Posted on 02/11/2004 2:08:43 PM PST by irgn
Retired Guard Officer Says He Saw Some Files Discarded in Trash
Retired National Guard Lt. Col. Bill Burkett said Tuesday that in 1997, then Governor Bush's chief of staff Joe Allbaugh told the National Guard chief to get the Bush file and make certain that 'there is not anything in there that will embarass the governor.'
Col. Burkett said that a few days later at Camp Mabry in Austin, he saw Mr. Bush's file and documents from it discarded in a trash can.
He said he recognized the documents as retirement point summaries and pay forms.
Bush aides denied any destruction of records in Mr. Bush's personnel file.
'These charges are flat out flat out not true,' said Dan Bartlett, White House Communications Director.
(Excerpt) Read more at dallasnews.com ...
Ah, so, there is a book due out. But isn't there always. Yawn.
According to Col. Burkett, he was at headquarters in the summer 1997 when he heard the conversation between Gen. James and Mr. Allbaugh. He said the Guard commander had the conversation about eliminating "embarrassments" on a speakerphone.
Nosey little bugger, ain't he? Strange, Gen. James and Mr. Allbaugh didn't think it was of such top secret, clandestine, or illegal acts but had it on the speakerphone rather than behind closed doors.
About 10 days later, he said, he saw Texas Gen. John Scribner going through the Bush file. "I looked down and saw files on the table and of that sort of stuff, and in the wastecan there is a retirement points document that has the name Bush, George W. lLt on it," he said. "There were both originals and Xerox copies in the stack."
Danged, he's certainly Johnny on the Spot. He was listening in during the phone call from the Gov.'s office, and now here he is again with the open and trashed file. Again, we have a General, Gen. Scribner this time, who's not worried about a cover-up and is going through the file out in the open.
I wouldn't be surprised if someone did go through the file when Papa Bush went up the political ranks and again when W became Gov., however the bottom line is that Bush was HONORABLY discharged. He was basically a nobody 30 freakin' years ago so there would have been no need to forge his records.
Good grief, as if Abilene and the surrounding area doesn't have a dozen hospitals he could have gone to before his body was so ravaged. What a poopy-head.
"We also still do not know why the president's superiors filed a report saying they were unable to evaluate his performance for that year because he had not been present to be evaluated."
Somebody please tell this dummy they couldn't evaluate him because they were in Texas and he was in Alabama!!! Sheesh...
LOL! Yep.
Plus, look at the timing of this. Bush's service record was questioned in both his gubernatorial campaigns. If they were going to sterilize a file, why would they wait until 1997? And why would the records of a unit based in Houston be kept in Austin?
Why would you think that something has to be admissable in court before a newspaper will print it?What, do you think that reporters are under oath subject to penalty for perjury?? Don't you know that they are protected by the First Amendment?
And he still hasn't come up with anything better.
Col. Burkett said that a few days later at Camp Mabry in Austin, he saw Mr. Bush's file and documents from it discarded in a trash can.
I'm not 007, but if I were given orders to steal and "clean up" files, I would not put the files I just stole in the trash can in the same office I just stole them from.
Perhaps that is just what he claimed to CBS that he did when he gave them the forged files.
In their minds they'd be protecting him from charges of stealing documents by not revealing him as the source.
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