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Impeachment vote suicide, Schiff: “abuses of FISA that I was unaware of,”, Comey on Horowitz: “He was right, I was wrong”, Jeff Van Drew switching parties

Posted on December 16, 2019 | 12 comments

Impeachment vote suicide, Schiff: “abuses of FISA that I was unaware of,”, Comey on Horowitz: “He was right, I was wrong”, Jeff Van Drew switching parties

“I hate politics. I rejected evil as a child and I still do. The impeachment debacle is not so much about politics as good vs evil. Those behind this effort are evil.”…Citizen Wells

“The Inspector General’s report now makes clear that the FBI launched an intrusive investigation of a U.S. presidential campaign on the thinnest of suspicions that, in my view, were insufficient to justify the steps taken.  It is also clear that, from its inception, the evidence produced by the investigation was consistently exculpatory. “…Attorney General Barr

“this is not how an American president should be impeached.”… Jonathan Turley

 

We only have the limited in scope Horowitz IG report exposing US Justice Dept. corruption at this juncture.

Already we have the following:

The General Michael Flynn trial was put on hold to evaluate the impact of the findings. He most certainly will be exonerated.

Jeff Van Drew just announced he is switching from the Democrat to Republican Party.

James Comey just stated regarding Horowitz and the IG Report: “He was right, I was wrong”

Adam Schiff just stated “I’m certainly willing to admit that the inspector general found serious abuses of FISA that I was unaware of,”

As it stands now, prior to the release of the Barr/Durham investigations/indictments, any Democrat running for office in 2020 could potentially have a tough time winning.

If there is an impeachment vote this week, any Democrat voting to impeach Trump is committing political suicide. Except of course in a few liberal bastions that don’t care about right and wrong.

Rep. Devin Nunes December 15, 2019 letter to Adam Schiff:

“As you are aware, on December 9, 2019, U.S. Department of Justice Inspector General (IG) Michael Horowitz published the results of his investigation of the FISA warrant and renewals obtained by the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) to spy on Trump campaign associate Carter Page. The IG’s findings of pervasive, major abuses by the FBI dramatically contradict the assertions of your memo released on February 24, 2018, in which you claimed, “FBI and DOJ officials did not ‘abuse’ the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) process, omit material information, or subvert this vital tool to spy on the Trump Campaign.”

After publishing false conclusions of such enormity on a topic directly within this committee’s oversight responsibilities, it is clear you are in need of rehabilitation, and I hope this letter will serve as the first step in that vital process.

Outlining every false claim from your memo would require an extremely long letter, so I will limit my summary to a few highlights. In your memo you made the following assertions:”

Read more:

https://twitter.com/ByronYork/status/1206291859196260353

 

More here:

https://citizenwells.com/

http://citizenwells.net/

 

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Posted in Accountability, Citizen News, Citizens for the truth about Obama, CitizenWells, Congress, Congress Watch, Democratic Disaster, Democrats, Election 2020, impeachment, republicans, US House of Representatives

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Jeff Van Drew switching parties, Democrat to Republican over impeachment of Trump, “It was supposed to be bipartisan,…. something that was always on the rarest of circumstances,” 

Posted on December 15, 2019 | 11 comments

Jeff Van Drew switching parties, Democrat to Republican over impeachment of Trump, “It was supposed to be bipartisan,…. something that was always on the rarest of circumstances,”

“I hate politics. I rejected evil as a child and I still do. The impeachment debacle is not so much about politics as good vs evil. Those behind this effort are evil.”…Citizen Wells

“The Inspector General’s report now makes clear that the FBI launched an intrusive investigation of a U.S. presidential campaign on the thinnest of suspicions that, in my view, were insufficient to justify the steps taken.  It is also clear that, from its inception, the evidence produced by the investigation was consistently exculpatory. “…Attorney General Barr

“this is not how an American president should be impeached.”… Jonathan Turley

 

From Politico.

