Ashley Todd Hate Crime or Hoax?

Ashley Todd Hate Crime or Hoax?

Ashley Todd, a campaign volunteer for the McCain/Palin Campaign, reported to police that she was mugged and then assaulted at an ATM machine in Pittsburgh. Ashley Todd hails from College Station, Texas, and is twenty years old.
According to Ashley Todd, a 6-foot-4 black man wearing dark blue jeans and a tank top robbed her of sixty dollars. Them, noticing a McCain/Palin bumper sticker on her car, became enraged, beat her, and then carved the letter "B" in her cheek.
Unfamiliar with her surroundings, Ashley Todd drove to a friend's house. The friend called the police and Ashley Todd was interviewed at the friend's house. Later the officer drove Ashley Todd to the ATM where the crime allegedly took place. Ashley Todd initially refused treatment, but was later driven to the hospital by the friend, a student at the University of Pittsburgh.
Later, a photo of the young woman began to circulate around the internet. Clearly the woman was beaten very badly and the "B", which appears reversed in the photo, is very clear on her right cheek.
The reaction to the report of what must be termed a political hate crime ranged from outrage to concern to skepticism. The Obama Campaign issued a statement deploring the attack and expressing the hope that the assailant would soon be caught. Sarah Palin personally called Ashley Todd to express her concern.
On the other hand there has been skepticism expressed about the attack and how it took place. The leftwing blogosphere is, not surprisingly, calling the whole thing a hoax. But there is even some skepticism coming from the rightwing blogosphere. Michelle Malkin, no friend of liberals, suggested that the story didn't pass the smell test. The police are reporting that Ashley Todd's story conflicts with the security camera footage at the ATM, but are still treating the report as credible.
Of course it is entirely possible that Ashley Todd is trying to pull a Tawana Brawley in a kind of sick attempt to get attention and to affect the political process. The sort of thing, as Michell Malkin points out, has happened before.

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