailynews.com/archive/news/01/010728news4.html - 6k -

Northwest Florida Daily News
... On behalf of Lori Klausutis' entire family, I want to thank the Northwest
Florida Daily News for adding to this family's pain over Lori's loss. ...
www.nwfdailynews.com/archive/opinion/010728edit2.html - 12k -

Northwest Florida Daily News
... Everyone keeps talking about how Dr. Michael Berkland needs to hurry
up and release the information on the Lori Klausutis case. ...
www.nwfdailynews.com/archive/opinion/010830edit2.html - 9k -

Northwest Florida Daily News
... unforeseen difficulties, delays or homicides," Associate Medical Examiner Michael
Berkland said he would release the autopsy report for Lori Klausutis Friday. ...
www.nwfdailynews.com/archive/ local/01/010830briefs1.html - 10k -

Northwest Florida Daily News
... Repeated attempts Thursday to contact Associate Medical Examiner Dr. Michael
Berkland about the death of Lori Klausutis were unsuccessful. ...
www.nwfdailynews.com/archive/news/01/010727news6.html - 6k -

Northwest Florida Daily News
... 23 Lori Klausutis piece (Daily News editorial, "Klausutis records should be
released"). It's good to find a few remaining newspapers here and there. ...
www.nwfdailynews.com/archive/opinion/010829edit2.html - 9k -

Northwest Florida Daily News
... Mike Reynolds and Lori Klausutis play newlyweds Clint and Myrtle McLaird, while
Carnathan, Al Stearns, Paul Bigot and Toby Sturgill portray the brothers Earp ...
www.nwfdailynews.com/archive/entertainment/ 980227show3fet.html - 7k -

Northwest Florida Daily News
... Associate Medical Examiner Michael Berkland said Monday that the aide, Lori Klausutis,
suffered a heart condition - previously unsuspected and undiagnosed ...
www.nwfdailynews.com/archive/opinion/010808edit1.html - 8k -

Northwest Florida Daily News
... While a blow to the head was ultimately responsible for the death of Lori Klausutis,
an undiagnosed heart condition caused her to collapse and take a fatal ...
www.nwfdailynews.com/archive/news/01/010807news2.html - 9k -

Northwest Florida Daily News
... Details emerge in aide's death. A police report reinforces the finding that Lori
Klausutis' death was accidental. By TOM McLAUGHLIN, Daily News Staff Writer ...
www.nwfdailynews.com/archive/news/01/010829news1.html - 9k -

Northwest Florida Daily News
... Lorraine L. Smith, 77, Destin, July 22. Lori K. Klausutis, 28, Niceville,
July 19 Tuesday, July 24. Randall F. Counsman, 82, no town given, July 16. ...
www.nwfdailynews.com/archive/obituaries/ 010729briefsa4.html - 7k -

Northwest Florida Daily News
... As Norm and Carol Klausutis' neighbor, I can attest to the pain your newspaper ... While
I understand that this tragedy became newsworthy because of Lori's job in ...
www.nwfdailynews.com/archive/opinion/010731edit2.html - 13k - Cached - Similar pages

Northwest Florida Daily News
... I feel for the Klausutis family and imagine they just wish all the stories would
stop. But Lori worked for our congressman, which makes her death ripe for ...
www.nwfdailynews.com/archive/opinion/010831edit2.html - 9k

 This website has never been able to find an identifiable photograph of Lori Klausutis. None was ever published in the two area newspapers. Picture of Lori Klausutis...sort of   The link was taken down on 2-10-03 from the University of West Florida website.  Why is there no photograph of this woman available?

Joe Scarborough's activities since November 2000 to present

November 2000  Stumped for George W. Bush right until election day.  Then Scarborough  made national TV talk show rounds in defending Bush's controversial victory.

May 2001            Scarborough surprises northwest Florida by resigning only a few months into his two-year term. Pensacola News Journal editorial 

July 2001              Joe Scarborough's aide is found dead in his Ft. Walton Beach office.

August 2001         Authorities refuse to release autopsy reports on the dead aide.

                              Editorial 8-23-01

October 2002        Lawyer in the law firm of Fred Levin.  Also writes commentary for the Pensacola News Journal.  

February 2003       MSNBC Host filling in for Nachman

June  2003            Former U.S. Rep. Scarborough debuts on MSNBC show
                                   The Associated Press  4-4-03

Former U.S. Rep. Joe Scarborough made his debut as anchor of a national cable news show about the United States' showdown with Iraq and is scheduled to stay in the role indefinitely...Scarborough was elected to four terms but retired in midterm to spend more time with his two sons.

 Inquiring minds want to know: Why would MSNBC hire a resigned US Congressman who had a dead aide found in his office soon after his resignation, all the while MSNBC was hounding Gray Condit?  MSNBC hired Scarborough instead of investigating him.

Read about Lori Klausutis, the deceased aide of Joe Scarborough  

Picture of Lori Klausutis...sort of  < link removed 2-10-03 by University of West Florida      Lori's Marathon results...scroll down to #270

Her obituary

The husband of the dead GOP aide   1997 International Conference on Image Processing