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Dan Rather LIED On Larry King Show
Media Research Center ^ | June 5, 2002 | Brent Baker

Posted on 06/05/2002 10:07:37 AM PDT by PJ-Comix

Larry King asked Dan Rather on Tuesday night about his insinuation, just before Memorial Day weekend, that Attorney General John Ashcroft started flying on private aircraft last summer because he had warnings about terrorist hijackings he decided to keep secret. Rather, however, refused to admit that he had irresponsibly hurled a reckless charge, conceding only that “I don't know what the story is” but, realizing his predicament, he noted: “When you're in a hole, you don't just keep digging.”

     But Rather did as he tried to justify his specious charge: “The point I was trying to make was a larger one that it's time for us to be asking tough questions.” Rather insisted: “I thought then and believe now, it's a fair question.”

     But there’s a big difference between a tough question and hurling a charge of such a serious breach of human caring as Rather did without a scintilla of evidence for his invective.

     Below is the exchange on the June 4 Larry King Live on CNN followed by what Rather actually said on the May 22 and May 24 Imus in the Morning programs.

     King opened a segment: “Now it's time to clear something up with Dan Rather. Our mutual friend Imus is involved here. You were on Imus' show.” 
     Rather showed his uncomfortableness as he joked: “Waiter, may I have my check, please? Check please.” 
     King recounted: “It all starts with the 'I-man.’ On Imus last month, you said just before September 11th, John Ashcroft started to fly private planes, that would indicate that somebody somewhere was pretty worried. Why wasn't it shared with the public? The Justice Department denounced it as irresponsible. Ashcroft came on this show last week and said the reason he was asked to fly private was there were some personal attacks against him, fears that they had, and so they asked him to fly private.
     Rather falsely asserted: “I did not say that about him, that some of his people had attempted to do that.”

     In fact, this is what Rather stated on the May 24 Imus in the Morning: “It probably would be better for him to spend a little less time trying to, you know, sully up my reputation in some way, cover his own backside, and a little more time in let’s get this thing straight.”

     The “him” was quite clearly John Ashcroft.

     Back to King, he wondered: “What's the story?” 
     Rather: “I don't know what the story is. That when you're in a hole, you don't just keep digging. So you'll recognize my answer is in that spirit. I want the make it very clear, I have great respect for the Attorney General. I did when he was a senator. I do now. I'm very sensitive to the challenge in front of him and how hard he's working to help protect our country. 
     “And I've made that clear right the way through. The point I was trying to make was a larger one that it's time for us to be asking tough questions. It is for the press and it is for the American public. In a system such as ours or a government such as ours, it is absolutely critical. Now, I had talked to a number of people and I have talked to a number of people who were raising this question with me. It didn't just come, you know, out of my head and nobody dropped it over the transom. 
     “That some of the survivors of victims of September 11 have raised the question -- look, the government, never mind they didn't connect the dots. But they knew some things were out there moving around, and why didn't you let us know? I tried to raise this point in what I thought was a responsible way. By the way, they've never told me that they thought it was irresponsible. I never heard that until you just read it.”
     King: “That was the Justice Department.” 
     Rather: “I attempted to call the Attorney General. Was told by staff, no, you just call us and talk to us. That's the way that was handled. Never talked to him. There's a line of communication open with him. I don't have any argument with the Attorney General, and whatever he said, I take it face value and I accept that.
     “The larger point is that we need to be asking tough questions. Now, one of the questions, if you feel and the public feels he's answered the question, then that's fine by me. That we now can look back and piece some things together, and that he says that it was a threat assessment against him and I accept that. And when he got that assessment, he took the information and was able to make some protective moves for himself. I thought then and believe now, it's a fair question not so much for Dan Rather to ask, but for others to ask and for me to reflect it, well, when there was a threat assessment on the public, was as good a job done as could have been done and should have been done in letting the public knowing and let them decide whether they want to fly commercial aircraft or not? 
     “But I have no argument with the Attorney General. I did say and I do believe that, look, it's time for all of us -- it is not about me. It's about him and I think he would agree it is about the country.”

     It doesn’t help the country to have one of its most prominent TV journalists irresponsibly hurling baseless charges that could undermine the authority of the nation’s chief law enforcement officer.

     Now, for what Rather said on the May 22 and May 24 editions of Imus in the Morning.

     Appearing by phone on the May 22 Imus radio show simulcast on MSNBC, Rather charged:
     “You can certainly give a new President the benefit of every doubt about what he knew. The, you know, the New York Post had this big headline, 'Bush Knew.' Well, you know, knew what? However, increasingly there are important questions that need to be asked, but again, until recently, I would say, until the last week, nobody was asking 'em. 
     “For example, the Attorney General of the United States before, just before September 11th, started inexplicably taking private aircraft to places where normally the Attorney General wouldn't take private aircraft, you know, government planes. Well, that would indicate that somebody somewhere was getting pretty worried, but if you're going to share that with the Attorney General, you know, why wasn't it shared with the public at large?”

     Later in that show NBC’s Jim Miklaszewski had informed Imus that Ashcroft avoided commercial airlines in response to a threat on him personally.