“Democratic impeachment holdout Jeff Van Drew planning to switch parties

Rep. Jeff Van Drew, a moderate Democrat who is strongly opposed to impeaching President Donald Trump, is expected to switch parties and become a Republican, according to multiple sources familiar with the situation.

Van Drew is one of two Democrats who voted against opening the impeachment inquiry into Trump and has remained against the effort, even as the House prepares to vote to impeach the president next week. Van Drew’s decision comes after a meeting with Trump on Friday.

Van Drew’s congressional, campaign staff and other members of the New Jersey delegation were informed he was planning to switch parties on Saturday, according to Democratic sources. The question now was when, not if, Van Drew was joining the Republican Party, according to several Democrats with knowledge of the ongoing conversations.

“It was supposed to be bipartisan, it was supposed to be incontrovertible. It was supposed to be something that was always on the rarest of circumstances,” Van Drew told reporters about impeachment earlier this week. “Well it’s not bipartisan.””

“Multiple senior Democrats tried to reach out to the New Jersey freshman on Saturday but were unsuccessful. Van Drew did not respond to calls and texts from POLITICO seeking comment.

Rumors had swirled around Capitol Hill this week that Van Drew was considering leaving the Democratic Party but he strongly denied those claims on multiple occasions. Van Drew flipped his GOP district in southern New Jersey, helping deliver Democrats the House majority. The district, which still leans Republican, voted for Trump in 2016.”

Read more:

https://www.politico.com/news/2019/12/14/jeff-van-drew-change-parties-085036

 

More here:

https://citizenwells.com/

http://citizenwells.net/

 

11 Comments

Posted in Accountability, Citizen News, Citizens for the truth about Obama, CitizenWells, Congress, Congress Watch, Democratic Disaster, Democrats, republicans, US House of Representatives

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Carter Page v. US Department of Justice filed October 21, 2019, “The DOJ, its employees and officers…acted intentionally or willfully in violation of Dr. Page’s privacy rights,”

Posted on October 27, 2019 | 10 comments

Carter Page v. US Department of Justice filed October 21, 2019, “The DOJ, its employees and officers…acted intentionally or willfully in violation of Dr. Page’s privacy rights,”

“Instead of doing so, the government has continued to defy its
constitutional, ethical and legal obligations to this Court and to the defense, and to hide evidence that it knows exonerates Mr. Flynn. As is the essence of the problem here, instead of protecting its citizens, the “government” is protecting its own criminal conduct and operatives.”…Attorney Sidney Powell October 23, 2019

Mueller, as a matter of determined policy, omitted key steps which any honest investigator would undertake. He did not commission any forensic examination of the DNC servers. He did not interview Bill Binney. He did not interview Julian Assange. His failure to do any of those obvious things renders his report worthless.”…Craig Murray

“McCabe had a role in crafting the “insurance policy” in the event Mr. Trump was elected.  Expect to find Comey a part of that also.”…Attorney Sydney Powell

 

From The Epoch Times.

“Carter Page Sues DOJ, Demands Review of IG Report Prior to Release

A former Trump campaign associate who was wiretapped by the FBI sued the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Oct. 21, demanding that the government provide him with the opportunity to review, before it is made public, the forthcoming inspector general’s report on potential surveillance abuses in his case.

In a lawsuit filed with the U.S. District Court in Washington, Carter Page accuses the DOJ of violating his privacy rights by failing to grant him the opportunity to review the report before the document is published.”

“Page additionally alleges that the DOJ violated his privacy rights by disclosing copies of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) application to the New York Times prior to giving him an opportunity to review the documents.

In addition to requesting damages and the prosecution of the officials involved, Page is asking the court to order the DOJ to hand over all of the documents he has long sought to review and amend.

“The DOJ, its employees and officers, including those in the affiliated agency of the FBI under their jurisdiction, acted intentionally or willfully in violation of Dr. Page’s privacy rights,” the lawsuit states.”

“The FBI obtained the warrant as part of its counterintelligence investigation of the Trump campaign. The application relies heavily on the dossier of political opposition research on then-candidate Donald Trump. Former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele compiled the dossier by paying second- and third-hand sources with ties to the Kremlin. The FISA warrant application fails to mention that the Hillary Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee paid for the dossier.”

