DNC Lawyers Work To Muzzle Swift Boat Vets' Ad

humaneventsonline.com via Drudge ^

[Grig]

HUMAN EVENTS has obtained a copy of a letter which lawyers for the Democratic National Committee and John Kerry have sent to television station managers attempting to suppress the blistering anti-Kerry TV spot created by the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth and first reported here on HumanEventsOnline.com.

The letter claims the ad is "false" and "libelous" and suggests, in not-so-subtle terms, that TV stations should use their "legal authority" to refuse any requests for advertising airtime, stating that "because your station has this freedom [to refuse the ad], and because it is not a 'use' of your facilities by a clearly identified candidate, your station is responsible for the false and libelous charges made by this sponsor" (emphasis added).

As their first piece of evidence of the ad's supposed lies, the DNC/Kerry lawyers claim that the veterans in the ad "purport to have served on Senator Kerry's SWIFT Boat in Vietnam" but, "in fact, not a single one of the men who pretend to have served with Senator Kerry was actually a crewmate of Senator Kerry's." The problem is that none of these men claimed to have served on Kerry's SWIFT Boat. They simply said they "served with John Kerry" -- and they did.

The letter goes on to make several more misleading statements about the advertisement, in an attempt to protect Kerry's "war hero" record. Read the full text below.

[joesnuffy]

Bwahahahaha the DNC hangs their hat on a Anti War...WAR CRIMINAL....FOR PRESIDENT OF THE U.S.A AND ITS TOO LATE TO GET ANOTHER CANDIDATE.....

So what do all trial lawyers do to change America?.........THEY SUE OR THREATEN TO SUE....

[demlosers]

I think the ad could have been done in a more sophisticated and less "in your face" way. After all, it is to Kerry's credit that he served, even if what he did afterwards was despicable.

Actions by military members, in time of war or in peace time, is always accountable to a high standard in integrity, which Kerry's conduct lacks then and now.

[Unam Sanctam]

OK, but then they should have mentioned in the ad one or two examples of how Kerry lied about his combat record.

[finnman69]

A station manager from Wisconsin called Sean hannity, and said he receved the fax. He called the lawyer and asked if this was a threat. The lawyer said it was a 'request'.

The station manager said the backup the Vets sent with the ad is solid and they are running the ad.

[sport]

The Swift Boat Vets hit a nerve, my man, they hit a nerve!

Keep up the good work!

Call their bluff!

Let them sue!

[demlosers]

The defense offered by these lawyers is piss poor.

You noticed that too; I'd say it's laughable LOL!

[federal]

That's a good spin for this -- but honestly, imagine if some lib group put out ads claiming that the President had lynched some black when he was supposed to be at National Guard duty. Even though it is obviously untrue

I'm sure these guys are convinced what they are saying is true and since John Kerry won't release the parts of his service record which show who recommended him for his metals and the circumstances surrouding them I assume they are true.

Instead of threatening people sKerry could release his entire service record just as President Bush has.

[Soul Seeker]

And I congratulate him for doing so.

How DARE the DNC/Kerry/Edwards campaign not only seek to defame these vets AGAIN but silence their right to speech as well?

Threats to run to the courts to exercise control they no longer have elsewhere. Typical.

[JoeGar]

Looks like the lawyer lied in his threatening letter when he said "men who purport to have served on Kerry's swift boat." None of the men purport that. They all served with him in a pack (squadron?) of swift boats.

[Babsig]

EXACTLY! This will go down in history as the turning point in this election. Just as the Will Horton (sp) ad was in 1988. (I think it was '88)

[bayourod]

We are witnessing history.

1. This letter is the first use by the Kerry Campaign of its massive legal division. The Kerry Campaign intends to win this campaign by abuse of the laws by a combination of using illegal contributions, advertisements, and organizations to support Kerry; while using the courts to supress legal acts by the Bush campaign.

2. This letter is probably the first of many letters that will be used to give pro-Kerry TV stations an excuse to refuse to run ads that oppose Kerry. Next will be threatening letters to churches, corporations, organizations, local political parties, and anyone attempting to exercise their right to participate in the political process.