     In a follow up appearance on Friday, May 24, to answer complaints about his groundless charge, Rather repeated the underlying thrust of it: "Now, in other words, when the Attorney General heard a threat, it was decided that, immediately and expensively, he would be taken care of on a security front. Now, I'm okay with that. Now, what some people are asking, and this is what I reported on your program, and some of the people include the relatives of victims of September 11th. What they're asking is that, okay, then when there came threats about the American flying public, there were threats bubbling up all over the place, the public was not told about that and, therefore, could not make their own decisions about their security.”

     For a complete rundown of what Rather spewed on May 24: http://www.mediaresearch.org/cyberalerts/2002/cyb20020528.asp#2


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: ccrm; danrather; johnashcroft; larryking
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To: Mr. Wright
Bill Clinton an honest man??? Oh boy! That says it all for Danny boy! What a maroon!
41 posted on 06/05/2002 10:56:33 AM PDT by Teacup
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To: habs4ever
And alluding that he will be fishing and drinking a fifth a day when he's retired. Did you catch that? I think he's doing that now except he's skipping the fishing.
42 posted on 06/05/2002 10:56:59 AM PDT by capydick
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To: PJ-Comix
I posted this interview transcript last night but Danny Boy's heavily medicated delivery was so boring that it made me so sleepy that this lie went right by me.

It should be easy to tell when Dan Rather is lying, unless he grew a thick beard and mustache.

43 posted on 06/05/2002 10:59:06 AM PDT by steve-b
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To: PJ-Comix
Tune into
KBIAS
on the West Coast
Tune into
WBIAS
on the East Coast

44 posted on 06/05/2002 11:00:00 AM PDT by Consort
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To: texasbluebell
No, I don't remember it.

It is a great picture though showing how all wet Blather is. That probably wasn't a hurricane, it was shot showing the backwash of his blathering on his show each night.

45 posted on 06/05/2002 11:02:24 AM PDT by Grampa Dave
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To: Redbob
Dan Rather lied.
Then he lied again to cover it up.

Emulating his idol Clowntoon.

46 posted on 06/05/2002 11:04:14 AM PDT by steve-b
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To: PJ-Comix
No surprise, Rather lies EVERY TIME HE OPENS HIS CAKE HOLE!
47 posted on 06/05/2002 11:05:33 AM PDT by rightwingextremist1776
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To: PJ-Comix
Think of the outrage if Brit Hume were the Dan Rather in all this, going on the Rush Limbaugh show to make the same charges against Janet Reno.
48 posted on 06/05/2002 11:07:05 AM PDT by YaYa123
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To: steve-b
can you add a link of the transcript you posted to this thread? Many thanks.
49 posted on 06/05/2002 11:09:16 AM PDT by YaYa123
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To: PJ-Comix
Tune into
CBIAS
north of the border
Tune into
XBIAS
south of the border

50 posted on 06/05/2002 11:11:05 AM PDT by Consort
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To: YaYa123
Huh? I didn't post any transcript.
51 posted on 06/05/2002 11:13:46 AM PDT by steve-b
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To: Dazedcat
I agree. And what's scarey is Brian Williams will replace Brokaw and you know what Williams says? He says he's wanted to be an anchor all his life. !!!?? All your life you've wanted to read from a teleprompter?? Not go out and actually *do* something??! If that's true, that's totally scarey.
52 posted on 06/05/2002 11:40:18 AM PDT by FreeTheHostages
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To: PJ-Comix
Let's see, Blather states on O'Reilly's show that he thinks Clinton is an honest man.
O'Reilly then asks Blather about Clinton lying to the American people? I.E. "I did not have sex with that woman..."
Blather retorts with: "I think you can be an honest man and lie about any number of things."

Is anyone here surprised he would lie on Larry King's show?
I'm not! Nothing new here folks, move along.

53 posted on 06/05/2002 11:54:00 AM PDT by cuz_it_aint_their_money
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To: Grampa Dave
That probably wasn't a hurricane, it was shot showing the backwash of his blathering on his show each night.

Ha! Good one!

54 posted on 06/05/2002 12:44:20 PM PDT by texasbluebell
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To: FreeTheHostages
As I was clicking my TV remote this morning while getting ready for work, what should wander across my screen but Brian Williams' oh-so-pretty face. Seems he's in India to cover the potential war between India and Pakistan. One gets the impression the media is just salivating over the prospect and would be horribly disappointed if it didn't turn nuclear. On the other hand, I sincerely doubt that Brian would even be in India if there was any genuine prospect of a nuclear conflict.
55 posted on 06/05/2002 12:56:42 PM PDT by Wolfstar
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To: Mo1;kcvl;Bigg Red
Me thinks they used the net, meds, and white jacket on the wrong guy.

However, what else is new? A bunch of rhinoceroses in a phone booth?

*YAWN*

56 posted on 06/05/2002 1:34:34 PM PDT by Calvin Locke
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To: PJ-Comix
Interview with CBS Anchor Dan Rather (Larry King Live transcript)
57 posted on 06/05/2002 2:43:55 PM PDT by LarryLied
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