Read more:

https://www.theepochtimes.com/carter-page-sues-doj-demands-ig-report-be-delayed-for-review_3128379.html

Read the lawsuit:

https://www.scribd.com/document/432130059/Carter-Page-v-DOJ

 

More here:

https://citizenwells.com/

http://citizenwells.net/

 

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Posted in Accountability, Attorney General, Attorneys, Citizen News, Citizens for the truth about Obama, CitizenWells, Civil rights, FBI, US Department of Justice

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Alleged Seth Rich murder witness press conference Tuesday July 11, 2018, Alleges  ATF agent and DEA agent shot Seth Rich, “What the witness says matches what the police say and matches what we know from the surveillance videos,”

Posted on July 11, 2018 | 9 comments

Alleged Seth Rich murder witness press conference Tuesday July 11, 2018, Alleges  ATF agent and DEA agent shot Seth Rich, “What the witness says matches what the police say and matches what we know from the surveillance videos,”

“Let me tell you something. They were all over that woman,”
“And it was the type of stuff we ran into with the outfit (the Chicago mob). Intimidation just by watching her, making their presence known. … Just to let her know ‘We can do what we want.’ ”…Attorney David Schippers, Clinton investigator

“I know that Seth Rich was involved in the DNC leak.”…Kim Dotcom

“Burkman said in an interview that he considered Selig like a brother and was badly shaken by his friend’s death.”
“The tragically ironic part is Glenn’s last words to me were, ‘Be careful,’” Burkman said. “It’s just a tragedy — terrible.””…Politico Jan. 24, 2018

 

 

From the Gateway Pundit.

Witness Prepared to Identify Two Killers of Seth Rich

The Washington, D.C. lobbyist who has been on the hunt for Seth Rich’s killer found a “credible” witness who will identify the two men he believes murdered the DNC staffer.

Jack Burkman, a Washington-based attorney and lobbyist who has worked with a private investigative team to solve the Seth Rich murder mystery, told The Gateway Pundit that the witness has conclusive evidence that will bring Rich’s killers to justice within a month.

“We believe that we have reached the beginning of the end of the Seth Rich murder investigation,” Burkman toldThe Gateway Pundit in an exclusive interview Sunday.  “After two long hard years of work, we have a witness who is prepared to identify the two killers of Seth Rich. One is reportedly a current DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) agent, the other is reportedly a current ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) agent”

The witness, who “fears for his life,” will be accompanied by armed guards and disguise his identity as he details how two employees of the United States government killed Seth in a press conference slated for Tuesday.

Frank Whalen, a retired NYPD Detective Sergeant NYPD who served as the head of NYPD Homicide for 23 years, found the witness, Burkman explained.

“We found him through working with a retired New York City detective, who found him and brought him to us. We have thoroughly vetted this witness and we believe in this witness,” he said. “He has evidence that substantiates his claims but it will be revealed slowly. This witness is in great fear of his life – that’s why we are going with disguising him, disguising his voice and everything about him.”

Burkman, who has viewed surveillance footage from the night Rich was killed, says the witness’ testimony confirms two men involved in the shooting.

“What the witness says matches what the police say and matches what we know from the surveillance videos,” he said. “The police let me see the video. The police said the video clearly identifies the pant legs of two men. So, there were two men involved in the killing that night. I now believe that in the next 3 to 4 weeks the entire matter will be resolved. It’s the beginning of the end.””

“The witness informed Burkman that Doherty was well acquainted with the two government employees that killed Rich, but he was unaware Doherty worked as Burkman’s lead investigator and tried to kill him earlier in the year.

“The witness himself didn’t know that I had been shot by Kevin Doherty. Before we even told him that, he told us that Doherty was friends and palled around with the ATF agent and the DEA agent who shot Seth. That’s why we think the witness is credible,” he said. “There wasn’t much coverage of my shooting. The witness didn’t see the coverage and didn’t know. We didn’t tell him, he told us before we told him.””

