Posted on 09/24/2004 5:03:29 AM PDT by harpu
The source of a discredited CBS News report said Thursday that he did not coordinate the release of disputed documents with John Kerry's campaign.
Bill Burkett, a former Texas National Guardsman, also said that he warned the network that the documents critical of President Bush's service in the National Guard would be vigorously challenged and should be independently validated.
"It caught CBS very flat-footed. They were not prepared. And I had warned them ... that this would probably be one of the most highly coordinated vicious attacks that they would ever have to face," Burkett said in an interview with the Star-Telegram.
The interview was one of the first Burkett has granted since CBS identified him as a source of the documents this week.
Burkett said that he and CBS News anchor Dan Rather spoke "forcefully" after questions arose about the documents, which are now suspected of being fakes.
The documents appear to be memos from the early 1970s that criticize Bush's service in the Texas Air National Guard and say that another commander wanted to "sugar coat" Bush's poor performance.
The documents were the basis of a 60 Minutes report on Sept. 8 about Bush's Guard service. Almost immediately after the program aired, document experts said they appeared to be forged.
Kelli Edwards, a CBS News spokeswoman, declined to comment Thursday, instead directing attention to the network's statement on Monday that it made a "mistake in judgment."
CBS has said that outside experts will investigate the discredited report.
While maintaining his belief that the documents are authentic Guard memos, Burkett said he insisted that CBS validate them independently before going on the air.
"I really, sincerely, 100 percent believed that the CBS 60 Minutes people could absolutely authenticate this, verify it and do it right," he said. "And if it was, in fact, substantiated, that it should be added to the public record because there are so many holes within George Bush's [Guard] file."
Burkett said he agreed to a taped interview with Rather on Monday as suspicion about the documents mounted. Key portions of the interview were never aired, he said.
"He snipped it apart to cover them," he said. "That's all that that evening news was -- to find a fall guy. And it was me.
"By his action and inaction, Dan Rather ruined my reputation in front of 70 million people."
Burkett, a West Texas rancher and known critic of Bush, denied that his work with CBS was done at the behest of Democrat John Kerry's presidential campaign.
He said, however, that during the meeting in which he gave the documents to CBS, he was also told by a producer that his phone number would be passed on to Kerry adviser Joe Lockhart.
"I was absolutely and clearly told that that was as far as anyone could go without crossing the line of [journalistic] ethics," Burkett said.
During a single phone conversation with Lockhart, Burkett said he suggested a "couple of concepts on what I thought [Kerry] had to do" to beat Bush. In return, he said, Lockhart tried to "convince me as to why I should give them the documents."
According to the Associated Press, Lockhart said he listened to some campaign advice from Burkett for a few minutes and does not recall talking about Bush's National Guard records.
Burkett said he initially misled CBS on how he obtained the documents because he wanted to protect his source, who identified herself as Lucy Ramirez. If that is her true name, he said, she could be in "grave danger."
He said the woman called him in February, not long after he had appeared on MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews.
"She said she had some things ... that I could probably do a lot more with than she could," Burkett said.
He said he told the woman that someone could drop off the documents while he was attending the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo on March 3. He said he was at a cattle-sale booth on that day when a man appeared, referred to him as "Colonel," then handed him an envelope containing the documents.
Burkett said he turned to put the envelope down and "when I turned back around, he was lost in a relatively small crowd."
"It was later, hours later, that I finally looked at the documents. The document that stuck out to me ... was the one with the word sugar coat. And I thought, 'Oh my God.' "
Burkett said he has had four seizures since being identified as CBS' source and being dogged by the media. He said he and his wife have also received hate mail and death threats, and he believes that his phones have been tapped.
"Everything having to do with me has been basically tapped," he said.
He and his wife continue to run a ranch near Baird in West Texas.
This article indicates that Burkett may have been unaware that the documents were fake. So it is important to locate who gave him the documents.
more crap from the FORT WORTH[less] STARTLEGARM!!!!!
tick....tock....
or should I say:
tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick...
According to the Associated Press, Lockhart said he listened to some campaign advice from Burkett for a few minutes and does not recall talking about Bush's National Guard records.
LOL! What a convenient lapse of memory.
Where did Burkett get the idea that Dan Rather has 70 mollion viewers? Forged Nielsen documents perhaps?
Has anyone called the agency that produced the ad to find out when it was produced?
Good question.
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram is a liberal, kerry-supporting, Bush bashing rag. Yet, I still find it somewhat amazing this paper tried to bury the news in its own article.
The headline and lead paragraph of the story is basically-"No collusion between CBS source and kerry campaign." It is not until PARAGRAPH 18 OF THE STORY that there is a passing reference to the news of Lockhart demanding the documents from Burkett.
In other words, the paper is so partisan, it throws away a major scoop in order to protect kerry.
Newsmax, Fox and Drudge have picked it up, but will the big boys even bother to ask Lockhart about this? Major, major suppression is underway. Will it work?
"I was absolutely and clearly told that that was as far as anyone could go without crossing the line of [journalistic] ethics," Burkett said.
During a single phone conversation with Lockhart, Burkett said he suggested a "couple of concepts on what I thought [Kerry] had to do" to beat Bush. In return, he said, Lockhart tried to "convince me as to why I should give them the documents."
In the third paragraph, Burkett describes Lockhart as trying to convince Burkett to give "them" (who? CBS or Kerry campaign?) the documents.
In the first paragraph, Burkett is quoted as though CBS gives him assurance that his phone nmumber will be given to Lockhart - and this is AFTER CBS has the documents.
Which is it? I think that Lockhart's call was the trigger to Burkett, to give the documents to CBS.
I wonder how hard it would be to find a copy of something with Burkett's signature and compare it to the fake Killian signature . . .
I don't think Burkett did, but he might have. Regardless of the affiliation of the forger, the DNC and Kerry campaign are up to their eyeballs in this, and CBS is going to be exposed as working in at least loose coordination (maybe through a small number of strategically placed operatives) with the DNC and Kerry campaign.
The other media outlets likewise work in harmony with the Democrat party, but instead of being caught in direct coordination, operate with selective and biased reporting.
Anyway, I speculate that a mid to lower-level party hack crafted the forgeries, and that Burkett was the bag man. Like CBS, Burkett wants to believe the forgeries are true.
Goodness, I feel as tho I need hip boots to even read this drivel.
"During a single phone conversation with Lockhart, Burkett said he suggested a "couple of concepts on what I thought [Kerry] had to do" to beat Bush. In return, he said, Lockhart tried to "convince me as to why I should give them the documents.""
Was this phone call before or after Burkett met with Cleland and Rassmann on their trip to the Crawford Ranch???
IF that happened.... I just think it is absolutely hillarious.
He's a cornered rat, and cornered rats can be made to run in the right direction... if you put on the pressure and give him an exit.
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