Posted on 07/22/2004 11:15:22 PM PDT by kattracks
Former Clinton White House counsel Lanny Davis fueled speculation on Thursday that he personally leaked the news that former National Security Advisor Sandy Berger was under criminal investigation by the Justice Department, by repeatedly dodging the question.
Asked point-blank if he was the leaker, Davis refused to respond directly, but instead told Liberty Broadcasting's Linda Chavez that if he had asked a reporter the same question, the answer would be "None of your business." When Chavez pressed for a straight answer, Davis suggested he would have leaked the news last year to Associated Press reporter John Solomon, who actually did break the story on Monday."Had I been asked last October by my old friend Sandy Berger," Davis told Chavez, "I would have suggested to Sandy that we call John Solomon and that he sit down with John Solomon and tell him the whole story and get the story out last October."
In the next breath Davis said he wasn't surprised that "somebody" had leaked news of the Berger investigation on "this particular week out of 52 weeks in 2004."
Suspicions that Davis was the source of the Berger leak surfaced on Tuesday, when the National Review Online's Mark Levin noted in his column:
"Lanny Davis's tactics of leaking bad information in order to control the media spin is clearly in play, if not by him, by others. But he is now a prominent voice pointing a finger at purported Bush motives.
"The Berger story first appeared in the Associated Press, and was written by John Solomon, whom Davis reveals in his book as his favorite reporter. In addition to Davis, the usual Clinton propagandists are involved as well – Lanny Breuer and Joe Lockhart."
The full exchange between Chavez and Davis went like this:
CHAVEZ: Did you leak this?
DAVIS: [Laughing] Well, first of all, thank you for asking me that. I've heard about that.
The caller [who cited Levin's National Review piece] is absolutely correct. I wrote a chapter in my book about one of the great reporters who covered the White House, John Solomon for the Associated Press. I always get him into trouble by saying he's a great reporter, 'cause people will think he treated us with a soft touch. In fact, he killed us almost all the time.
But I'm afraid if I asked John Solomon "Who leaked this to you?" he would give you the same answer that he's always given me when I asked that question, which is "None of your business."
CHAVEZ: OK, Lanny. But [the caller] was asking you. He wasn't asking John Solomon. Did you leak this information to John Solomon in order to get the bad news out of the way?
DAVIS: Oh, did I? [laughing nervously] Well, let me put it this way. Had I been asked last October by my old friend Sandy Berger - who is a great man, an honest man and has done something that he sincerely regrets - I would have suggested to Sandy that we call John Solomon and that he sit down with John Solomon and tell him the whole story and get the story out last October.
Because as sure as the sun rises in the East, Linda, there were enough people who knew about this that this particular week out of 52 weeks in 2004, is not surprising as the week that somebody chose to leak the story. [END OF EXCERPT]
Please, may Lanny Davis be in the same plane as Hillary and Schumer one day....Along with Teddy and.....
Thanks, now at least we know who leaked it.
The worst thing about all this is the horrible stink of the Clintons that has returned. All the same characters are back, doing all the same things. Disgusting.
(1) They could not risk embarrassing Kerry at or after the Convention. By releasing this before the 9/11 Commission's report, they guaranteed it would be a one-day story. (Curious also that the AP suddenly released the "new" airport tape)
(2) They leaked this 2 days before Congress goes out of session for 6 WEEKS. So the announced hearings on Berger are now perhaps 2 months away! The news will be stale then.
(3) Kerry is spared Berger's resigning his campaign during the DNC
(4) The Democrats immediately cried "THE TIMING" and every Clinton talking head from Gergen to DeeDee had the full talking points prepared and starched for this release. In fact Berger had retained Joe Lockhart as his temp spokesperson 6 MONTHS AGO. They prepared for this leak long ago.
(5) By leaking this, the Dems had their best shot of getting Berger off...by trying to convince the public that Bush was just playing politics with the leak ahead of the DNC and Commission, and a politicized prosecution of a "laughable" matter.
"Thanks, now at least we know who leaked it."
No surprise for many of us.
However, I believe that it was one hell of a big surprise for Kerry.
Berger came to Kerry and volunteered to work with/for him after he had been contacted by the FBI for Dox in the Sox theft.
He apparently never informed Kerry about the ongoing investigation. So in effect, he became a walking kamikaze waiting to blow himself up.
So the Clintoon's old liar, Lanny Davis calls in his reporter body does what Davis does so well, "Leaks to the liberal media, the crime and then blame the conservatives for the crime!"
If Lanny Davis can't give a straight answer that he didn't leak the story, he leaked the story.
The Dems can't rid themselves of this crew. They're entrenched. You know they'd love to, but really they're too good at what they do.
Thats a good question. I do think it was leaked by a Democrat.
Had I been asked last October by my old friend Sandy Berger - who is a great man, an honest man and has done something that he sincerely regrets - I would have suggested
Lanny leaked this.
Kerry really did NOT know.(Drat,I really did think he did know.)
This story is NOT fading away;but it's yet another reason why President Bush MUST be re-elected.
Lanny, give it up, it ain't going to work.
Tell the rest of your crones the same while your at it.
This was leaked by Davis, and the timing was chosen by the Clintoons and him.
You know my feelings about Kerry, he is the lowest of the low; however, I really thing that he knew nothing of this.
He was set up by Davis and the Clintoons, and they picked the week before the Rat Convention. The Bergular was their Kamikaze suicide bomber. If Kerry wasn't the lowest of the low, I might feel a little sorry for him. However, I don't.
Hey, "Kerry that ouchie you just got from the Bergular, Davis and the Clintoons looks bad, you might want to put some ice on it!"
That is a rather short list. Mine would require a 747. ;-)
"Curious timing" indeed.
Way to go, Mark Levin. Any democrat that even hints it might have been a GOP leak should be "inadvertently" shoved down Sandy Berglar's pants.
Rush Limbaugh: What Papers Were Worth Berger Risking It All?
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1176754/posts
Lots of Americans are longing for the days of spin, lies, and interns in the oval office.
The Clinton machine has been making errors and is looking off its game.
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