| christian grantham | |||
| Christian Grantham was a student activist in the late 90s and later a consultant to domestic policy forums for the Clinton Administration as well as events for HRC and GLAAD. | |||
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March 16, 2005
When asked why the Bush Administration refuses full disclosure on "fake news" packages the Bush Administration feeds America's independent media, President Bush said he's instructed his Administration to forget about the appropriations law and instead honor his Administration's opinion.
QUESTION: Mr. President, earlier this year, you told us you wanted your administration to cease and desist on payments to journalists to promote your agenda. You cited the need for ethical concerns and the need for bright line between the press and the government. Your administration continue to make the use of video news releases, which is prepackaged news stories sent to television stations, fully aware that some -- or many of these stations will air them without any disclaimer that they are produced by the government. The Comptroller General of the United States, this week, said that raises ethical questions. Does it raise ethical questions about the use of government money to produce stories about the government that wind up being aired with no disclosure that they were produced by the government?THE PRESIDENT: There is a Justice Department opinion that says these -- these pieces are within the law, so long as they're based upon facts, not advocacy. And I expect our agencies to adhere to that ruling, to that Justice Department opinion. This has been a longstanding practice of the federal government to use these types of videos. The Agricultural Department, as I understand it, has been using these videos for a long period of time. The Defense Department, other departments have been doing so. It's important that they be based on the guidelines set out by the Justice Department.
Now, I also -- I think it would be helpful if local stations then disclosed to their viewers that that's -- that this was based upon a factual report, and they chose to use it. But evidently, in some cases, that's not the case. So, anyway.
[White House Press Briefing - White House - 03-16-05]
filed under: Free Speech
, Political Subterfuge
, White House Press Briefing
March 15, 2005
When the General Accounting Office (GAO) ruled the Bush Administration violated appropriations laws by not disclosing government agency roles in pre-packaged propaganda, White House lawyers told the American people the law no longer applies to what they are doing.
But Joshua B. Bolten, director of the Office of Management and Budget, and Steven G. Bradbury, principal deputy assistant attorney general at the Justice Department, said in memos last week that the administration disagrees with the GAO's ruling. And, in any case, they wrote, the department's Office of Legal Counsel, not the GAO, the investigative arm of Congress, provides binding legal interpretations for federal agencies to follow.The legal counsel's office "does not agree with GAO that the covert propaganda prohibition applies simply because an agency's role in producing and disseminating information is undisclosed or 'covert,' regardless of whether the content of the message is 'propaganda,' " Bradbury wrote. "Our view is that the prohibition does not apply where there is no advocacy of a particular viewpoint, and therefore it does not apply to the legitimate provision of information concerning the programs administered by an agency."
[Administration Rejects Ruling On PR Videos - Washington Post - 03-15-05]
Are Bush Administration policies sold in fake news packages so weak that full disclosure of the author and agencies for which they were produced would undermine the message? It's not a surprise that thwarting the law is the only way this Administration can sell its policies to the American people.
filed under: Free Speech
, Political Subterfuge
March 09, 2005
Uh oh... "Swift Boat Vets Against Senior Citizens" is being sued for $25 million by the gay couple whose image they misappropriated and slathered on the Internets as anti-American heathens. It was all part of Charlie Jarvis's scheme to broadside the nation's seniors on behalf of the Repubican Party. What a scoundrel!
"Our privacy and personal integrity were violated when our wedding photo was stolen and used to portray us as treasonous, unpatriotic, and a threat to American troops," Raymen said in a statement released to the press today. "We have been harassed and humiliated by this hateful ad campaign and by the bigotry and anger it has generated against us nationwide."In their lawsuit, Raymen and Hansen allege that USANext's use of their photograph -- which was copied without permission from the Portland Tribune -- amounted to an invasion of privacy, a violation of their right to control their own images, libel and the intention infliction of emotional distress. The suit names as defendants both USANext and the political consulting firm Mark Montini International, which apparently created the ad.
[Lawsuit over USANext's AARP ad - Salon.com - 03-09-05]
I guess we'll be hearing Charlie Jarvis's jowl dribble on the phone soon as he accounts for "all places where the photos have been used or sent," including Outlet Radio Network, LLC. I would have never shown that photo had old Charlie Jarvis not asked us to help start a national discussion about how the AARP hates American troops but loves gay marriage. OOOh, that Charlie Jarvis! Hoooowwwwwlllllll!
"Our lawsuit seeks to hold the defendants accountable for taking two private citizens and maliciously making them targets for homophobic bigots," Wolf said today. "Our clients did not volunteer to be models in a right-wing hate campaign. There are serious legal consequences for deploying them against their will."Simultaneously with the filing of the complaint, Wolf filed a motion for a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction against USA Next and its ad agency to get them to stop using the photo. The motion also seeks the return of all pictures containing the couple's image and an accounting of all places where the photos have been used or sent, in light of the refusal of USA Next to retract or apologize for its ad.
[USA Next sued for $25 million over anti-gay anti-AARP ad - Americablog - 03-09-05]
filed under: Political Subterfuge
March 04, 2005
Uh oh, is that Charlie Jarvis a scoundrel, or what? What's next, Charlie? Social Security?
