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The John Gibson Show

FOXNews.com

GUEST: Chris Simcox

July 25, 2006

JOHN GIBSON, HOST: Chris Simcox joins us now. Chris Simcox, one of the founders of the--are you the, or one of the, founders of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, Chris?

CHRIS SIMCOX, FOUNDER, MINUTEMAN CIVIL DEFENSE CORPS: I’m the founder of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps.

GIBSON: OK. So, tell me about this situation with the Washington Times demanding you open the books. What’s happening with the Minutemen books?

SIMCOX: Well, the books are in great hands and in great shape. Last year, when we first incorporated, we hired professional escrow caging companies, accountants, you know, to create insulation between leadership and to make sure that the funds were properly accounted for. We’ve hired very astute professionals to do that, and our books are in fine shape.

I find it interesting that somebody would demand that we have to file our books before we’re even required to by the federal government. We will meet all federal regulatory obligations on November 15th, just as all other non-profit organizations are required to do in this country.

GIBSON: Chris, how to you account, then, for people quitting the organization, citing as problems with disclosure of the financial situation?

SIMCOX: I’m very disappointed in the reporter, Jerry Seper, for the Washington Times, who quoted people who had not been with this organization, John, for over a year. Those quotes from those people were taken out of context, and they were taken over a year ago from people who originally wanted to be part of the national leadership team, did not agree with the direction we were taking, and either quit or in some cases were terminated for violating SOP.

Those comments were all taken from interviews over a year ago. If you asked every one of our national leadership team from all of our 49 different chapters around this country, every one has signed a pledge of confidence in this organization.

GIBSON: Chris, Americans have donated 1.6 million to keep your organization going. They believe in your mission to secure the southern border. Do you believe you owe them an accounting of that money?

SIMCOX: Oh, of course! And that accounting will come when we’re required to do that, and we will post all of that information on our website, as well as, you know, with the IRS.

Listen, John, of all people in this country, our volunteers certainly come first. But people have to realize that we’re not idiots, I mean, we’re not stupid. Our number one enemy in this is the federal government, and we have made sure that every penny is accounted for, every penny has gone in the right direction to build this national organization, and that we will meet all obligations of the IRS, who obviously will be watching us, and has been watching us, carefully. They would love for us to make a mistake. And I’ve hired the best people that I could find in this country to make sure that this organization is rock-solid and is accountable for everything--which we have been.

The most offensive part of that interview, or, article in the Washington Times was making, insinuating that our operations have never received equipment. My gosh, I’m sitting in an office full of equipment. We have on-the-ground operations in eight border states, on the northern border and southern border, who have thousands of dollars of radio equipment, night-vision equipment, thermal imaging devices, and are well-funded and well-equipped.

That reporter, Jerry Seper, hasn’t even been to those border watch operations and seen the amount of equipment that we provide--and I find that very offensive and misleading, and it’s terrible journalism.

GIBSON: Well, it isn’t just him. ABC has also gotten into the fray. This is part of an ABC report.

[START AUDIO CLIP, ABC15 KNXV-TV IN PHOENIX, ARIZONA]

ABC15 REPORTER: Remember, Simcox told us the majority of the donations are supposed to be used down at the border, not just for food . . .

SIMCOX: . . . it also goes to provide equipment, radio equipment, night vision scopes, thermal imagining scopes, port-a-potties.

ABC15 REPORTER, QUESTION TO MINUTMAN: Where’s the port-a-potty?

MINUTEMAN: Ah, we don’t have a port-a-potty out here.

[END CLIP]

GIBSON: Chris, apparently, you’re being held to account on a lack of port-a-potties.

SIMCOX: [laughs]

Well, and again, that hit-piece from ABC was taken out of context. The reporter who actually did that report actually used our port-a-potties. That interview, of course, clever editing, was way out in the middle of nowhere on a scouting expedition, where the reporter asked the volunteer where the port-a-potties were--and of course we don’t have portable port-a-potties that we take with us everywhere we go. It was a set-up, and it’s terrible.

We have photographs on our website, and you could ask all of our volunteers at our headquarters operations, where our volunteers congregate, there are port-a-potties.

GIBSON: Chris, if I’ve got this straight, then, because I hate putting on green eyeshades and becoming an accountant. I’m not very good at it, I don’t claim any expertise. But what you’re saying is, the criticism coming from ABC, from the Washington Times, even from Michele Malkin, is premature, that you’re going to file the very things they’re asking for, and if they were merely patient, they would see the information they’ve been demanding.

SIMCOX: Absolutely. That’s absolutely correct. And, again, we have hired professionals to make sure of that accounting, and that accounting will be addressed, as every other organization that’s required to do, on November 15th. We’ll walk down the street naked and show everybody exactly where every penny is.

And they just need to be patient. You know, these things take time. We’ve even now had to go, John, and spend more money to hire another auditor to try to come up with some answers for people, even before we’re required to. And I’ll make that effort, of course, be criticized for the spending money on it, I’m sure.

GIBSON: Chris, of course the radio audience that we serve and that we like to talk with every night has been very interested in your issue, very interested and supportive of your mission on the southern border, and I think many of them have probably sent money, and they’re curious that it is being used correctly.

Are you assuring them right now that there is not going to be an issue over the accounting of this money at the time that you are required to account for it?

SIMCOX: I pledge my reputation on this issue, that, again, every penny is accounted for, every penny has gone to build this national organization. If you donated to the fence, the fence will be built, and is being built. And if you donated to Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, you have helped us push this issue to the forefront of American consciousness, and that we have volunteers on that border every week using that equipment, assisting border patrol, and helping to secure our borders.

GIBSON: Now, Chris, you’ve got to remember. Bob, here, running the board never erases a single word spoken on this show. These words will come back to haunt you, if they are not absolutely true.

SIMCOX: It’s one of the things I appreciate about radio, is that these live interviews, where you can tell the story and tell the truth, can’t be used out of context, as they can in print media or on television, to clever editing. You certainly can hold me accountable. I’ve been accountable for five years for this movement. We’ve been called everything, we’ve been attacked, and we’ve withstood the test of time, and we’ll withstand this challenge to our integrity and the credibility of this organization, and a lot of people are going to have egg on their face.

GIBSON: Chris Simcox.

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