CO:SEN. BENNET RESOPONDS TO NYT

Elements: b-roll of NY times article on Bennet, sots from Bennet two shot setup of reporter with bennet ## Shot 08/06/2010. ## By Paul Steinhauser CNN Deputy Political Director (CNN) — A front page article in Friday’s New York Times could spell trouble for Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado, four days before he faces the test of voters in a competitive primary. But the senator and his campaign are pushing back hard against the article, which they consider one-sided and not accurate. The story, headlined "Exotic Deals Put Denver Schools Deeper in Debt," reports that Bennet, who served as the superintendent of Denver's schools before being named to the Senate, persuaded school board members to strike a deal with Wall Street bankers two years ago to try and plug a $400 million hole in the school system's pension plan. Instead, the article alleges that deal, involving taking out high risk loans to cover mounting debt, "went awry" during the Wall Street collapse and eventually cost the school system millions of dollars. "I know the New York Times is always looking to break a big story, but in this case, they just got it wrong. This story has been covered by local reporters who have provided more balanced, fair, and accurate coverage. The New York Times got caught up in a heated political primary where my opponent and his supporters have repeatedly tried to score points at the expense of kids and have once again disregarded the facts," says Bennet in a statement released by his campaign. ## QC: Ben - This feed has multiple audio/video issues that QC is unable to correct. Greg from the West Desk is working with the source to correct these issues.

Channel: CNN ImageSource Video Length: 8m 44s Date Found: Wed, Aug 18 2010 6:14 PM Category: Stock Footage Date Produced: Fri, Aug 06 2010 12:00 AM View Count: 0