- Paper: Anti-AARP Ad Used Photo Without Permission
Chris Geidner
- USA Next admits photo was stolen for anti-gay anti-AARP ad
Americablog
filed under: Political Subterfuge
March 03, 2005
When asked where they obtained the photo featuring a gay couple kissing, USA Next previously said they bought the photo from the Portland Tribune. That's just one thing from USA Next that is contradicted by the facts.
Buzz off, responds Charlie Jarvis, the group's CEO. "They ought to be suing all the left-wing blogs for circulating this [ad]. That's who they ought to be asking for an apology," he told us.
USA Next claims it purchased the photo from the Portland Tribune, which photographed the men at a public ceremony. But the newspaper told us yesterday it has no record of selling the photo to anyone.
[In Lobbyists' Quarrel Over Ad,Is It Too Late to Kiss & Make Up? - Washignton Post - 03-03-05]
Bah! The left-wing blogs is what made us do it. It's a vast left-wing blog conspiracy to force us to publish things on the Internets!
filed under: Political Subterfuge
March 02, 2005
I'm not sure I understand where this is going, but from the looks of it, it's off the deep end. How much more carrion can these vultures pick off this story?
Reward: $20,000 for Jeff Gannon Sex EvidenceHave you seen this man?
The reward for information on Jeff Gannon's sex life here in Washington, D.C., has increased to $20,000.
We are looking for evidence (photos, phone pictures, locks of hair, DNA on a suit) that Jeff Gannon had any sexual -- or romantic -- relationship with any top-ranking Washington officials.
[GannonGuckert Reward Upped to over $20,000 - Americablog - 03-02-05]
filed under: Political Subterfuge
March 01, 2005
Should we have expected anything less from a group with such low standards in their attack on America's senior and Social Security?
More...The couple in the photo, Richard M. Raymen and Steven P. Hansen of Portland, Oregon, have come forward through an attorney to demand that USA Next stop using their image, and that the organization publicly apologize for using their image in a homophobic and libelous way. The demand, contained in a letter sent today to USA Next Chairman and CEO Charles Jarvis, references the couples' right to seek damages for the misappropriation of their image.
"In 2004, our clients allowed their picture to be taken at their public celebration, as couples getting married do every day," Christopher Wolf, a partner in the Washington, DC office of the New York-based law firm Proskauer Rose LLP and counsel for Raymen and Hansen. "They did not volunteer to be models for a 2005 right-wing hate campaign, and never would have consented to having their images plastered in an ad of any kind, much less the one USA Next chose to run. USA Next has violated the law and must take responsibility for the consequences. Tort law is quite clear that USA Next acted illegally.""The USA Next ad communicates the false message that gay marriages generally, and our clients specifically, are the antithesis of supporting American troops during wartime," said Wolf. "Gay marriage, and our clients' ceremony, have nothing to do with support of the troops. Our clients are patriotic Americans who strongly support our service members."
['USA Next' Misappropriated Couples' Image for Anti-Gay Ad Campaign; Couple: Image Stolen for Campaign Against AARP - press release - 02-28-05]
filed under: Political Subterfuge
February 24, 2005
If James Dale Guckert truly has a lawyer, what lawyer in their right mind would allow their client to continue to make a fool of himself day after day in the media? When can we hear the voice of the attorney advising Guckert to sue for "political assassination," of is James Dale Guckert officially "divorced from reality?"
Media Whore
James Guckert (aka Jeff Gannon) is angling for an invite to the gala White House Correspondents' Association Dinner in April, saying his recent notoriety qualifies him as a great guest. "There is still time," he told Editor & Publisher this week. "There is always someone there trying to make news. Maybe this year it is going to be me." He also revealed that he's trying to line up paid speaking gigs, telling the trade mag: "There are people who are definitely interested in some of my behind-the-scenes work in the press room."Low Standards
Yes, this is the same guy who, after being linked to gay escort sites a couple of weeks ago, posted on JeffGannon.com: "In consideration of the welfare of me and my family I have decided to return to private life."
[C'mon, Just a Few More Minutes of Fame? - Washington Post - 02-24-05]
Gannon: "I asked to come. They allowed me to come. And apparently there isn't a very high threshold as far as somebody's personal life to gain access."National Security
[‘I asked to come. They allowed me to come’ - MSNBC - 02-24-05]
As Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., pointed out during a meeting with The Chronicle editorial board Wednesday, the Guckert case, at a minimum, suggests "sheer, friggin' incompetence,'' in terms of White House security. Biden said Congress should investigate this potential breach of security, but he acknowledged such a probe would never occur with Republicans in control of the House and Senate.Congressional HeatIt's hard to say which is worse: That the White House had no idea who it was allowing to be within shouting distance of the president -- or that it knew exactly who Jeff Gannon was and why he was there.
