Congressional scrutiny of Homeland official steps up (Laura Callahan update)

Washington Technology ^ | June 6, 2003 | Patience Wait and Wilson P. Dizard III

[TylerDare]

I was told that by another person involved in this. I do not know it to be true or false.

[TylerDare]

Are you saying that Livingstone worked at BoM in PGH? I was told that by another person involved in this. I do not know if it is true for false.

[MamaLucci]

I totally understand your hesitancy to speak freely.
As a housewife living in the Midwest, my life is so far removed
from the beltway, that I could ignore it like most people do.
Yet I believe that the systemic corruption and lack
of a "controlling legal authority" due to the threat
of mutually assured destruction that goes on there,
effects ALL Americans.
That, in short, is why I FReep.

[MamaLucci]

...any who (are) decent are attacked ruthlessly.

SOME whistleblowers are more equal than others.

[longshadow]

I was told that by another person involved in this. I do not know it to be true or false.

If true, it is very interesting -- it establishes the connection between the two, whioch would explain how she got her job at the WH, which is what I suspected all along.

Okay, let's try another long shot: is there any connection between Livingstone and/or Callahan and Q. Todd Dickinson, who was briefly the head of the Patent Office in the waning days of the Clinton Administration?

[TylerDare]

Okay, let's try another long shot: is there any connection between Livingstone and/or Callahan and Q. Todd Dickinson, who was briefly the head of the Patent Office in the waning days of the Clinton Administration?

Not that I am aware of but that's not to say there isn't one. I only have one small part of this story from what I have been able to put together and have observed in person. I will ask someone who may know.

[TylerDare]

Anyone in the Gov who blows the Whistle is really asking for trouble. There is a reason Federal Managers like employees without ideas, values, or a sense of responsibility. Those are traits that are discouraged in Federal employment.

[Think300]

Her husband does work for the secret service. However, he is a low level Sgt. with the building security division. He was once in the patrol division but was transferred. She has been a short route taking, phony all her life. From her start at San Jose State, to UNM at Albuquerque, to her short stint at Notre Dame. None of this produced a credentialed degree. She enlisted in the Navy but was sent home while in boot camp. She ended up marrying her recruiter, Richard Crabtree. (That has made me wonder for years) She miraculously made it to the WH after some wrangling in the DOL in PA. There is nothing more ridiculous than this entire affair. She has been exposed for what she is. A true political phony with only her best interests at heart. The next item should be a hard look at where the money came from for the custom house she and her husband Rich Callahan had built, and what she has in her safe that allowed her a full year of pay without work by the DHS.

[Think300]

She transferred in her credits from San Jose State, UNM at Albuquerque, and Notre Dame. However those were mostly music credits. My question has been if she is so smart and deserves a Phd. why didn't she question the validity of a university that provides these degrees without the student doing any real college level work? Obviously she has attended an accredited university so she should know what is really expected of an honest college student.

[longshadow]

She miraculously made it to the WH after some wrangling in the DOL in PA.

Actually, she was at the Bureau of Mines in Pittsburgh (AFAIK) when she suddenly got inexplicably tapped for the WH job. She then went from the WH job to DoL after her stint with the Clinton Administraion, unless you know something about this case I don't....

;-)

The question still remains; why was some low-level IT person in an out-of-the way place like the BoM in Pgh suddenly selected/elevated to be a WH IT manager, and who chose her? My guess is that there is a connection between her and Craig Livingstone......

[Think300]

I apologize for misspeaking. You are correct she went from the BOM to the WH. As I understood it, there was a connection with Craig Livingstone at that time. However, it is amazing to see how quickly she lost her supporters once she was no longer considered a usable asset. I do not condone the actions of Laura Callahan. She is a self serving liar with a tyrannical personality that keeps carefully out of the view of her superiors. She is capable of producing award winning performances that would rival the best trained and most experienced actresses. Her education record is only one part of her life that is circumspect. This goes all the way back to her inability to complete a single degree while at 3 separate colleges, followed by her inability to complete Navy boot camp just to return home to marry her recruiter. Richard Crabtree, her 1st husband was her recruiter, a Navy Chief Petty Officer. (NCC, or E-7) She moved on to her various jobs while never completing anything she began. The fact that she took the easy route to obtain her degrees, demonstrates her inability to do anything the right way. A continuation of the patterns she has set in her life to date. Perhaps before a person can be given a secret clearance, a simple evaluation of their life should be made. A more in depth look into her past, and the past of her family would reveal a tremendous amount of information concerning her morality and values. She has a family member that doesn't even flag when searched. Someone that appears to be that benign, has to be part of something that we aren't supposed to know about. Favors, protection, and cronyism seem to keep rearing their ugly heads here. Your questions about Livingstone are valid. However, I would suggest that anyone who is truly interested in the depth of this mess look much deeper and on a much broader scale.

[longshadow]

She has a family member that doesn't even flag when searched. Someone that appears to be that benign, has to be part of something that we aren't supposed to know about. Favors, protection, and cronyism seem to keep rearing their ugly heads here. Your questions about Livingstone are valid. However, I would suggest that anyone who is truly interested in the depth of this mess look much deeper and on a much broader scale.

Well, you certainly piqued my interests; any hints or clues would be appreciated.

