Author Reports Theft of Some of Kerry's FBI Files (New Info - New Spin)

L.A. Times ^ | March 27th, 2004 | John Gilonna

[Sabertooth]

Nicosia said he suspected that the thieves were specifically in pursuit of the files because a camera and other expensive items in the home were left untouched. He added that he did not know exactly what material was taken because it was not cataloged or marked. Three of 14 boxes of files that had been stacked in his kitchen are missing. He said he was moving the remaining documents to a secure location Friday afternoon. Nicosia has not yet looked at all the files. Last week he allowed The Times to photocopy 50 pages concerning the FBI's monitoring of Kerry in the fall of 1971. The author also supplied the same 50 photocopied pages to Kerry. The Times published a story about the files Monday.

< -snip- >

Nicosia said he left home Thursday and returned to find several doors inside his house ajar. He said he did not realize until Friday morning that there had been a theft. "The police told me that burglars very easily could have come in through a sliding door without signs of a forced entry," he said. He added that he had no idea why the thieves didn't take all 14 of the boxes. "My guess is that they were surprised during the act and didn't have time to take everything — maybe the dog next door barked," Nicosia said. He said that while the boxes had been tightly packed when released by the FBI, he saw signs that ones not previously opened had been riffled. Lovenguth said police were investigating the case as a burglary. "Our investigating is ongoing," he said. "We're waiting for the victim to tell us exactly what was missing so we know what we're looking for." "Whoever did this wanted to know something about John Kerry," Nicosia said. The author said that he promised at one point to deliver the files to Kerry so the senator could more fully review the information gathered about him. "But in the meantime, somebody got there first," Nicosia said.

[Sabertooth]

The Boston Globe has a different, non-subscription excerpt of this story here.

[Savage Beast]

Gerald, call Hillary. I think she has a duplicate set.

[HarryCaul]

"Whoever did this wanted to know something about John Kerry,"

Or, just as likely, didn't want you to know something about John Kerry.

But given the nature of political campaign (this is *not* an uncommon incident in politics), it could be either side.

[CathyRyan]

Paging Hillary! Paging Hillary! Please pick up the white courtesy phone.

[PhiKapMom]

Give it a rest -- Republicans have no need to go steal files obtained under the Freedom of Information act. To equate both parties in this is absurd!

[elbucko]

Or, just as likely, didn't want you to know something about John Kerry.

I agree. A more likely possibility.

[William McKinley]

I am not buying this.

He just happened to be moving some uncataloged stuff to a secure location? Why would someone do this, unless he was concerned about them being stolen.

And lo and behold, he leaves them in his kitchen, in plain sight.

And lo and behold, someone steals them while they are there.

Something stinks here, and I don't think Nicosia is uninvolved.

[Sabertooth]

Nicosia said he left home Thursday and returned to find several doors inside his house ajar. He said he did not realize until Friday morning that there had been a theft.

When I come home to find doors ajar, it doesn't occur to me that there might have been burglars in the house until the next day, either.

"The police told me that burglars very easily could have come in through a sliding door without signs of a forced entry," he said.

Ain't that convenient?

Nicosia's sitting on some of the hottest files in the country, and he's got a sliding door that can be opened without sign of forced entry?

Was it even locked?

He added that he had no idea why the thieves didn't take all 14 of the boxes. "My guess is that they were surprised during the act and didn't have time to take everything — maybe the dog next door barked," Nicosia said.

I suspect the dogs that aren't barking are the real reason.

How indeed did the burgllars know what to look for, unless they knew what to look for?

He said that while the boxes had been tightly packed when released by the FBI, he saw signs that ones not previously opened had been riffled.

He hasn't even read all the files!

Even if he submits a new Freedom of Information request to the FBI, he won't know if he's getting all the same files.

Lovenguth said police were investigating the case as a burglary. "Our investigating is ongoing," he said.

The other option being filing a false police report.

"We're waiting for the victim to tell us exactly what was missing so we know what we're looking for."

Nicosia doesn't even know what's missing.