[Who Is Jeff Gannon? - San Francisco Chronicle - 02-24-05]
Two leaders of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee want the federal prosecutor investigating the Valeria Plame case to subpoena a personal journal of controversial White House reporter James Guckert, following Editor & Publisher's disclosure yesterday that Guckert claims he kept the journal for the past two years."It is clear that a primary obstacle to the ... investigation is uncovering a precise chronology of when, and to whom, classified information was leaked," Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), one of those seeking the subpoena, told E&P. "The revelation by Editor & Publisher that Mr. Guckert kept contemporaneous records of his 'reporting' activities could well be a major step forward in developing such a chronology."
In addition, E&P has confirmed an report on The Raw Story that Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) is circulating a letter among his colleagues that asks President Bush to launch an investigation into how Guckert, who writes under the byline “Jeff Gannon,” gained access to White House press briefings over two years despite having no journalism background and using a false name.
[Both Houses of Congress Get Involved in 'Gannon' Case - Editor & Publisher - 02-23-05]
filed under: Media
, Political Subterfuge
February 23, 2005
The same outfit that cynically attacked John Kerry in the 2004 Presidential elections is now attacking the nation's largest organized group of senior citizens.
I guess this is how Republicans say "thank you" to people who supported their lies on Medicare reform.
The USA Next bash-the-AARP campaign is getting off to a truly reprehensible start: An Internet ad titled "The REAL AARP Agenda." It was posted Monday to various right-wing Web sites.The ad makes the preposterous claim that the AARP hates the troops and loves gays.
The ad features two photos: One picture, of a U.S. solder in combat gear, has a big red X drawn through it. The second photo shows two men in wedding tuxedos, kissing - and a big red checkmark.
By yesterday, a roar of outrage had risen from Democrats on Capitol Hill, and the ad seemed to have been pulled, at least temporarily.
[Bash-the-AARP effort off to a smarmy start - Newsday - 02-23-05]
filed under: Political Subterfuge
February 20, 2005
Following Sturtle's 'Obviously, I Have Too Much Time On My Hands' post comes more blogger speculation. Not to sound like Jeff Gannon, or whatever his name is, but "I registered those domain names for a client."
Rest assured, my pretty ponies, GayPatriot is a real, fire-breathing, gay Republican "representing the million gay and lesbian Americans supporting President Bush". Most of my friends are Republicans, something I'm sad to see lots of Democratic colleagues find simply appalling. Politics today is less about America as much as it is the Party, but somewhere in the boisterous rumble of the free marketplace of ideas, that will change.
So, I have a question: Why would Christian, a gay man who is often critical of the Bush Administration, facilitate the publication of a Web log that, for the most part, acts as an apologist for nearly every anti-gay policy of the that administration? Again, it makes as about as much sense as Charles Johnson publishing DailyKos.I only see three options really:
1) Christian Grantham is just helping out a blogger whose opinions he does not agree with on most issues - a blog that practically excuses all the anti-gay behavior of the Bush Administration that Christian routinely harshly criticizes
2) Christian Grantham and GayPatriot are one in the same
3) Christian facilitates GayPatriot’s blog because he actually secretly agrees with GP’s opinionsI simply don’t believe option number one. As a rule, people don’t help people who work against them - especially if they’re passionate about their causes. They don’t.
So, I’m left with option 2 or 3. I don’t like conspiracy theories any more than the next guy, but I’ve been going over this in my head because it really bugs me. I think Christian owes people an explanation. But even if option one is how he explains it, we’ll only have his word, as “GayPatriot,” conveniently, blogs anonymously.
If option 2 or 3 is the explanation, then I wonder if I will be able to trust Christian Grantham’s reporting in the future. Is he writing stuff he really doesn’t believe just so he can keep a job at a GLBT news service?
[Who Is GayPatriot? - GayOrbit - 02-20-05]
also read: Downtown Lad, Sturtle
filed under: Political Subterfuge
February 19, 2005
Citing the advice of his attorney on February 15, James Dale Guckert told the press he will no longer be speaking to media. His "attorney" must have bailed on him, because Guckert did a slew of interviews yesterday saying the darndest things.
Gannon chastised his critics, breaking a silence that began last week when liberal bloggers disclosed his real name, James Dale Guckert, and a Web page, which he paid for, featuring X-rated photos of himself. "Why would they be looking into a person's sexual history? Is that what we're going to do to reporters now? Is there some kind of litmus test for reporters? Is it right to hold someone's sexuality against them?"
[Jeff Gannon Admits Past 'Mistakes,' Berates Critics - Washington Post - 02-19-05]
James, or the much easier to pronounce "Jeff," may not realize it, but his "sexual history" was made part of his professional resume and credibility as a journalist by no one but James Dale Guckert himself. Most people choose to keep their personal sex lives to themselves. James Dale Guckert, on the other hand, shared his personal sex life with the public for the right price.
