Recently, for reasons that passeth understanding, various cable news and radio shows have decided to rehabilitate some of the most noxious political figures of the past 25 years, possibly on the theory that there is some value in seeking out the opinions held of the current president* by some of the people that made his election inevitable.

Good Lord, over the weekend, both MSNBC and NPR trotted out Alberto Gonzales, the notoriously forgetful attorney-general of the George W. Bush administration, who drowsed through that bunch's offenses against the Constitution and is now called upon to comment on the current ones. This is freaking crazy. The only thing Gonzales knows about good government is that he wouldn't recognize it if he tripped over it. Please, for the love of God, bookers, get better than this.

Alberto Gonzales testifying before congress in 2007. BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI Getty Images

And then there's Ken Starr, who followed up his leadership of the Great Penis Hunt of 1998 by allegedly blowing off and covering up sexual assaults while chancellor down at Baylor. This man is a blight against American politics. He should be sued for governmental malpractice and there should be 325 million plaintiffs. And now, thanks to PR Week, we find that he is an even larger bag of sleaze than we thought.

Baylor University infiltrated sexual assault survivor groups to shape PR strategy and talking points on how to handle the groups and student demonstrations, according to two sources familiar with the matter.



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In the same month that [Sam] Ukwuachu was convicted, Baylor’s office of general counsel retained Ketchum for comms support, according to Jason Cook, Baylor’s VP for marketing and comms and CMO.



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"Ketchum provided reputation management counsel to help Baylor University address the serious issues of sexual violence and student safety," a Ketchum spokesperson said in a statement. "Our goal is to make meaningful change within the institutions we counsel."



One source familiar with the matter identified the "mole" as Matt Burchett, director of student activities at Baylor, whose job is to coordinate student pursuits such as picnics, parties, and demonstrations. The source said Burchett, acting as a liaison with university officials, played damage control on their behalf. Burchett helped to arrange demonstrations for survivor groups and passed on what he learned to school officials and the communications department, sources said.

First, let's pause for a moment and admire the masterpiece of corporate euphemism that is "reputation management counsel." Somebody in the arrant bullshit division of the marketing department deserves a raise for that.

But look at what "reputation management counsel" entails. Planting spies and informers in groups of women who already have been assaulted and whose assaults have been repeatedly ignored by the people whose reputations are being managed. You know who did this kind of thing? The Sovereignty Commission in Mississippi when it was fighting against the civil rights movement. The White Citizens Councils in Alabama. The FBI, under Hoover, during the Cointelpro horrors. I didn't realize that there were current options in the private sector, but here we are.

Ken Starr at a Baylor basketball game in December 2017. Cooper Neill Getty Images

And now, of course, one of Ken Starr's most important acolytes is one step short of being on the Supreme Court for the rest of his life. Sleazing upward is an acquired skill.

Charles P. Pierce Charles P Pierce is the author of four books, most recently Idiot America, and has been a working journalist since 1976.

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