"Whoever did this wanted to know something about John Kerry," Nicosia said.

Or knows sometthing about John Kerry they don't want anyone else to know.

The author said that he promised at one point to deliver the files to Kerry so the senator could more fully review the information gathered about him. "But in the meantime, somebody got there first," Nicosia said.

Maybe they just took an early delivery.

[doug from upland]

After my conversation with an L.A. TIMES editor about the assassination plot, she assigned the story to Glionna. The piece he originally did was crap and I told him so.

[Sabertooth]

Give it a rest -- Republicans have no need to go steal files obtained under the Freedom of Information act. To equate both parties in this is absurd!

No, read this again:

"He said that while the boxes had been tightly packed when released by the FBI, he saw signs that ones not previously opened had been riffled."

Nicosia didn't even read all the files. He has no idea what was in the missing files. Even if he submits a new Freedom of Information request to the FBI, he won't know if he's getting all the same files.

This burglary is very fishy. Nicosia is a Kerry partisan.

[Sabertooth]

After my conversation with an L.A. TIMES editor about the assassination plot, she assigned the story to Glionna. The piece he originally did was crap and I told him so.

This article makes no mention of the Kansas City meeting either, but does recap this type of fluff:

"Kerry told The Times that while he was aware that the FBI had monitored his activities in the early '70s, he was surprised and angry at the scope of the surveillance."

[Cicero]

The LA Times, which has a long record of crooked reporting, photocopied 50 pages to use for their hitpiece blaming J. Edgar Hoover for persecuting an innocent man like Kerry. Then the next day all the Kerry files disappeared.

Of course the stooges they sent over to Nicosia's house didn't photocopy anything that would have demonstrated Kerry's complicity in treason, planned assassination of senators, or the like. But they may have seen some other stuff of a different sort and reported back on it to their masters in LA.

It seems to me that someone at the LA Times probably passed on the word to Terry McAuliffe or some other appropriate contact, and the DNC ordered the files to be stolen and destroyed. It's the usual clinton M.O.

[BenLurkin]

bttt

[Rome2000]

Before this is over Kerry will be blaming the White House for stealing his files.

[MeekOneGOP]

[VadeRetro]

Give it a rest -- Republicans have no need to go steal files obtained under the Freedom of Information act. To equate both parties in this is absurd!

The files are not original with Nicosia. In theory, anyone could obtain them under the FOIA. What exactly does this crime accomplish except cover Nicosia's butt?

[doug from upland]

KFWB news in L.A. has been running the story. I just talked to the newsroom and, of course, they were reading form the wire. The nitwit Nicole, to whom I spoke, would not let me talk to or email the person on KFWB editing the story. I gave her info about the assassination attempt, and she said, "OK, we'll add it to the story." There is a better chance that Hillary is not a lesbian than she will run with the info.

Who wants to call KFWB? Maybe they'll get off their butts if they receive loads of calls. 323.462.5392. Don't listen to the long, long menu. Punch No. 2, then No. 1 for the newsroom. Come on, let them hear from you.

[expatpat]

Something stinks here, and I don't think Nicosia is uninvolved.

You're exactly right, Nicosia's story is very fishy, and it is very convenient that now the story is beginning to hit the news, files disappear.

[VadeRetro]

This burglary is very fishy.

Yeah. It's a big wet blanket on the Nov. 71 meeting story. It's like Nicosia was faking it all along, or got his price and made it look like he'd been faking it.

Anyway, there's not much to point to for supporting data, suddenly. The man with the files doesn't have the files.

[HarryCaul]

FOIA requests aren't instant.

If someone wanted to prevent the info in the files from seeing the light of day, stealing them forces another FOIA request, which in all probability wouldn't get filled until after November, or close enough as to make no difference.

If someone wanted to know what was in the files, this theft provides a much faster way of learning.

It also has the side-effect of tossing just a tiny bit more paranoia into the Kerry camp. Who knows who has what information now? It's out there, roaming free in the world, and noone knows what it is.