No one but James Dale Guckert published salacious details on the "Internets," complete with pornographic photos he himself had made and placed online as part of the pitch for his services. As Guckert is willing to admit, these are his "mistakes" and no one else's. For Guckert to now claim he's being attacked for being gay or that his privacy is being invaded is irresponsible nonsense.
filed under: Political Subterfuge
February 18, 2005
After saying he will no longer speak to media... he's baaaaaaaaaack! What will James Dale Guckert reveal? (via Americablog)
Asked this afternoon about reports that he was scheduled to appear on the Anderson Cooper's CNN show tonight, he denied it strongly. One hour later, a CNN spokesman told E&P, "He's taping it right now.""My side of the story has been poorly reported," said Guckert, the former Talon News reporter who resigned last week amid criticism that he asked partisan questions. "One of the frustrating parts has been that everyone has been willing to say things and not make the effort to speak with me. ...
"There are a lot of people out there left hanging and bewildered by this," he told E&P. "I need to speak to a couple of issues. I need to talk about my relationship with the White House and whether I was a plant or not -- that needs to be brought out."
[5 Days Later, Guckert's Tells E&P He'll Talk Again, Apparently on CNN - Editor & Publisher - 02-18-05]
filed under: Media
, Political Subterfuge
February 17, 2005
Besides his career as a prostitute, who did James Dale Guckert work for prior to Talon News? Bobby Eberle's GOPUSA.
How did "Jeff Gannon" gain daily access to the White House for over two years under the guise of a "journalist" and then obtain a highly confidential intelligence memo used to smear the source of intelligence refuting the White House's WMD justifications for war?
Former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer was so concerned about Talon News reporter James Guckert's potential ties to the Republican Party that he stopped calling on him at press briefings for about a week in 2003, Fleischer told E&P today.
"I found out that he worked for a GOP site, and I didn't think it was my place to call on him because he worked for something that was related to the party," Fleischer said in a phone interview. "He had the editor call me and made the case that they were not related to the Republican Party. He said they used the GOP name for marketing purposes only."
He said he resumed calling on Guckert, who used the alias Jeff Gannon, after Bobby Eberle, owner of both GOPUSA and Talon News, "assured me that they were not part of the Republican Party." Eberle is a Texas Republican activist and served as a delegate to the 2000 Republican National Convention.
Fleischer has not previously commented on the Gannon/Guckert affair.
"I don't think that party organizations should have people in that room acting as reporters," Fleischer said, explaining his initial concerns. "They are advocates, not reporters, and a line should be drawn." But, after speaking with Eberle and looking at Talon News, he was convinced that GOPUSA.com and Talon News were not official party sites.
"It looked like a conservative news organization," Fleischer said. "If I thought that they were part of the party, I would not have [resumed] calling on them."
[Ari Fleischer Tells E&P He Spoke to Gannon/Guckert's Boss - Editor & Publisher - 02-17-05]
How could I ever forget the White House Press Briefing three days before Gannon's first known appearance in the White House on February 28, 2003 February 25, 2005? It was one of the most memorable over the past three years! Watch this video (forward to the end) for one of the most revealing moments in the Bush Administration's White House Briefing Room. As Ari wrapped up the last question, the press corps literally laughed a very embarrassed and perturbed Ari Fleischer out of the room.
QUESTION: Ari, just to follow up on Mexico. Is it true that the administration is willing to give Mexico some sort of immigration agreements like amnesty or guest worker program, to assure the Mexican vote, as the French press is pointing out today and is quoting, actually, two different diplomats from the State Department?MR. FLEISCHER: No, it's exactly as I indicated, that we have, on this issue, a matter of diplomacy and a matter of the merits. We ask each nation on the Security Council to weigh the merits and make a decision about war and peace. And if anybody thinks that there are nations like Mexico, whose vote could be bought on the basis of a trade issue or something else like that, I think you're giving -- doing grave injustice to the independence and the judgment of the leaders of other nations.
QUESTION -- the French press is quoting actually two different diplomats from the United States State Department that -- they're highlighting that the United States is giving some sort of agreements or benefits to Colombia -- and other non-members of the Security Council --
MR. FLEISCHER: I haven't seen the story. And you already have the answer, about what this will be decided on. But think about the implications of what you're saying. You're saying that the leaders of other nations are buyable. And that is not an acceptable proposition. (Laughter. Lots and Lots of Laughter.)
[White House Press Briefing - White House - 02-25-03]
Three days later, And there was our "Jeff Gannon" (30:07), the same "Jeff Gannon" that would later report having reviewed a highly confidential intelligence memo he used to smear Joe Wilson, who had intelligence refuting the White House's WMD justifications for war.
filed under: Political Subterfuge
February 17, 2005
Maureen Dowd
I'm still mystified by this story. I was rejected for a White House press pass at the start of the Bush administration, but someone with an alias, a tax evasion problem and Internet pictures where he posed like the "Barberini Faun" is credentialed to cover a White House that won a second term by mining homophobia and preaching family values?Sidney BlumenthalAt first when I tried to complain about not getting my pass renewed, even though I'd been covering presidents and first ladies since 1986, no one called me back. Finally, when Mr. McClellan replaced Ari Fleischer, he said he'd renew the pass - after a new Secret Service background check that would last several months.
In an era when security concerns are paramount, what kind of Secret Service background check did James Guckert get so he could saunter into the West Wing every day under an assumed name while he was doing full-frontal advertising for stud services for $1,200 a weekend? He used a driver's license that said James Guckert to get into the White House, then, once inside, switched to his alter ego, asking questions as Jeff Gannon.