Read more:

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2018/07/exclusive-report-witness-prepared-to-identify-two-killers-of-seth-rich/

 

 

More here:

https://citizenwells.com/

http://citizenwells.net/

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Posted in Murder

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Jack Burkman Seth Rich murder investigator alleges nearly killed by Kevin Doherty, Doherty briefly worked for Burkman’s Profiling Project, “This in my mind makes the whole Seth story stranger and stranger,”

Posted on March 20, 2018 | 12 comments

Jack Burkman Seth Rich murder investigator alleges nearly killed by Kevin Doherty, Doherty briefly worked for Burkman’s Profiling Project, “This in my mind makes the whole Seth story stranger and stranger,”

“I know that Seth Rich was involved in the DNC leak.”…Kim Dotcom

“Let me tell you something. They were all over that woman,”
“And it was the type of stuff we ran into with the outfit (the Chicago mob). Intimidation just by watching her, making their presence known. … Just to let her know ‘We can do what we want.’ ”…Attorney David Schippers, Clinton investigator

“Burkman said in an interview that he considered Selig like a brother and was badly shaken by his friend’s death.”
“The tragically ironic part is Glenn’s last words to me were, ‘Be careful,’” Burkman said. “It’s just a tragedy — terrible.””…Politico Jan. 24, 2018

 

From the Washington Post March 20, 2018.

“Lobbyist says he was nearly killed by man he hired to investigate Seth Rich’s death”

“Burkman, a conservative lobbyist who has also raised money for Rick Gates, a former Trump campaign official who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI, and protested gay athletes in the NFL, is used to controversy. But Doherty’s arrest Saturday by Arlington County police on charges of malicious wounding and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony caps a saga stranger than Burkman’s own conspiracy theories.

“It’s a horror story,” Burkman, of Arlington, said in an interview Monday afternoon. He is still recovering after being shot several times and run over by an SUV last Tuesday.

Doherty briefly worked for Burkman’s Profiling Project, which was formed to build a psychological portrait of Rich’s likely killer. Burkman was offering a six-figure reward for information on the slaying of Rich, which police have determined was most likely a random robbery but many conservatives have claimed was part of a political conspiracy.

Burkman said Doherty presented an impressive resume — ex-Marine, ex-special agent — and did good work. But tension quickly developed. In Burkman’s view, Doherty began speaking to reporters out of turn and tried to take over the investigation.

Doherty’s military background could not immediately be confirmed.

“He became somewhat angry because he thought the Profiling Project belonged to him,” Burkman said. In July, he cut Doherty loose and sent him a cease and desist letter.

“I just figured the matter was closed,” Burkman said. “But what happened is, I guess, he was simmering and simmering and simmering.”

In February, Burkman had moved on to a new investigation. He had put out a call for whistleblowers in the FBI, offering $25,000 for any information exposing wrongdoing in the presidential election.”

“The last drop was supposed to be “the big one” — the full inspector general report on McCabe, which still has not been released. Instead, when Burkman bent over to pull the papers out from under the cone, he was shot in the buttocks and thigh. As he ran out of the garage with his dachshund in his arms, he was hit by an SUV.

He said the car backed up to hit him again.

“It looked like he was coming to kill me,” Burkman said. But he said a woman watching from a window of the hotel screamed. A guard came running and the SUV sped off, Burkman said.”

“Burkman said he is now traveling with security. But the experience has not soured him on conspiracy theories. His profiling project concluded that Rich was shot by a hired killer, and he wonders if Doherty was working for someone else.

He has not given up on investigating Rich’s death, whose family just sued Fox News for publishing a false story linking their son to WikiLeaks.

“This in my mind makes the whole Seth story stranger and stranger,” Burkman said.”

