Clinton: Claims I Turned Down Bin Laden are 'Bull'

NewsMax.com ^ | June 17, 2004 | Carl Limbacher

[Carl/NewsMax]

In his interview with CBS newsman Dan Rather set for broadcast on Sunday, ex-President Bill Clinton flatly contradicts his earlier recorded confession that Sudan offered to arrest Osama bin Laden and hand him over to the U.S., calling reports of such an offer "bull."

"On the accusation that he had opportunities to get Osama bin Laden, had opportunities to have him delivered by the Sudanese, he said, 'absolutely, flatly untrue,' describing it as 'bull,'" Rather tells the Washington Post on Thursday.

In Feb. 2002, however, Mr. Clinton clearly admitted that the Sudanese offer had indeed taken place. And that he turned it down.

"Mr. bin Laden used to live in Sudan," Clinton told the Long Island Association on Feb. 15, 2002.

"He was expelled from Saudi Arabia in 1991, then he went to Sudan. And we'd been hearing that the Sudanese wanted America to start dealing with them again.

"They released him. At the time, 1996, he had committed no crime against America so I did not bring him here because we had no basis on which to hold him, though we knew he wanted to commit crimes against America.

"So I pleaded with the Saudis to take him, 'cause they could have. But they thought it was a hot potato and they didn't and that's how he wound up in Afghanistan."

On Thursday morning, MewsMax.com offered CBS's "60 Minutes" a copy of its exclusive recording of Clinton's remarks.

But it's not clear whether the network will be willing to embarrass the ex-president by airing smoking gun proof that his current claims about the bin Laden offer are false.

Listen to NewsMax.com's exclusive recording of Bill Clinton admitting that he let bin Laden go free.

[adam_az]

"The Sinkmaster"

I never understood that reference?

[Calpernia]

Can use one of your posts here.

[stillnoprotestsagainstmuslims]

lol!!!

[Always Right]

Clinton: "I am telling the truth about bin Laden, that it was truth, depending on how was was defined when I said it."

[drc43]

Just so we all know Dan's take on Bill's truthfulness:

“Honest” Bill Revisited: “I think the fact that someone has told a lie, even a big lie or maybe several big lies over a lifetime, does not mean that they’re an inherently dishonest person....I believe in redemption and that Bill Clinton – is he an honest person? I think he is an honest person. Did he lie? Yes, he lied, and on those occasions he was dishonest.”

Gives it more perspective

[Carl/NewsMax]

Calling all Freepers:

The goal now is to convince "60 Minutes" that it can't get away with covering up Clinton's contradiction.

I will continue calling the producers throughout the day offering to personally deliver a copy of the tape.

A few hundred emails urging "60 Minutes" to air the audio would probably go a long way towards persuading Rather's producers that the cat's out of the bag and there's no point hiding the evidence that's available to them.

The contact info on the CBS web site is as follows:

EMAIL: 60m@cbsnews.com

PHONE: (212) 975-3247

[SF Republican]

Bill Clinton lies - sun rises in east

[dirtboy]

The idiot is on tape saying he took a pass on Bin Ladin and you can bet that tape will be played more times then Dean's scream was

The mainstream media wanted to take down Dean. They don't want to ding Clinton. Therefore, they will pretend that the Newsmax tape doesn't exist.

Clinton stepped in it big time

I would imagine that all this was worked out with Rather in advance. Slick may have stepped in it, but Dan will pretend that nothing smells.

[hattend]

He finished off his "Monica" meetings in a sink in a bathroom just off the Oval Office.

[Wyatt's Torch]

So Clinton actually passed him up before he didn't pass him up...right?

[Mo1]

but Dan will pretend that nothing smells

I have no doubt .. Dan thinks a person who lies can still be an honest man

As for the mainstream media ?? ... every day they are losing credibility and every day more people are noticing it

Let them ignore it ..

[Chad Fairbanks]

Basically, what you are sayig is that the Clintons are an "Upper Decker"?

If so, I agree...

[TomGuy]

Liberal Rule #1: A lie isn't a lie unless you get caught. If you get caught, deny, deny, deny. If all else fails, print a retraction at the back of a newspaper and say the issue has been vetted.

Liberal Rule #2: Tell a lie enough times or tell enough lies, and part is bound to stick. If you get caught, revert to Rule #1.

[cyncooper]

Wow. I guess that year of counseling after he "told Hillary" he had been fooling around on her (and apparently, he still is)

Speaking of this part, MSNBC just played the clip (wow--MSNBC gets a clip of a yet-unaired Sixty Minutes piece--the "save bill's legacy" movement has shifted into high gear) and predictably enough, he's smirking, smiling and mugging as he "confesses" that he made "a mistake".

[Chad Fairbanks]

Ummm because, apparently, Clinton had a habit of ummm how can I put this delicately? "Tossing off" into a White House sink...

Hope this ummm clears it up for ya.

[adam_az]

"He finished off his "Monica" meetings in a sink in a bathroom just off the Oval Office."

Then how did his genetics end up on her dress?

Are you saying the Bent One finished off in the sink???

[Chad Fairbanks]

Yup, on some occasions yes, apparently.

[cyncooper]

who was the clintonista who had the diary who eventually said that he lied to his diary? ... these guys are real works of art

Josh Steiner:

Formerly Treasury chief of staff at the tender age of 28, Steiner essentially told Senate investigars he had lied to his diary, which said Clinton "was furious" at Roger Altman's decision to recuse himself. "Persuaded George [Stephanopoulos] that firing him [the RTC investigator] would be incredibly stupid and improper," the notes read. "I wish that my diary was more accurate," Steiner told incredulous Republicans and sympathetic Democrats.

[hattend]

Then how did his genetics end up on her dress?

He had more than one session

Are you saying the Bent One finished off in the sink???

Well, I wasn't there. Monica says as much in the Starr Report

[cgk]

I'm thinking that this summer of Clinton can help us. He's a pathological liar. We all know that. Now, it's all on paper. People are going to be coming out of the woodwork to dispel the lies he's written down and he'll be shown for the utter fraud he is. People will be reminded what it's like to have a dishonest person in the White House and it will work to Bush's advantage

---

It's all on paper, and happily, all on tape - audio and video. Clinton loves to hear himself talk so much, there should be lots of examples of him contradicting himself. Should prove to be a fun summer!