[Bush's Barberini Faun - NYT via Spiegel - 02-17-05]
The experiment of inserting an agent directly into the White House press corps was a daring operation. Guckert's "legend," in the language of espionage, was that he was a news director, and his "false flag" was journalism. Until his exposure, this midnight cowboy in the garden of Bush and evil proved marginally useful for the White House. But the affair's longer-run implication is the Republican effort to sideline an independent press and undermine its legitimacy. "Spin" seems too quaint. "In this day and age," said McClellan, waxing philosophical about the Gannon affair, "when you have a changing media, it's not an easy issue to decide or try to pick and choose who is a journalist." The problem is not that the White House press secretary cannot distinguish who is or is not a journalist; it is that there are no journalists, just the gaming of the system for the concentration of power.
[Midnight cowboy in the garden of Bush and evil - Salon.com - 02-17-05]
filed under: Political Subterfuge
February 16, 2005
I can't understand this. White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan said that "Jeff Gannon" was allowed access to the White House Press Briefing room because "he represented a news organization that published regularly."
Here is a picture of "Jeff Gannon" in the White House Press Briefing room a month before his employer, Talon News, ever existed much less published a single story.
Who did James Dale Guckert work for prior to Talon News? So far as we know, he freelanced as a prostitute. But who did he tell the White House he was working for on February 28, 2003, and did "Jeff Gannon" represent "a news organization that published regularly?"
How did a high-priced hooker gain daily access to the White House for over two years under the guise of a "journalist" and then obtain a highly confidential intelligence memo?
"He, like anyone else, showed that he was representing a news organization that published regularly, and so he was cleared two years ago to receive daily passes, just like many others are."
[White House Press Briefing - Scott McClellan - 02-10-05]
also read: DailyKos, Atrios, Intelligence Squad #95
filed under: Media
, Political Subterfuge
February 15, 2005
Perhaps seeing that his lies are being exposed on a daily basis, James Dale Guckert has now been advised to shut up.
"I talked to attorneys, and I am no longer talking to anyone [in the press] anymore," said Guckert, who has used the alias Jeff Gannon. "It doesn’t seem to clarify anything any longer. Everything I say, people start a new conspiracy theory. I am not going to answer any more questions. It seems to distract from what is really going on."That approach is a shift from Guckert's activities in the past week, when he has appeared on CNN and National Public Radio and allowed several other news organizations, including E&P, to interview him.
Guckert, who says he is 47, said he was not planning any specific legal action related to recent events but had contacted an attorney just in case. "It's always good to have an attorney hanging around," he told E&P. "I'm not expecting anything, I am just listening to good advice."
['Gannon' Signs Off: Tells E&P He'll No Longer Talk to Press - Editor & Publisher - 02-15-05]
That might not be bad advice considering today's threats by an appeals court investigating the White House's role in disclosing the identity of a clandestine intelligence officer.
The three-judge panel ruled that New York Times reporter Judith Miller and Matthew Cooper of Time Magazine must comply with a subpoena from a grand jury investigating whether the Bush administration illegally leaked the officer's name to the news media.The decision upheld a ruling by a federal judge that Miller and Cooper were in contempt of court and should be jailed for refusing to testify about their confidential sources. Miller and Cooper each face as much as 18 months in prison.
[Court: Reporters Must Testify in CIA Leak Case - Reuters - 02-15-05]
filed under: Political Subterfuge
February 15, 2005
You might remember that Senator Frank Lautenberg formally asked the White House for documents regarding "Jeff Gannon." Now, two Democratic members of congress, Congressman John Conyers Jr. and Congresswoman Louise Slaughter, have filed an FOIA (Freedom Of Information Act) regarding James Dale Guckert (via Stakeholder).
To determine what process you employ to clear individuals for attendance at events within a close proximity of the President, we seek the release of agency records as described in the numbered paragraphs below:1. All records setting forth or discussing the standards the Secret Service or the White House impose on those who are granted access to the President and the White House Briefing Room. Please include all records discussing whether the Secret Service or the White House routinely allow guests to use false names.
2. All records setting forth or discussing policies, procedures or guidelines discussing clearance into the White House Briefing Room, as it was applied to Mr. Guckert. Please include all records indicating how any such policies, procedures or guidelines were communicated to Mr. Guckert.
3. The White House Press Secretary denied any responsibility for determining who is granted clearance into the White House Briefing Room. Please disclose what individual or agency is responsible for requesting that the Secret Service conduct a security clearance for individuals or members of the media who wish to enter the White House Briefing Room.
4. All records relating to security qualifications for granting "permanent" White House press corps credentials and how they differ from those of a simple day pass.
5. All records indicating or discussing whether and to what extent someone who is cleared for a daily pass is required to be cleared each time they return on subsequent visits to the White House Briefing Room, as in the case of Mr. Guckert, who returned frequently for up to two years.
6. All records relating to how many daily passes are issued for White House briefings and Presidential press conferences at one time. Please include all records indicating whether there is a limit in place for security or other reasons.