Read more:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/lobbyist-says-he-was-nearly-killed-by-man-he-hired-to-investigate-seth-richs-death/2018/03/19/a4261e48-2baa-11e8-8688-e053ba58f1e4_story.html?utm_term=.8a879669e277

 

 

More here:

https://citizenwells.com/

http://citizenwells.net/

12 Comments

Posted in Citizen News, Citizens for the truth about Obama, CitizenWells, Clintons, Election 2016, FBI, Hillary Clinton, Murder

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NC voter fraud questions surface again, Alamance county sheriff Terry Johnson Robeson county and Board of Elections investigation, Erich Hackney “The candidates finish so close that these teens could have thrown the election,”

Posted on May 18, 2016 | 15 comments

NC voter fraud questions surface again, Alamance county sheriff Terry Johnson Robeson county and Board of Elections investigation, Erich Hackney “The candidates finish so close that these teens could have thrown the election,”

 

“On Monday June 23rd, 2008 the SBI initiated an investigation into allegations that employees of the Alamance County Health Department specifically Dr.
Kathleen Shapley-Quinn and Nurse Karen Saxer were knowingly and willingly falsifying patient medical records.”
“At the request of some patients, Alamance County Health Department provided work notes and prescriptions in alias names. Providing these services would assist illegal aliens with maintaining assumed or stolen identities, which may be a violation of state, or federal law. (Identity Theft, Fraud, etc.)”
“Veronica Arias, of Texas, reported on May 2nd, 2008 to the ACSO that someone in Swepsonville, NC had stolen her identity and was using same to be employed.
Maria Sanchez was arrested on May 6, 2008 by investigators of the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office for stealing and using the identity of Veronica Arias.
Sanchez used the name, SSN, DOB, of Veronica Arias who is a living resident of Texas.”…Alamance County NC Sheriff 2008 report

“North Carolina is the latest state featured by Project Veritas in its series on how America’s electoral system is extremely vulnerable to voter fraud. During last week’s North Carolina primary, James O’Keefe and his colleagues demonstrated how easy it is to obtain ballots even if the person has publicly professed not to be a U.S. citizen.”
O’Keefe also tells WND about his group’s visit to the University of North Carolina, where a dean and a program director laugh off confessions of voter fraud and even seem to encourage it. Yet a day later, both officials tell conservatives that voter fraud never happens.”…WND May 15, 2012

“We control life, Winston, at all its levels. You are imagining that there is something called human nature which will be outraged by what we do and will turn against us. But we create human nature. Men are infinitely malleable.”…George Orwell, “1984″

 

I have heard repeatedly the foolish remarks from Democrat Party idealogues around me that there is very little voter fraud in NC, hence no need for the voter ID initiative.

Since most elections can be won by one vote, that is an idiotic and irresponsible statement.

Citizen Wells reported on voter fraud in NC starting with the 2008 election. Obama won by a slim margin in this state.

Alamance County and sheriff Terry Johnson voiced concerns in 2008 regarding actual and potential voter fraud.

From Citizen Wells November 2, 2010.

The following controversy in NC received brief national attention in 2008.

From the Alamance County Sheriff’s Ofice, Alamance County Health Department Investigation, 2008.
(Alamance County is just east of Greensboro)

“On Monday June 23rd, 2008 the SBI initiated an
investigation into allegations that employees of the
Alamance County Health Department specifically Dr.
Kathleen Shapley-Quinn and Nurse Karen Saxer were
knowingly and willingly falsifying patient medical
records.”
“At the request of some patients, Alamance
County Health Department provided work
notes and prescriptions in alias names.

Providing these services would assist illegal
aliens with maintaining assumed or stolen
identities, which may be a violation of state, or
federal law. (Identity Theft, Fraud, etc.)””

https://citizenwells.com/2010/11/02/nc-voter-fraud-update-voting-machine-errors-nc-gop-lawsuit-status-voter-registration-issues/

Click to access SheriffPresentation81808sm.pdf

Of course, if you examine voter fraud too closely the Obama Justice Dept. will threaten you and that is what they did with Sheriff Terry Johnson. Fortunately he was acquitted.

From Fox8 August 7, 2015.

