Posted on 01/19/2003 1:15:49 AM PST by kattracks
ALBANY - Former UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter was secretly prosecuted in Albany County in 2001 after he was snared in an Internet sex sting operation, law enforcement sources told the Daily News.Ritter, who lives in the Albany suburb of Delmar, is now a high-profile critic of President Bush's war preparations.
He was arrested by Colonie Police in June 2001 on a misdemeanor charge after he allegedly had a sexual discussion on the Internet with an undercover investigator he thought was an underage girl, law enforcement sources disclosed on condition of anonymity.
The case was sealed, and Colonie officials declined to release the arrest records, explaining the matter was adjourned in local court in contemplation of dismissal.
The Schenectady Daily Gazette reported yesterday that Albany District Attorney Paul Clyne fired veteran Assistant District Attorney Cynthia Preiser last week for failing to inform him of the case against Ritter.
Clyne said that as a "sensitive" case, it should have been brought to his attention.
Ritter, who has made frequent appearances on network television after speaking to the Iraq National Assembly last year, could not be reached for comment.
Joe Mahoney
I agree that it's inconceivable that the Bush administration did not know about this information. Ritter is the highest profile public apologist for Saddam Hussein's regime. The turnaround from his previous position is extraordinary, and has been the subject of immense public speculation but, beyond the question of the $400K Ritter received for making the pro-Saddam documentary and the occasional hint of some funny business over his Russian wife, nothing concrete has emerged publicly to explain how he was turned. Now, I don't think the Bush administration is in any hurry to bring the Iraq question to a climax. On the contrary, everything suggests exactly the opposite: they want things to move forward as slowly as possible, so long as the momentum is not lost. The useful idiots of the left -- the Kofi Annans, the Scott Ritters, the Schroeders, the Nicolas Kristofs and Barbara Hatch Rosenbergs, and so on -- are actually being leveraged by the administration to achieve exactly that. Bush has always known how Ritter was turned -- as you rightly observe, the alternative is simply incredible. But perhaps the leak of this information now indicates that this particular useful idiot, at least, has exhausted his usefulness?
And no, it is not unreasonable that the Clintons would lean on Ritter. Hussein could also be the primary suspect.
It may be likely that the author of the blackmail is Saddam Hussein, because he has documented evidence of something that would destroy Ritter. I would say underage sex would do a pretty good job of that.
Are you missing the discussion about WHY Ritter was inspecting a CHILDREN'S prison in Iraq? Wouldn't you like to know WHY?
If Ritter has a proclivity for children, several people knew about it, including Saddam Hussein and the Clintons, who he majorly dissed at the Biden hearing.
Now, it is quite possible that the Clintons found out about this and covered up the arrest in their carrot/stick approach. Equally likely that Hussein exerted some influence to do so, although you would have to explain to me who his emissary to the assistant DA was.
Reminds me of the South Park episode where Cartman decides he's too mature for his friends and goes onto AOL:
I've outgrown all my friends. I need to meet more mature people, Clyde Frog. [looks at Clyde Frog for a few seconds, then] Oh, great idea, Clyde Frog! [walks over to the chair and hops on] I can meet new friends on the Internet! [clicks the mouse and presses a few keys, then the computer chimes. A list of chat rooms comes up] Here's a chat room: "Men Who Like Young Boys" [moves the cursor to the title and clicks on it] That's perfect. [starts typing] Hi everybody! I am a young boy seeking an older male for good times. I am eight years old and would li- [DOZENS of replies start instantly cascading over his message] Wow! Look at all these guys who wanna be my friend! I'll pick? Tony316. [click on Tony's reply and starts typing] Hi Tony. [clicks and reads the reply] "So what are you into?" [replies] Oh, you know, the usual stuff. Smiley-face. [clicks and reads the reply] "Kewl. Wanna get together? [softer] Smiley-face?" [replies] Sure, Tony! That would be? kewl. Winking, smiley, face. [clicks and reads the reply] "Meet me at Mel's Buffet restaurant tomorrow morning." [replies] Sounds good. See you then! Clown hat, curly hair, smiley-face. [clicks, then brightly] You see that, Clyde Frog? Tomorrow I'm gaonna meet my first mature friend!
Don't know about O'Reilly, but would love to see Greta Van Susteran get ahold of him again.
You agree that this particular incident is not the basis for the blackmail, but then, after bizarrely and out-of-the-blue setting up an equivalence between Clinton and Hussein as likely blackmailers, you cite specifics of this particular incident to downplay the Hussein possibility. This is, to put it mildly, intellectually perverse. This is a story about Hussein, not Clinton. Clinton has nothing to do with it.
You are deliberately misconstruing what I have said. Of course Hussein has something to do with it. That is a given. But I would not be surprised to see Clinton involved as well.
Well, I don't agree with all of your theories, and you are free to disagree with mine. Time will tell who is right. I do think it odd that you are determined to disassociate Mrs. Clinton from this fiasco, given that the ADA is a democrat in the state capital, and a woman, and no doubt a supporter of Mrs. Clinton, who she would no doubt love to do a favor for.
IF Hussein is behind this deal, HOW DID HE GET TO THE ADA?
You already agreed with me that this incident was not the basis for "turning" Ritter, therefore that question is irrelevant, a sideshow, a distraction, and a blind alley.
Just one more turd in the punch bowl IMO !
I am trying really hard not to get aggravated with you about this, but you are consistantly refusing to see the point.
On the other hand, you expect everyone to understand YOUR cryptic comments about your theory about anthrax. Pfui.
You got it backward. It was Shevardnadze who attacked the legitimately-elected government of the anti-communist president Zviad Gamsakhurdia. Shevardnadze, known as "Bloody Eduard" for his time as head of the KGB in Georgia during the USSR, overthrew Gamsakhurdia's legitimate government and installed a dictatorship. To this day, there are hundreds of political prisoners in Georgia, whose only crime is to oppose the Shevardnadze dictatorship.
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