7. All records setting forth or discussing who has the authority, if at all, to exempt an individual or member of the media from security clearance by the Secret Service in order to gain access to the White House Briefing Room.
8. All records indicating how many times and on what days Mr. Guckert was cleared by the Secret Service into the White House, and at whose request.
9. All records indicating what types of passes were issued for Mr. Guckert.
10. All records of communication between the Secret Service and Mr. Guckert. Please include all records, including telephone conversations, emails, or facsimile communications.
[Rep. Slaughter Seeks Details From Homeland Security in Gannon/Plame Scandal Under Freedom of Information Act - Congresswoman Louise Slaughter - 02-15-05]
filed under: Political Subterfuge
February 15, 2005
Scott McClellan, how did a high-priced hooker gain daily access to the White House, through your office, for over two years under the guise of a "journalist" and then obtain a highly confidential intelligence memo?
"This issue is important from an ethical as well as from a national security standpoint. It is hard to understand why a man with little real journalism experience was given a White House press corps credential let alone access to sensitive security documents. In fact, it only raises questions as to the nature of the relationship between "Jeff Gannon" and the White House, and whether there was an alliance of interests that did not conform to ethical and security standards. President Bush’s father, President George H.W. Bush, called the disclosure of an undercover operative’s identity treason."This most recent revelation is only the latest in the growing list of ways that Republicans in Washington are attempting to manipulate the American people through the media and avoid accountability. When the Bush Administration had trouble selling its domestic policies, it unethically paid journalists to promote its policies under the guise of journalism. When the Ethics Committee held Majority Leader Tom DeLay accountable for improper actions last year, the Republican leadership simply removed Chairman Joel Hefley (R-CO) and other Republicans from the Committee.
"I encourage the Special Counsel looking into the Plame matter to include "Jeff Gannon’s" ties to the issue in his investigation."
[Hoyer Statement on "Jeff Gannon" Connection to Valerie Plame Leak - Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer - 02-15-05]
filed under: Political Subterfuge
February 14, 2005
In my opinion, the personal life of James Dale Guckert (a.k.a. Jeff Gannon) would be an irrelevant sidebar for tabloid blogs, but there is a problem leaving it there. Guckert's media credentials prior to Talon News appear to be limited to gay porn and other online sex services. If conservative news agencies dismiss the professional credentials of its reporters and commentators, and ask the American public to do the same, what's left of American media?
Presumably, conservative news agencies have standards and want the American people to trust that they are sending Washington correspondents to the White House with a credible journalistic background. Thankfully, Guckert quit his White House correspondent job, but the arguments made by some conservatives that Guckert should have the right to keep his media credentials private in the wake of his short career defy professionalism.
Either Guckert lied to Talon News about his qualifications, or Talon News has the kind of standards from which conservatives should publicly distance themselves. Conservatives ought to care which it is.
What are standards? After becoming familiar with Guckert's resume and services, it was difficult for some conservative colleagues, like commentator Sean Hannity, to believe Guckert was anything other than "a terrific Washington bureau chief and White House correspondent for Talon News." Still some conservative bloggers found selective reasoning the best way to avoid Guckert's choice to publicize his sexual media credentials on the Internet (via Blogoland).
Glenn Reynolds, February 13, 2005:
"I also agree with Kurtz that it was the stuff about Gannon's personal life that led to his resignation, and that there's something rather sleazy about that. Backstage or not, targeting parts of people's lives that don't have to do with the story -- like, say, Eason Jordan's love life -- seems inappropriate to me, and likely to lend support to the bloggers-as-lynch-mob caricature."Glenn Reynolds, February 16, 2004:
"THE KERRY INFIDELITY STORY seemed to die down over the weekend, but this report says that it may come back: "A woman who claims she had an affair with presidential hopeful John Kerry has taped a kiss-and-tell interview with a U.S. TV network, it was revealed last night. " (Via Timothy Perry)."
filed under: Media
, Political Subterfuge
February 11, 2005
If the "Jeff Gannon" story strikes you as similar to the Craig Spence prostitution scandal in the Reagan/Bush Administration, you aren't alone.
Spence was a conservative lobbyist during the Reagan-Bush years. The New York Times called him "Washington's ultimate power broker." He was also running a gay prostitution ring which employed adolescent boys. As perks of the job, he treated his boys to after-hour tours of the White House. In The Washington Times of August 9, 1989, Spence "hinted the tours were arranged by top level" persons, including Vice President Bush's National Security Advisor Donald Gregg, whose name also figures prominently in the October Surprise story. The paper added that "Spence, according to friends, was also carrying out homosexual blackmail operations for the CIA."
[Stirring the White House honey pot - Rigourous Institution - 02-10-05]
The story soon disappeared entirely and Washington and the media proceeded to pretend as though nothing had ever happened. According to a Washington Times reporter, the paper trail was quickly covered up. Some 20,000 documents pertaining to the case were sealed by court order and the U.S. Attorney’s office issued a gag order on the release of information. By the time that Craig Spence turned up dead in a Boston hotel less than five months after the story first broke, he had been all but forgotten. He had earlier told a friend: "I may be disappearing soon. It will be sudden. It may appear to be a suicide, but it won’t be."