3. The fact that this letter is an empty threat indicates that the Kerry legal team is no more interested in the integrity of the law then they are the integrity of their campaign messages. Lawyers with integrity don't send out threatening "lawyer letters" unless they are actually prepared to follow up with court action.

[xkaydet65]

In 2000 they tried to blame him for the racist and vicious murder of a black man in Texas. Even if the blame was indirect the purpose of the ad was to blame Bush.

[CasearianDaoist]

All they need is for a couple of medium sized stations in a reasonably large market to run them - the Kerry people will never go after them. I am not a lawyer but it seems like it was a really bad idea. Does Clinton have a mole in there that gives Kerry this stupid advice. or are all of these misstep due to the fact that he has never ran a national campaign or has been in one outside of a state that is highly protective of Liberals? Could it be that he does not understand that elections for executive positions are much tougher than those for legislative ones, particulalry legilative slots in small states? You would think that someone from the national party would tell him how idiotic this is.

perhaps he thought that if he could delay it now the CFR laws would keep it of the air after Sept.

I might be very naive but Team Kerry's response to this seems rather amatuerish to me.

[mwl1]

The letter from the DNC lawyers was "nuanced."

We must use the appropriate Kerry-speak.

[Sacajaweau]

Kerry's treatment of Vets hasn't changed since Vietnam except now he uses attorney's instead of Congress.

[aruanan]

I think the ad will likely turn some people off.

Duh! Ya think? Of course it'll turn "some" people off. Most of those will be committed Kerry supporters who are immune to the truth. We don't care about those guys. We care about those who have only seen Kerry's references to his brave days in Vietnam. This ad is a slap in the face in its intensity and the fact that Kerry has not sued any of these guys for libel for having printed these things for many months now is itself an affirmation of the truth of their assertions. The letter to the TV stations is bluff based on a lie about the nature of the service of these Swift Boat vets with Kerry.

[AndyJackson]

Is this widely broadcast attorney's letter libelous, accusing the doctor and crewmates of being phonies and liars?

[hellinahandcart]

Sorry. The Pubbie party and the WH are dickless. That's why it took an independant group to do this.

[big'ol_freeper]

[aragona]

I just send this email to ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, FOX, MSNBC, and PBS. Feel free to use it, or better yet re-write it to sound more professional. I whipped it out in frenzy.
This topic really ticks me off!

Dear Sirs,
I urge you to run the Swift Boat Veterans ad, interview them on your news shows, and give them the same public attention that you have given to others.

If you are intimidated by the DNC's lawyers and refuse to air the Swift Boat Veterans's side, then you MUST be able to explain in detail and give a full, public accounting of the ads you have refused and why so that we can see if you are using public airwaves for your own political agenda.

Do you treat all 527-sponsored ads the same?

The person in the ad never claims to be Kerry's doctor. He says he treated the wound that resulted in the medal. He does not "pretend" to be doctor as the DNB letter claims. The DNC letter says a different doctor signed the sick call sheet. It's possible that both are right. If that is the case, then a good journalist should ask why a different doctor signed the sick call. Was it a political favor? Will John Kerry release his medical records? If it smells like news, it IS news!

The DNC lawyer's letter is based on weak nuances, un-related facts, and assumptions to come to subjective conclusions. It scares me that the Kerry/Edwards' knee-jerk reaction is to resort to legal tactics. So starts glorification of trial lawyers and more junk lawsuits!

Since Kerry is running on the premise that his Vietnam experience qualifies him to be president, then it is VERY relevant that the people who served with him be heard.

If these charges are true, and the mainstream and cable news stations (except FOX) refuse to investigate or air these allegations, and yet will go to great lengths to air interviews with Richard Clark, Joe Wilson, and others who have made allegations against a presidential candidate, then all credibility will be lost for the media in our country.

I trust you will do the right thing and allow these veterans to explain their views, air their ads, and get the interview opportunities they deserve. And we the public deserve too.

Sincerely,
name
town, state

--aragona