Secret Service can’t corroborate report someone shouted ‘kill him’ at Palin rally

The Times-Tribune (Scranton PA) ^ | 10/16/08 | STAFF REPORT

[Born Conservative]

The U.S. Secret Service said Wednesday it could not corroborate a Times-Tribune report that someone shouted a threat directed at Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama at a political rally a day earlier at Riverfront Sports complex.

Secret Service Agent Bill Slavoski, who is in charge of the bureau in Scranton, said agents interviewed more than 20 people who were at Tuesday’s rally for Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin. He said they could not find anyone other than Times-Tribune reporter David Singleton who had heard someone shout “Kill him!” during a warmup speech by congressional candidate Chris Hackett before Mrs. Palin arrived on stage.

The Times-Tribune included the threat in its Web and print coverage of Mrs. Palin’s visit to Scranton.

Agent Slavoski would not say the remark was not made, only that agents could not corroborate Mr. Singleton’s statement. “We could not find one person to say they heard the same thing,” he said.

Times-Tribune Managing Editor Lawrence K. Beaupre said the newspaper stands by its story. He said Mr. Singleton, who has been a wire service and newspaper reporter for 30 years, was uniquely placed. “He heard what he heard. He reported what he heard.”

The story gained national attention, following similar incidents reported in other recent Republican town halls where supporters had been heard yelling comments about Mr. Obama such as “terrorist” and “off with his head.”

The story sparked a furor online as bloggers repeated The Times-Tribune’s reporting and earned a featured mention on MSNBC’s “Countdown with Keith Olbermann” cable news program Tuesday evening.

Mr. Singleton, who was assigned to the rally to produce updates for the newspaper’s Web site, said he was standing behind a small set of orange bleachers, which were behind the main part of the crowd. He was about 70 to 80 feet from the stage where Mr. Hackett was speaking, he said.

“(Mr. Hackett) was discussing Obama and the guns and religion comment (made by Mr. Obama earlier this year) and talking about how (Mr. Obama) didn’t have Pennsylvania’s values and basically inviting him to come here and learn, get educated about Pennsylvania’s values,” Mr. Singleton said.

Mr. Singleton said the remark came from his right, amid booing that followed Mr. Hackett’s mention of Mr. Obama.

“(I) very distinctly heard, ‘Kill him!’ Male voice,” he said. “It was definitely back in the back.”

Mr. Singleton said other people were in the bleachers he was behind and in similar orange bleachers to the right.

He moved toward the area where he thought the remark came from to see if the person who said it would repeat it. That didn’t happen, and he was unable to identify the speaker, he said.

“I didn’t hear anything else at that point,” he said.

The bleachers were at least 50 feet away from a camera riser and tables where other local and national reporters and photographers were stationed. As Mr. Hackett spoke, national reporters who follow Mrs. Palin around had not arrived. Their seats were on the side of the camera riser closest to Mr. Singleton.

[Born Conservative]

Original thread: Scranton Paper: Scranton Paper: Another Cry of 'Kill him!' at Palin Rally

[Born Conservative]

Ping

[Red Badger]

If there was a “person” it was probably a lib nutcase who “infiltrates” these rallies, posing as an American.........

[Ann Archy]

My guess is that David Singleton is a HUGE LIAR!

[OrioleFan]

Methinks Times-Tribune reporter David Singleton made it up.

[Salamander]

So is TEO gonna publicly retract last night’s debate accusation pertaining to Mac’s “Kill him! mobs”?

{{{{crickets}}}}

[realcleanguy]

Media is on the Obama payroll. This was deliberate to create racial tension and create fear in America. Nazi Germany created this type of situation by blaming the Jews for the financial troubles

[cripplecreek]

I wish John McCain had used this when he had the chance. I knew about it by midday yesterday and I can’t believe that both he and obama hadn’t been briefed about it.

[skully]

Red Badger wrote:
If there was a “person” it was probably a lib nutcase who “infiltrates” these rallies, posing as an American.........

That lib nutcase was probably Singleton himself.

[NeoConfederate]

Who’s surprised the press can’t get anything right?

[Diogenesis]

Jim Lehrer (Disgraced PBS, Democrat): "At PBS, we will continue to ignore that the top Palin Troopergate Investigator was a Phony Marine
and Obama's Odinga rallies in Kenya that left thousands murdered and raped in a takeover of a democracy,
and that David Singleton of the Scranton Times-Tribune apparently lied when he claimed that someone shouted "kill him!" about Barack Obama
at a McCain-Palin rally in Scranton, Pennsylvania says the Secret Service.
But then, we also ignore own financial entanglements. Speaking of which,
how many of Gwen Ifill's book on Obama's glorious upcoming-for-certain January 2009 Inauguration would you like?"

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Obama on video campaigning for Marxist "cousin" Raila Odinga, Kenya's "Agent of Change"

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[Red Badger]

...Or the voices in his head.......

[kublia khan]

I don’t have any personal experience with security but I would think that the Secret Service would be rolling tape on every political speech were they are providing security since the Robert Kennedy assassination. True or False??

[Doug TX]

It’s always been a sham. Sure, someone may have yelled a bad word or two, but they need to be identified before the media makes up their motivation. These incidents were planned by the dems and carried out by their operatives.

Remain skeptical of what my look like the ordinary.

[bboop]

That’s right, it’s just what the Nazis did. Create chaos, then ‘fix’ it. IF this happened, which I sincerely doubt, then it was a lib infiltrator. Else it happened in Singleton’s imagination.

[Tribune7]

ping

[ClaudiusI]

This + ACORN voting scandal + Secret Service Harassment + Joe The Plumber = President McCain.

[Cricket24]

The Times Tribune is a very liberal RAG. How do I know this...well, they also own our local paper, The Daily Rag (Review) in Towanda PA which is located about 70 miles northwest of Scranton.
Several days before the election two years ago, there was an article (again) about our then congressman, Don Sherwood and his affair on their webpage. I called the editor to find out who wrote the article as it didn’t have any author. The editor berated me as a disgruntled Republican and also told me that since I read it on the webpage and didn’t buy the paper, I had no right to complain. The guy they wanted to win (Chris Carney) did win and is now being challenged by Chris Hackett who just happens to the guy that was speaking when the alleged “kill him” statement was made.
They will never admit they are wrong because they are definitely in the bag for Obama!!!!!

[realcleanguy]

I believe it was a liberal “Nazi Brown Shirt” who is trying to create this situation. Spraying bleach in the eyes of the republican delegates, breaking into, vandalizing, and burning republican campaign offices, threats of being arrested and sued for opposing Obama are just the beginning. I believe Obama will build re-education camps, outlaw all guns, churches tax status removed, and ban Christian teaching. But, this may be the best thing that ever happens. Finally people will wake up to the fascism of the democrat party.

[NEPA]

The Times in '06 was even worse than this year (so far).

They printed a lot of crap about Sherwood as though the truth wasn't bad enough. After getting out the mis-info they would correct their mistakes.

One that I remember was saying Sherwood voted to impeach Clinton when in fact he wasn't even in Congress at the time.

I'm not sure how influential they are but it's mostly older people who actually vote who read the paper so who knows.

Even though the 10th is majority R, Carney will win re election. His internal polling has him up 10 points. I got that from a paid Carney staffer.

I'm highly suspicious of the "kill him" account. A few minutes ago Joe Snedeker's brother was on the radio saying he may have heard it also.

I think people are hearing what they want to hear.