[The Pedophocracy, Part II: ... to Washington - David McGowan - August 2001]
Again to a previously asked question: How well does Karl Rove know GOPUSA's Bobby Eberle? Rove rarely does interviews, but somehow managed to find time for "Jeff Gannon's" boss, Texas Republican Bobby Eberle. A couple of months prior, Jeff Gannon claimed access to a highly confidential intelligence memo he used to smear Joe Wilson and whose source he said he could not reveal. How did this former prostitute manage to obtain a highly confidential document widely known to have originated from the White House?
GOPUSA.com, a Web site run by Bobby Eberle, a Houston engineer with no previous journalism experience, scored an interview with President Bush's top political adviser, Karl Rove.
[Freewheeling 'bloggers' are rewriting rules of journalism - USAToday - 12-30-03]
In "Jeff Gannon's" online bio (now deleted) he strangely inserted the following. I don't know many journalists who feel their bio is the place to let people know you are prepared to defend yourself. But maybe "Gannon" feels he has reason to.
My weapon of choice. Beretta 9mm. This semi-automatic model, characterized by a solid locked breech system, with a rotating barrel, takes advantage of the maximum energy received during firing to produce a very low recoil. This pistol is particularly suitable for personal defense.
filed under: Political Subterfuge
February 10, 2005
Seeking to clarify Scott McClellan's "understanding," Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) has a request.
"I am writing to request that you immediately release documents to my office relating to the White House press credentials of James D. Guckert, a.k.a. "Jeff Gannon." Specifically, I am seeking documentation related to the question of which name Mr. Guckert/Gannon used when applying for credentials, and which name was on the official White House press credentials he received," wrote Lautenberg."As you may know, Mr. Guckert/Gannon was denied a Congressional press pass because he could not show that he wrote for a valid news organization. Given the fact that he was denied Congressional credentials, I seek your explanation of how Mr. Guckert/Gannon passed muster for White House press credentials," Lautenberg wrote.
[Lautenberg Requests All Documents From White House Relating to Discredited "Journalist" James D. Guckert, A.K.A. Jeff Gannon - Senator Lautenberg - 02-10-05]
filed under: Media
, Political Subterfuge
February 10, 2005
We understand he checked in as James Dale Guckert, but we liked to call him Jeff Gannon. When they ask all the right questions, who really cares?
QUESTION: Jeff Gannon. How did he get a White House pass, or what kind of credentials did he have?
MR. McCLELLAN: Just like anyone else who comes to the White House. QUESTION: Hard pass?
MR. McCLELLAN: No, he had never applied for a hard pass. He had a daily pass. I think he's been coming for --
QUESTION: Was he coming for --
MR. McCLELLAN: Hang on. I think he's been coming for more than two years now.
QUESTION: Under what name?
MR. McCLELLAN: Sorry?
QUESTION: Under what name?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, you have to get cleared. You have to -- just like anybody else that comes to the White House, you have to have your full name, your Social Security number and your birth date. So you have to be cleared just like anybody else.
QUESTION: So he was being cleared under James Guckert, or whatever his name is?
MR. McCLELLAN: My understanding, yes.
QUESTION: Okay, and how did he get picked to get a question asked at the last news conference?
MR. McCLELLAN: He didn't. The President didn't have a list. The President didn't -- he was in the briefing room. There are assigned seats in the briefing room. We didn't do any assigning of seats, and the President worked his way through the rows, and called on people as he came to them. He doesn't know who he is.
QUESTION: Were you aware that he had another name?
MR. McCLELLAN: Was I aware? I had heard that. I had heard that, yes, recently.
QUESTION: But did you know during all this time that he really wasn't Jeff Gannon?
MR. McCLELLAN: I heard at some point, yes -- previously. [White House Press Briefing - White House - 02-10-05]
filed under: Political Subterfuge
, White House Press Briefing
February 10, 2005
As someone who had both hard passes to the West Wing and executive offices of the White House, as well as a very long record of day passes to the White House later as a consultant, I can also confirm Bruce Bartlett's account of White House security. That said, serious questions remain unanswered.
- Who in the White House waived White House security and provided cover for a fake journalist using fradulent credentials to get near the President of the United States?
- Who provided a confidential intelligence memo to this fake journalist who used it to then smear Joe Wilson for challenging fradulent claims that intelligence on Iraq's purchase of "yellow cake" was definitive?
From BRUCE BARTLETT: Having worked in the White House, I can assure everyone that not only would it be impossible to get a White House pass using an alias, it is impossible even to get past the gate for an appointment using an alias. Thorough FBI background checks are required for the former and a picture ID is necessary for the latter. Therefore, if Gannon was using an alias, White House staff had to be involved in maintaining his cover.
[WH helped Gannon maintain his cover, he says - Bruce Bartlett - 02-10-05]
While John Aravosis at Americablog has done a great job piecing together "Jeff Gannon's" past, I have to avidly disagree with what he views as the most important issue here.
