[See NewsBusters for more.] In a stark departure from the usual routine, the networks on Wednesday night and Thursday morning repeatedly identified scandal-plagued Senator Robert Menendez as a Democrat, mentioning his affiliation nine times in just six stories. NBC spotlighted Menendez's party four times. ABC highlighted it three times and CBS twice. Yet, they avoided noticing Menendez's strong conflicts with the Obama administration. According to the Wall Street journal, the politician "has been a vocal opponent of two of President Barack Obama’s key foreign-policy initiatives: the rebuilding of ties with Iran and Cuba." George Stephanopoulos noted that "New Jersey Democrat Robert Menendez" has been accused of trading influence for expensive travel arrangements and campaign contributions.
