Scott Ridder paid $400,000 by Iraq lobbyist

Fox News | 09/12/2002

[Falcon4.0]

Last night Fox News was talking about why Scott Ridder has changed his tune on Iraq's weapons programs and stated that he has been paided $400,000 dollars by an Iraqi National who is a naturalised American Citizen. The segment went on to show Ridder stating that the person in question has a "right" to lobby for the safety of his family who remain in Iraq.
Did anyone else catch this segment?

[SeeRushToldU_So]

Last night on Fox, Ritter said he paid himself 20% of the money. But that he had to borrow $38,000 to finish the movie.

So he is not only a flip flop pansie, he is an incompentant businessman.

[Texas_Jarhead]

oh yea, manny caught it. It first aired yesterday afternoon. you can find lots of commentary on the interview in the GW UN Speech Live Thread which involved some 1600 posts

[Pontiac]

The $400,000 was to produce a movie about what the weapons inspectors did in Iraq. He was to be paid 20% of the 400K for producing the film. However the film went over budget and he ended up using I think $38,000 of his cut to finish the film.

[WhyisaTexasgirlinPA]

So he is not only a flip flop pansie, he is an incompentant businessman.

Great point!

[catonsville]

On the Banfield Show yesterday he denied EVERYTHING, that he got any payment, or was pressured or threatened or whatever. He was hyper, adamant, fast talking, not very convincing.

He is lying, but has gotten himself into such a corner that only by denying, denying. denying and letting the rest of us prove otherwise is he maybe going to get out of it.

[Diogenesis]

Scott bin Ritter needs a warning label when he speaks.

[InfraRed]

What sort of return is Ritter expected to make on his $38K investment? Was the $38K an advance?

[Pontiac]

The 38K was part of his fee for making the film if I understand what he said correctly. I don’t think he expects to make any money for making the documentary.

[Catspaw]

The David Asman interview on Fox yesterday was much more revealing. Ritter said that a foundation (founded by a guy named Husseini, I do believe, who had previously been with the Arab-American Anti-Discrimination League, Jim Zogby's group) paid for his trip to Johannesburg and his trip to Iraq. No one has pinned Ritter down on his current source of income.

[Mr Ducklips]

Ritter's the type that if you bought him for what he's worth, and sold him for what he thinks he's worth, you'd be very, very wealthy.

Quite sure of himself, ole Scotty. High self-esteem. Knows everything, and don't question him---or you're a moron.

[SeeRushToldU_So]

Was the $38K an advance?

No he was advanced 400k. But the film ended up costing over 450k. So he borrowed 38k to finish the film.

I hope he has to eat the film for breakfast because he is broke. The prima donna @sshole was so arrogant on O'Rielly last night. It was enough to make you sick.

[Diogenesis]

Zogby = Zogby polls = Ritter = traitor

[aruanan]

I'm listening to the Asman interview clip now. It sounds as though Ritter has learned his lessons well. It looks as though the $400K helped quite a bit in his 180 degree turnaround to Saddam sycophancy.

[Catspaw]

It's the Institute for Public Accuracy:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/748341/posts?page=54#54

[finnman69]

SCOTT RITTER 1998 "SHOW ME THE WEAPONS!"

SCOTT RITTER 2002 "SHOW ME THE MONEY!"

[ravingnutter]

That info has been out for a long time...here are excerpts of an article from July 2000...

Scott Ritter, the former U.N. arms inspector who badgered Iraq with his aggressive pursuit of hidden weapons, said he will return to Baghdad on Saturday at the invitation of President Saddam Hussein.

The Iraqi leader has agreed to provide Ritter and a documentary film crew access to weapons facilities throughout the country so that Ritter can judge whether Iraq has rebuilt its arsenal since U.N. inspectors left 19 months ago. Ritter said he is also hoping to get an interview with the Iraqi leader.

Ritter said he was first invited to Baghdad last year by the Iraqi government after the publication of his book "Endgame," which argued that the continuation of economic sanctions on Iraq was more "evil" than doing business with Saddam Hussein. "They were shocked by my position in the book," Ritter said.

Ritter said that several months later, at a hearing on Capitol Hill, he met Iraqi-born American businessman Shakir Alkafajii, who had heard Ritter attack U.S. policy toward Iraq. Alkafajii asked what Ritter could do to end the sanctions and break the impasse in relations between the United States and Iraq. "I said I could do a documentary," Ritter answered.

Alkafajii, who is accompanying Ritter as a "translator and cultural adviser," secured the travel visas for the crew and agreed to put up a $400,000 line of credit to finance the documentary.

Source

As for his occupation, he fancies himself as a "journalist" (same source)...

U.S. citizens are prohibited from traveling to Iraq under an embargo imposed after Iraq invaded Kuwait. Violators face up to 12 years in prison and $1 million in fines, though there is an exemption for journalists, which Ritter maintains he meets.

IMHO, he is a arrogant b*****d who should be in jail under the embargo.

[Cagey]

I saw this nutjob on the Today show yesterday. He makes me nervous just watching him. Talk about a wound up rubber band! The guy really does need to get a strong sedative.

[Barnacle]

Scott Ritter has lost his bearings.

I've concluded from last night that he is nothing more than a dangerous purveyor of mis-information.

[Barnacle]

And that goes for Scott Ridder too. ;^)