[HoustonCurmudgeon]

When Pierre Salinger, at a press conference in March 1997, declared that TWA Flight 800 had been shot down accidentally by a U.S. Navy missile, this former presidential press secretary, U.S. Senator and ABC News correspondent, was mercilessly attacked by his former colleagues.

Senator?????

[yazd]

Salinger was indeed a U.S. Senator for a few months, appointed to fill the remainder of Claire Engle's term when he died in 1964. See: http://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/CA/ofc/ussen.html

[BlackElk]

Senator Pierre Salinger, appointed in 1964 by then California Governor Pat Brown to fill the vacancy which resulted from the death of Democrat Senator Claire Engel.