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Kerry Aide Talked to Retired Guard Officer (Lockhart called Burkett, on Mapes' Suggestion!)
Associated Press ^ | September 20, 2004

Posted on 09/20/2004 5:32:23 PM PDT by Dont Mention the War

Posted on Mon, Sep. 20, 2004

Kerry Aide Talked to Retired Guard Officer

Associated Press

NEW YORK - At the behest of CBS, an adviser to John Kerry said he talked to a central figure in the controversy over President Bush's National Guard service shortly before disputed documents were released.

Joe Lockhart denied any connection between the presidential campaign and the papers. Lockhart, the second Kerry ally to confirm contact with retired Texas National Guard officer Bill Burkett, said he made the call at the suggestion of CBS producer Mary Mapes.

"He had some advice on how to deal with the Vietnam issue and the Swift boat" allegations, Lockhart said Monday, referring to GOP-fueled accusations that Kerry exaggerated his Vietnam War record. "He said these guys play tough and we have to put the Vietnam experience into context and have Kerry talk about it more."

Lockhart said he thanked Burkett for his advice after a three to four minute call.

Lockhart said he does not recall talking to Burkett about Bush's Guard records. "It's baseless to say the Kerry campaign had anything to do with this," he said.

CBS News apologized Monday for a "mistake in judgment" in its story questioning Bush's Guard service, claiming it was misled by the source of documents that several experts have dismissed as fakes.

Burkett admitted this weekend to CBS that he lied about obtaining the documents from another former National Guard member, the network said. CBS hasn't been able to conclusively tell how he got them, or even whether they're fakes or not.

Kerry ally Max Cleland, a former Georgia senator, also said he had a brief conversation last month with Burkett, who told him he had information about Bush to counter charges against Kerry's Vietnam War service. Cleland said he gave Burkett's name and phone number to the campaign's research department.

Kerry spokesman David Ginsberg said nobody in the campaign's research department followed up on Burkett's offer of information.

Lockhart said Mapes asked him the weekend before the story broke to call Burkett. "She basically said there's a guy who is being helpful on the story who wants to talk to you," Lockhart said, adding that it was common knowledge that CBS was working on a story raising questions about Bush's Guard service. Mapes told him there were some records "that might move the story forward. She didn't tell me what they said."


TOPICS: Breaking News; Crime/Corruption; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 60minutes; cbs; cbsnews; clintonhitsquads; clintonistas; collusion; coverup; danrather; joelockhart; liar; lockhart; mapes; marymapes; napalminthemorning; packofliars; rather; rathergate; seebsnews; serialliars; webofconnections
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To: Motherbear

sounds to me that cbs did ALL the coordinating...dan rather said 'we contacted him, he didn't contact us', then mapes reaches out to the dnc and has them call burkett.

cbs is putting this all together...


281 posted on 09/20/2004 6:32:56 PM PDT by spacejunkie
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To: rodguy911
Laura Ingraham "what is a cbs producer doing calling Lockhart" it got wild from there.

Yep, the blood is in the water now, and the feeding frenzy has begun. This one is gonna get uglier by the minute.

282 posted on 09/20/2004 6:33:37 PM PDT by commish (Freedom Tastes Sweetest to Those Who Have Fought to Preserve It)
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To: Mo1

Allah pundit.com has a long discussion which I think answers your question...


283 posted on 09/20/2004 6:34:10 PM PDT by the Real fifi
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Laura Ingraham to allan colmes"if the republicans had done this the NYT would be investigating tomorrow."
284 posted on 09/20/2004 6:34:36 PM PDT by rodguy911 ( President Reagan---all the rest.)
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To: BigKahuna

I totally take that last comment back...I checked, it's forgery. I had relied upon a different definition as to the type of documents and discounted the signature part being a felony.

But the part of the definition that stated, "to perpetuate a fraud" rings true!


285 posted on 09/20/2004 6:34:42 PM PDT by Fledermaus (If Dan Rather was duped, he's incompetent. If he was in on it, he's proven media bias exist.)
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To: Fledermaus

Judge Napolitano today on Fox news said that if someone admitted to making the docs and if they were in Texas, they could be prosecuted under either Texas or US Statutes, 5 years in jail either way..forgery or fake is the same if it is presented or used as real. Thats why Burkett said I told CBS to authenticate them..


286 posted on 09/20/2004 6:34:52 PM PDT by rolling_stone
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To: Fledermaus

The forgery lies in the criminal intent involved in creating an official letterhead from a recognized government entity (in this case, the 111th Fighter Interceptor Squadron). I believe one of the documents purported to order Mr. Bush to proceed as ordered for a flight physical. The trick lies in proving that the forgerer had a criminal intent in mind (so-called "mens rea").