“Court rules for Alamance County Sheriff Terry Johnson in DOJ discrimination case”

“The lawsuit claimed the department encouraged a number of discriminatory policing practices and that Latino drivers were racially profiled and often stopped without reason.

Judge Thomas D. Schroeder’s decision was received by Sheriff Johnson’s legal staff on Friday.

In part, the judgment reads that “it is therefore ordered and adjudged that the claims of the United States be denied, and that Judgment be entered for Defendant Sheriff Johnson, and that the complaint be dismissed with prejudice.””

Read more:

Court rules for Alamance County Sheriff Terry Johnson in DOJ discrimination case

 

When the Republicans took control of NC a few years ago they flushed out the corrupt State Board of Elections. This greatly improved the chances for detecting and prosecuting voter fraud.

From Citizen Wells June 29, 2015.

““When Chuck Stuber shows up, politicians are in trouble.

He’s the FBI agent who put handcuffs on former House Speaker Jim Black and former U.S. Rep. Frank Ballance Jr.

He’s the one who booked a top aide to former Gov. Mike Easley and then played a major role in Easley’s felony conviction.”
“Last week, Stuber started work as an investigator at the state Board of Elections, where he will focus on rooting out fraud and campaign violations. He is expected to take up several pending inquiries – into questions of voter fraud, about possible campaign violations by state lawmakers, and an ongoing probe of a major campaign donor in the last statewide election cycle.””

https://citizenwells.com/2014/06/29/former-fbi-agent-chuck-stuber-begins-nc-board-of-elections-voter-fraud-investigations-helped-to-convict-former-governor-mike-easley-accountant-lawyer-and-fbi-agent-deadly-combination/

Fast forward to today.

From the Greensboro News Record May 18, 2016.

“Possible voting fraud

Erich Hackney, an investigator with the Robeson County District Attorney’s Office,learned about Johnson’s planned news conference from media reports.

On Tuesday morning, he called the sheriff to add another charge to the list.

“Basically, the North Carolina Board of Elections requested a voter fraud investigation,” Hackney said. “From that, Mr. Hines came on our radar in respect to 18 students he had taken to the local board of elections in an effort to vote.”

In Pembroke, a small town in Robeson County, candidates win or lose by sometimes tiny margins.

“The candidates finish so close that these teens could have thrown the election,” Hackney said.

He said candidates were standing at an early-voting stop and noticed two vans with nine passengers in each pull up.

As the candidates watched, the first nine students got out of the van and went inside to vote. When they came back out, one candidate accused the students of not being residents and not eligible to vote. The second van of students took off.

Hackney would not identify the candidate who stopped the students.

“As a result … the nine students were sent subpoenas to question the legitimacy of their residence,” he said.

The students came to the hearings, but once Hines saw what was happening, they took off, Hackney said.

“They left Robeson County and went to Alamance,” he said

Hackney said the nine students who voted were identified, but the other nine are unknown.

He wouldn’t say whether the investigation into the student voters includes the involvement of a candidate. He said the focus is to identify who wasn’t permitted to vote during that election.”

Read more:

http://www.greensboro.com/news/crime/student-athlete-investigation-turns-focus-on-child-trafficking-and-voter/article_e40b3ab7-1ed6-5998-90b0-0ab0dffe82c9.html

From the Voter Integrity Project May 17, 2016.

“Oops! Voter Fraud Ring Confirmed in Robeson County

May 17, 2016

Go back to sleep . . . It’s only a story about high school athletics . . . Nothing to see . . . Move along.

The Greensboro News & Record ran with this blaring headline late last night:

Mebane couple jailed after allegedly presenting fraudulent documents for student athlete’s admission

WTVD’s headline also chased the petty crime while ignoring the big picture:

SHERIFF: PAIR USED FAKE DOCUMENTS TO GET ATHLETE INTO ALAMANCE SCHOOL

(We will update this site if WRAL decides they cannot suppress this story any better; but as of 3 PM, on May 17, 2016, there’s still nothing to see.) Both headlines redirected the public from the FAR bigger stories involved that affect all of us: human trafficking and possibly registering their slaves as voters.”