[Think300]

Obviously I am close enough to the situation to know what I know. Unfortunately my current position is not one that would allow me to be blunt. I would suggest that one of her siblings, she has 2 brothers, has/had a legitimate position within a security agency. The kind of position that would allow for significant exposure to security operatives and officials. Please keep in mind that this individual, while in the Navy, never held a static command. That is to say he was constantly moving around within different commands. Each time he left those commands there were significant criminal investigations that followed. Additionally, he spent time at Ft. Benning in 2000, before he fell off the grid for over 3 years. He is now back at his home. It is not uncommon for family members to, "call in favors," to come to the rescue when necessary. He older brother, a former CG drug interdiction specialist and SF, CA police officer still moves in and out of Central and South America with impunity. Laura Callahan is a fraud and has been all her life. Perhaps she has attempted to live in a world that she didn't belong in. She deserves to spend some time at club fed for her actions regarding the project X fiasco, her illegal/unethical hiring practices at the BOM, and now her intentional falsification of a public record. As a GS, or SES, her records are property of the US Government. Her contention that her degrees were anything other than party favors is a blatant lie. One that she knew she was telling when she made the statements at the WH insisting that she be referred to as Dr. Callahan. She even went as far as to prominently display them on her office wall. It is illegal, within the Commonwealth of VA, or the DC limits to present false credentials. I have to ask when will the indictment be coming?

[longshadow]

Double check your sources on her previous academic experience; this is from an older publication:

In March 2000, when Callahan was subpoenaed to appear before the House Government Reform Committee on breakdowns in the White House e-mail system, she testified under oath that she was “a graduate of Thomas Edison State College in Trenton, N.J.” She did not mention the two Hamilton degrees.

The alumni office at the New Jersey college confirmed that Callahan obtained a two-year associate’s degree in 1992; her major was liberal arts/general.”

[longshadow]

Here's her officail bio from her DoL days:

http://www.hpcc-usa.org/callahanbio.htm

Notice anything unusual?

Nowhere does she mention working at the Bureau of Mines. Now I wonder why that is..... hmmmmmm.

[Think300]

I knew her when she was at UNM and Notre Dame. She told me about her time at San Jose State after she graduated form Cupertino High School, in CA. She has not disclosed this information because her course of study was music. I am 100% on this information. The absense of important information just confirms that she provides the truth as she sees it and when it is suitable to her current need. Her time at the BOM was a debacle of unethical activity. Why point it out?

[longshadow]

The absense of important information just confirms that she provides the truth as she sees it and when it is suitable to her current need. Her time at the BOM was a debacle of unethical activity. Why point it out?

That's what I surmised.

I'm trying to get a mental "timeline" on her activities; I'm under the impression that she started at BoM sometime in the mid eighties, which I assume was after her various attempts at academics after high school (do you know what year she graduated from high school?) But then she apparently got an associates degree from the community college in NJ in 1992, so did she take time off from her job at BoM to do this? Did she return to BoM after getting her liberal arts associates degree?

Or, did she not start at BoM until AFTER her associates degree in 1992?

Another interesting point; notice how she apparently left out any mention of her Bachelor and Masters degrees from Hamilton ("awarded" in 1993 and 1995 respectively) when she testified before congress in the WH e-mailgate scandal hearings. This suggests that she knew that her degrees would NOT stand up to scrutiny, which means she cannot NOW claim that she thought they were legitimate when she put them on her resume (along with her PhD. from Hamilton in 2000) when she applied for the DHS job.

It sure seems to me that she's knowingly committed a willful fraud to get employment for which she was otherwise probably not qualified. But from what I've read, we'd better not hold our breath waiting for an indictment anytime soon.

[Think300]

As I understand it, she did obtain her degree, (liberal arts) while on a LoA from the BoM. I am not completely clear of the actual time line because it has become muddled over time. It depends on who you are talking to and what the subject is at the time. I am sorry I do not have a more defined scope to share. She graduated from Cupertino High School, in Cupertino, CA, in 1980. From there she attended the 3 separate colleges we discussed earlier. I agree that the intentional omission of the Hamilton degrees while under oath was premeditated. Since her education was the subject of scrutiny previous to her sworn testimony, it would only make sense for her to hedge that particular bet. Since, as you pointed out, her degrees would NOT stand up to focused scrutiny, I doubt she would want them in the congressional record. That would be irrefutable evidence of perjury. She is very bright and can be very slippery when she has had time to prepare. I would suggest that the facts indicate that she has knowingly, and willingly, submitted fraudulent information for entry into her personnel file, openly and continually misrepresented her qualifications, and falsified public records. I have heard rumblings about a criminal investigation. I wish I could find something more substantial on that topic. However, since there are so many other federal employees caught up in the same situation, I do not see her facing any real consequences for her actions. That is unless a couple of junior congressional members are looking to make a name for themselves. I am looking forward to hearing what she has to say on 60 minutes. If nothing more, it should be a great spin fest.

[longshadow]

I have heard rumblings about a criminal investigation. I wish I could find something more substantial on that topic. However, since there are so many other federal employees caught up in the same situation, I do not see her facing any real consequences for her actions. That is unless a couple of junior congressional members are looking to make a name for themselves.

See the posts by "TylerDare" earlier on this thread for comments on that subject. It seems there is little enthusiasm for a criminal investigation, which is very odd. It seems to me that this is an open and shut case of fraud, which AFAIK is a felony, and that could be used to compel her to open up and tell what she really knows about the WH e-mail scandal, etc. But it sounds like no one has the stomach for it....

I am looking forward to hearing what she has to say on 60 minutes. If nothing more, it should be a great spin fest.

Now I hadn't heard that before! Any idea when it will air? I can only hope that 60 Minutes will sting her as they have so many other people they interview, but I'm not holding my breath......

Thanks for filling in many of the details in this sordid story.

[Doctor Stochastic]

I think there have been some repercussions from this case (and probably others.) There is a push (in parts of the DOE) to see that those claiming degrees actually have them and that the granting institution is accredited.