That'd be up to a U.S. Attorney's office to attempt, but given the fact that a federal election was being tampered with, with the object of affecting the outcome of that election, one may be able to prove "mens rea".


287 posted on 09/20/2004 6:35:10 PM PDT by BigKahuna
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To: Dont Mention the War

What did Kerry know and when did he know it?


288 posted on 09/20/2004 6:35:18 PM PDT by Nexus (Rather lied, CBS died...)
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To: spacejunkie

"OR...he's deliberately sabotaging the kerry candacy for a Bush win."

It's possible, but there are two reasons why I think not. First, Kerry's candidacy is already pretty much in the toilet, why bust your own career for a long shot at further tanking it. Second, if you wanted to sabotage Kerry, there would be so many more direct and certain ways to do it. Don't you think these Dem operatives already know some things about Kerry that the Swift Boat vets are about to release, and maybe other damaging stuff as well? All they would need to do is leak some of those things.

I think this episode was about more than Kerry, I think it was a try by CBS and the DNC at sabotaging the whole Republican party, including and especially Bush. If you hit Bush, you hit all Republicans, and that's what they want to do.

Also, it's possible they're trying to keep it close, so that they can use that battalion of lawyers who can tie everything up in litigation, and also so that vote fraud can do its work.

Make the Republicans look bad, that's the whole rationale from here on in.


289 posted on 09/20/2004 6:35:34 PM PDT by JustaCowgirl (Loyal member of the Pajama Republic)
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To: rolling_stone

Yeah, I realized my mistake. Thanks


290 posted on 09/20/2004 6:35:36 PM PDT by Fledermaus (If Dan Rather was duped, he's incompetent. If he was in on it, he's proven media bias exist.)
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To: IrishGOP
"How far were his eyes bugging out of head when he said this?"

Let's just say folks in the office down the hall were marveling at how they twinkled when he heard "tax increase".
291 posted on 09/20/2004 6:35:44 PM PDT by Chummy ("I Rather Know when I See BS." RepublicanAttackSquad.biz: "A vote 4 Kerry is a vote 4 Osama")
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To: rodguy911
I'm afraid to turn in tonight and miss more breaking developments.

Somebody might have a surveillance camera of John Kerry in a blue suit crawling out the back of a CBS truck.

292 posted on 09/20/2004 6:35:46 PM PDT by Semper Paratus
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To: Lawgvr1955

Alan Colmes on Fox says no big deal. After all he talks to the Kerry campaign all the time. The blinders of the liberal press would be hilarious if it weren't so serious. They are INCAPABLE of seeing how slanted they are in their overwhelming liberal bias.


293 posted on 09/20/2004 6:35:48 PM PDT by Kozak (Anti Shahada: " There is no God named Allah, and Muhammed is his False Prophet")
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To: Lurking in Kansas
Really. Wouldn't just love to know a tenth of what Karl has?? ;-)

I just got this horribly scary vision of Rove standing in the middle of the War Room doing the Cabbage Patch as Lockhart's Statement was being read ROFL.

294 posted on 09/20/2004 6:35:52 PM PDT by commish (Freedom Tastes Sweetest to Those Who Have Fought to Preserve It)
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To: Dont Mention the War

I wonder how Lockhart, Davis, Begala and Davis feel about Clinton happily loaning them to the Kerry campaign in order to sink it. What must cross their little pinheads as Clinton says, "Yeah guys, go help'em. Knock yourselves out."


295 posted on 09/20/2004 6:36:14 PM PDT by guitfiddlist (The Left is smart enough to know the truth, but low enough not to care.)
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To: cyncooper

BINGO!!!!


296 posted on 09/20/2004 6:36:16 PM PDT by samantha (Don't panic, the adults are in charge)
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To: BigKahuna

Someone who photoshops needs to replace "Mama" with "Mapes"

297 posted on 09/20/2004 6:36:39 PM PDT by A Citizen Reporter
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To: Fledermaus
You raise another interesting point: someone placed Killian's signature on those documents.

Identity theft?
298 posted on 09/20/2004 6:37:08 PM PDT by Chummy ("I Rather Know when I See BS." RepublicanAttackSquad.biz: "A vote 4 Kerry is a vote 4 Osama")
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Comment #299 Removed by Moderator

To: A Citizen Reporter

Keep up the good work, guys. I'm going to bed but I'm sure your guys will stay on this tonight.


300 posted on 09/20/2004 6:37:47 PM PDT by Former Proud Canadian
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