Read more:

http://voterintegrityproject.com/registration-fraud-confirmed/

I guess the News Record was compelled to add

“and voter fraud”

to their headline after the story was leaked.

This of course distracted them from their blitzkrieg about the pain, suffering and financial ruin imposed by HB2.

Read more:

https://citizenwells.com/

15 Comments

Posted in Citizen News, Citizens for the truth about Obama, CitizenWells, Election, Election Boards, Election Law, Election update, NC, North Carolina, Voter fraud, voters

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Judith Miller admits her role in WMD reports, No senior official spoon fed me a line about WMD, George Bush did not lie, Bush and senior officials cited intelligence community’s incorrect conclusions, “The Story: A Reporter’s Journey,”

Posted on April 4, 2015 | 15 comments

Judith Miller admits her role in WMD reports, No senior official spoon fed me a line about WMD, George Bush did not lie, Bush and senior officials cited intelligence community’s incorrect conclusions, “The Story: A Reporter’s Journey,”

“If I had my choice I would kill every reporter in the world but I am sure we would be getting reports from hell before breakfast.”… William Tecumseh Sherman

“The (American) press, which is mostly controlled by vested
interests, has an excessive influence on public opinion.”… Albert Einstein

“The function of the press is very high. It is almost Holy.
It ought to serve as a forum for the people, through which
the people may know freely what is going on. To misstate or
suppress the news is a breach of trust.”
…. Louis D. Brandeis

 

 

From the Wall Street Journal April 3, 2015.

“The Iraq War and Stubborn Myths
Officials didn’t lie, and I wasn’t fed a line, writes Judith Miller”

“I took America to war in Iraq. It was all me.

OK, I had some help from a duplicitous vice president, Dick Cheney. Then there was George W. Bush, a gullible president who could barely locate Iraq on a map and who wanted to avenge his father and enrich his friends in the oil business. And don’t forget the neoconservatives in the White House and the Pentagon who fed cherry-picked intelligence about Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction, or WMD, to reporters like me.

None of these assertions happens to be true, though all were published and continue to have believers. This is not how wars come about, and it is surely not how the war in Iraq occurred. Nor is it what I did as a reporter for the New York Times. These false narratives deserve, at last, to be retired.

There was no shortage of mistakes about Iraq, and I made my share of them. The newsworthy claims of some of my prewar WMD stories were wrong. But so is the enduring, pernicious accusation that the Bush administration fabricated WMD intelligence to take the country to war. Before the 2003 invasion, President Bush and other senior officials cited the intelligence community’s incorrect conclusions about Saddam’s WMD capabilities and, on occasion, went beyond them. But relying on the mistakes of others and errors of judgment are not the same as lying.

I have never met George W. Bush. I never discussed the war with Dick Cheney until the winter of 2012, years after he had left office and I had left the Times. I wish I could have interviewed senior officials before the war about the role that WMDs played in the decision to invade Iraq. The White House’s passion for secrecy and aversion to the media made that unlikely. Less senior officials were of help as sources, but they didn’t make the decisions.

No senior official spoon-fed me a line about WMD. That would have been so much easier than uncovering classified information that officials can be jailed for disclosing. My sources were the same counterterrorism, arms-control and Middle East analysts on whom I had relied for my stories about Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda’s growing threat to America—a series published eight months before 9/11 for which the Times staff, including me, won a Pulitzer.”

“The CIA repeatedly assured President Bush that Saddam Hussein still had WMD. Foreign intelligence agencies, even those whose nations opposed war, shared this view. And so did Congress. Over the previous 15 years, noted Stuart Cohen, the former vice chairman of the National Intelligence Council, none of the congressional committees routinely briefed on Iraqi WMD assessments expressed concern about bias or error.”

Read more:

http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-iraq-war-and-stubborn-myths-1428087215

 

15 Comments

Posted in George W Bush, Iraq War, Journalism, Lies, media, NY Times

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