"The issue here is whether someone with connections to male prostitution was given unfettered access to the White House and copies of internal CIA documents. For a family values administration, that's pretty creepy," said John Aravosis, one of the bloggers chasing the story.
[Bush press pal quits over gay prostie link - NY Daily News - 02-10-05]
- also read: Atrios
filed under: Media
, Political Subterfuge
February 09, 2005
Spiderleaf at DailyKos has an excellent timeline on "Jeff Gannon." John Aravosis at Americablog does a great job piecing together who "Jeff Gannon" really is here, here and here.
It's amazing how the Bush Administration managed to grant White House access to a person using a fake name and fake press credentials. In the least case, a required background check would have clearly shown "Gannon's" most recent experience in media was limited to time as a gay porn webmaster and military escort pimp.
Either White House security has experienced a serious and egregious lapse, or the White House covered for "Gannon" in exchange for his efforts through Texas-based GOPUSA's Talon News to target and discredit Joe Wilson. Wilson, as you recall, was the man at the center of intelligence refuting White House assertions that Iraq had purchased "yellow cake." The White House selectively used this known questionable intelligence, among other intelligence falsely described as definitive, to justify assertions that America would see "mushroom clouds" if Saddam Hussein's massive WMD program wasn't dismantled.
How was "Gannon" dramatically transformed into a credible conservative reporter and given access to a highly confidential intelligence memo? Was there a background check done by the White House, as is required for regular passes to the West Wing's Press Office? If not, why? If so, what did it yield? These are serious questions the White House must answer.
The White House regularly called on "Gannon" using his fake name over a matter of months, but it fits perfectly into this administration's level of regard for an independent media in America and its general treatment of the facts and those defending them leading up to war with Iraq. We now know those patriots were right, and those smearing them ultimately threatened national security with a disgraceful level of partisan chicanery and selective political subterfuge to sell a nation on war. Is it any surprise the Bush Administration found itself left with the likes of conservatives like "Jeff Gannon" to help make such a case?
filed under: Media
, Political Subterfuge
February 09, 2005
Who is Jeff Gannon? I'm so glad you asked.
- Plame Leaked by Fake News Source? Overview: Part IV - DailyKos (best sumamry)
- Jeff Gannon" EXPOSED! - World O'Crap
- Jeff Gannon - MediaMatters
- Gannon Quits After Blogger Inquiry - MediaCitizen
- Rarely Is the Question Asked - Atrios
- I quit! - Jeff Gannon
How well does Karl Rove know the Texas husband and wife owners of "GOPUSA," Bobby and Kathleen Eberles?
filed under: Media
, Political Subterfuge
December 06, 2004
City council members in Bettendorf say they've received hate mail after voting for an ordinance making it illegal to discriminate against gays and lesbians.Councilwoman Debe LaMar says she hasn't received physical threats but there is intimidation and anger in phone calls and letters from opponents.
Five council members favored the change to the city's civil rights ordinance.
LaMar says she and other council members were told they'd be targeted for defeat in the next election.
[Bettendorf council sees hate mail over gay ordinance - WHOtv.com - 12-06-04]
filed under: Political Subterfuge
November 03, 2004
The effort by Ralph Reed and the Republican party to mobilize Christian conservatives worked. It wasn't with flyers reminding Christian conservatives of jobs, the economy or the war in Iraq. It was flyers portraying a much more ominous threat and concern to America: LESBIANS!
Flyers like these mobilized the party base and moved jobs, the economy and Iraq second to the predominently identified election issue: MORALITY.
Before President Bush prays jobs, the economy and the war in Iraq back on track, the people have spoken on more important things. Now it's time for Bush to fulfill his promise on their top issue.
"When those issues are embraced by the people, I'm going to not only talk to the Cabinet, I'm going to talk to the Congress and say the people have made their opinions known, now let's get forward on the people's business." [It Comes Down to Trust - Washington Post - 10-29-04]
I'd like to encourage President Bush to live up to his scurilous pandering and strategically turn his back on the faithful who answered his prayers and delivered him a victory. He can do that by making the issues on which Americans voted overwhelmingly for John Kerry his priority: jobs, the economy and Iraq. Something tells me President Bush will deliver.
filed under: Political Subterfuge
November 01, 2004
If Kentucky Republican Jim Bunning is willing to break the Ten Commandments to get elected, what else would he do?
Fighting to keep his seat in a bitter contest, Sen. Jim Bunning on Saturday tried to deflect criticism from his Democratic opponent that recent rhetoric from his campaign broke two of the Ten Commandments."I think we've all broken the Ten Commandments,'' the Republican told supporters in Boone County. "No one is an exception to that.''
Bunning's opponent, Daniel Mongiardo, said Friday that comments by Bunning supporters violated the commandments against false witness and killing -- the latter because he said his character had been attacked. Mongiardo said comments made by legislators who support Bunning were intended to suggest that he is gay, although he says he is not.
[Kentucky senator deflects challenger's charge that his campaign broke two commandments - AP - 10-30-04]
filed under: Political Subterfuge
October 29, 2004
Jim Bunning and his Republican colleague