Posted on 06/22/2004 3:37:42 PM PDT by Maria S
WASHINGTON - The Associated Press sued the Pentagon and the Air Force on Tuesday, seeking access to all records of George W. Bush's military service during the Vietnam War.
Filed in federal court in New York, where The AP is headquartered, the lawsuit seeks access to a copy of Bush's microfilmed personnel file from the Texas State Library and Archives Commission in Austin.
The White House says the government has already released all the records of Bush's military service. Controversy surrounds Bush's time in the Texas Air National Guard because it is unclear from the record what duties he performed for the military when he was working on the political campaign of a U.S. Senate candidate in Alabama.
There are questions as to whether the file provided to the news media earlier this year is complete, says the lawsuit, adding that these questions could possibly be answered by reviewing a copy of the microfilm of Bush's personnel file in the Texas archives.
The Air National Guard of the United States, a federal entity, has control of the microfilm, which should be disclosed in its entirety under the Freedom of Information Act, the lawsuit says.
The White House has yet to respond to a request by the AP in April asking the president to sign a written waiver of his right to keep records of his military service confidential. Bush gave an oral waiver in a TV appearance that preceded the White House's release this year of materials concerning his National Guard service.
The government "did not expedite their response ... they did not produce the file within the time required by law, and they will not now estimate when the file might be produced or even confirm that an effort has been initiated to retrieve a copy from the microfilm at the Texas archives," the lawsuit says.
In the absence of any privacy objection by the president and in light of the importance of the file's release in advance of the November election, says the lawsuit, AP seeks a court order to compel the release of records "that are being unlawfully withheld from the public."
The released records were from the Texas Air National Guard at Camp Mabry and the Defense Financing Accounting Service in Denver.
Under Texas law, a copy of military personnel files of those serving in the Texas Air National Guard must be retained on microfilm at the Texas archives. The lawsuit says that no one has looked at any of the Texas Air National Guard records maintained at the state archives since 1996.
Responding to AP's request, the Texas Air National Guard concluded that Bush's file was a federal record under control of the U.S. Air National Guard.
When the government did not produce the documents, AP appealed to the Pentagon, saying that by law, the microfilm copy should have been produced within 20 days. The Pentagon said it could not respond within the legally required period.
If they want to sell papers, they should get Kerry's records. That's where the juicy stuff is.
Interesting timing.
Why not Kerry? Because this is the Associated Press, part of the propaganda arm of the Democratic Party.
Welcome to FR "quite dense"
Not really. State polls showing Bush improving so this is the next assault on him from the slanted news media. This kind of thing will be happening continuously until November 2nd.
This is a prime example of a supposedly objective media organization trying to bring down a president by hiding behind the slogan "the readers have a right to know". They might as well pledge their allegiance to the Democratic Party because they have just blown their image of objectivity (just like Zogby polling).
Not that they will find anything in their digging. Bush didn't receive an honorable discharge for nothing.
So why not request Kerry's records as well? Talk about an obvious liberal bias.
Sheesh, they're STILL trying to create something out of that?
Notice how they ignore Clinton's treason by way of giving secret tech for our missiles and jet fighters to the Chinese.
*shaking head*
And the press doesn't understand why the Joe Average Guy doesn't like them much.
They got Jack Ryan big time; Repub of course. . .
It may either be that the AP isn't interested in cowards who bug out and leave their unit to doing the fighting and turn traitor and denounce the very men he bugged out on. Or it may be that the AP is an ant-American, ultra-left wing media outlet only interested in trying to damage the nation.
Never sued for anything 'Clinton'. . .
This just goes to show how desparate the left is. They have nothing on GWB, NOTHING, if they have to continue to beat this very dead horse.
I don't think so. If they really believed Kerry had this, they wouldn't bother with this nonsense.
He should photograph all the records, then have Ted Olsen say that the Supreme Court ruled some photographs are allowed to be withheld at the privacy of the family over the public's right to know.
Clinton vs. Vince Foster death photos.
Bush should stonewall like Clinton and say the records are missing and need to be located...
What the heck is wrong with these people? I've seen everything up to President Bush's dental records. The AP has lost it.
And why not Clinton's medical records and what he was up to during the Vietnam war when he was AWOL from Oxford.
Nice post for being brand new.
Clean it up and respect members of this forum.
You keep that snot nose attitude and your welcome will be a short one.
Life is short enoough, don't make it harder......
LVM
Rather rude comment for your first day on FR.
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