Letters show Bush told of Harken plight SEC records from '90 released

SF Chronicle ^ | 7-22-02 | Mike Allen, Washington Post

[Oldeconomybuyer]

Washington -- President Bush was deluged with nonpublic information about the financial plight of a Texas oil company in 1990 before he sold the majority of his holdings and triggered a federal investigation, according to Securities and Exchange Commission records.

[dirtboy]

President Bush was deluged with nonpublic information about the financial plight of a Texas oil company in 1990

So a single letter from the bean counters, telling the board that the existing, already known cash flow problems will continue, is a DELUGE? The bias bowl runneth over this morning...

[ReaganRevolution]

The documents show that four months before Bush sold most of his stake in Harken Energy Corp

Yes, he waited four months after the "deluge" of information until he sold his stock. My goodness will the Washington Post give it up already.

[bushfamfan]

To the general public, the headline of this article and the contents may appear to be "new" information, "Bush is a dirty rat" and it's obvious they continue to play it that way. I'm not liking the White House response to this garbage and wanting to "ride it out". Sure, a perception's put out there and this is going to be damaging. They need a better response and need to respond to this continued garbage put out there by the media. Bush needs to confront the reporter at a press conference, whatever, and say "what is the evidence of wrongdoing?, what are you presenting that makes a case of me being a crook?". Just say it because the media continues on with this Harken bs.

[jimtorr]

When is anybody going to admit that insider trading is only insider trading when the inside information says the stock value is about to go sharply down?

If the stock value does not go down or, as is the case with Harken, actually goes up, there is no wrong-doing.

[jimtorr]

Thee media will continue regarless. If GW now releases all info, it will be portrayed as spin control, caving in under presure from democrats, weakness. The attacks will only increase in intensity, and something will be found in the info that looks bad. That will become the new attack point.

It doesn't matter what GW says or does. The whole point of this excercise is to elect democrats in November. Anthing that can be twisted and used as propaganda will be.

[PogySailor]

As I said when this latest Harken episode stated, it doesn't matter what the SEC investigation found. Releasing the files will lead to more biased "reporting" such as this. No context, no big picture. Just a single memo which when wrapped in some DNC propaganda seems to be more than it is.

[NoClones]

Since the aim of these hacks is to discredit, and oust Bush,
it should be NO suprise to anyone that this and other 'new' information will continue to be released.

After all, obfuscation & deceit are what the demo-commies are all about!

[hflynn]

The White House has said Bush knew the company would record losses but did not know how large they would be. Harken's stock price initially plunged, then recovered and rose.

Bottom line, George Bush would have almost double the profit from the sale of he stock if he had waited for the stock to recover. Now most people should be asking the press, "Damn if Bush had inside information why did he sell so soon and blow another $800,000 in profit?".