Scott Ritter Speaks Out On 2001 Arrest - Offers his first public comments on controversy

WNYT-TV, Albany ^ | January 22, 2003

[Shermy]

ALBANY, N.Y., Jan. 22 - Until now, former U.N. weapon's inspector Scott Ritter has declined to speak about allegations he was arrested in an Internet sex sting 19 months ago. However, NewsChannel 13 reached Ritter by phone Wednesday and for the first time he discussed the arrest and the sealed court documents.

...snip...

"The case was dismissed. Therefore it never happened," Ritter said Wednesday.

"I stood in a court of law, before a judge and an assistant district attorney, and they dismissed it," he added.

But the court of public opinion has a different view. The story of Ritter's arrest and the subsequent dismissal of his case first broke over the weekend and dominated headlines in the days that followed.

"I am deeply saddened [by all of the media attention]. Not by anything I've done though."

Ritter refused to speak to NewsChannel 13 on camera. When offered the chance to tell his side of the story on television, he replied, "I'm saying it now."

...snip...

[Shermy]

Excellent point at #82.

If I were a reporter, say at Court TV, I'd be looking into this small-town court story. Ritter's case wasn't the only one so-handled, and publicly discussed.

The very first article was from April 18, in the Daily Gazette of Schenectady, NY.

Albany NY attorney fired for supressing 2001 arrest of William Scott Ritter

I'd contact the author, "Marnie Eisenstadt". (Suggestion to WorldNetDaily to make up for that Ritter video gaffe). I'd bet she heard a rumor, maybe from disgruntled DA/LEO staff, and started the ball rolling by requesting the court file or other digging.

[YaYa123]

Then for sure I want to watch Crier's show tomorrow! I'll be surprised if she doesn't offer an apology, or at least try to wiggle out of what she said.

[aristeides]

I agree that the administration almost certainly knew about Ritter's weakness. I find it very hard to believe the feds were not alerted to those arrests in '01. And an agency intervention still seems to me the most likely explanation of the lenient treatment of Ritter on those occasions.

[TLBSHOW]

BUMP

[hoosiermama]

A definate possibility. Or charges not filed because of who he is. (a common practice in our area). He's been red flagged. He'll be caught next time. Wish we knew what was in his FBI file NOW?

[habs4ever]

Diversity,baby!

[Gorilla44]

From a 7/02 Time Magazine Interview:

Did you write a report, at the time you were doing inspections in Votkinsk in the Soviet Union in 1988 that said the group your wife worked for was full of spies?

No. I indicated that given past models of Soviet penetration techniques that these young girls, of which my wife was one, who were brought in by the Soviets to carry out translation services had been used in the past to attempt sexual compromise. I subsequently wrote a series of reports that said this did not appear to be the case in Votkinsk. In fact, because of the human intelligence work I did in the Soviet Union I was able to ascertain that the girls were actually dissatisfied with the Soviets. They showed a tendency to speak out against the KGB to the U.S. inspectors.

Equally disturbing:

You've spoke about having seen the children's prisons in Iraq. Can you describe what you saw there?

The prison in question is at the General Security Services headquarters, which was inspected by my team in Jan. 1998. It appeared to be a prison for children — toddlers up to pre-adolescents — whose only crime was to be the offspring of those who have spoken out politically against the regime of Saddam Hussein. It was a horrific scene. Actually I'm not going to describe what I saw there because what I saw was so horrible that it can be used by those who would want to promote war with Iraq, and right now I'm waging peace.

Peace for who Scott? Obviously, not the prisoned children. It's better they suffer "horribly" than to have the truth be used by those who want to depose the torturers. Sickening.

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,351165,00.html

[kcvl]

Marina Ritter in the middle of the page...

Subject: Scott Ritter
From: Marina Ritter
Date: Sep 26 2002 10:04 AM

[NeonKnight]

You can have an arrest record esponged. It will no longer show up on your rap sheet. You normally have to meet certain criteria though

[Shermy]

BTW Catfur, that story was an amazing catch!

[Bahbah]

"Carville, Blumenthal and the Clintons all take their orders from Ickes."

Then it would seem that he is aptly named...LOL.

[mewzilla]

Hope you're happy, Ms. ex-ADA.

[eleni121]

The case was dismissed. Therefore it never happened," Ritter said Wednesday.

Slimy kinda guy, isn't he...

[TLBSHOW]

Clinton like!

[kcvl]

Arms Inspectors 'Shake the Tree'
UNSCOM Adds Covert Tactic

By Barton Gellman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, October 12, 1998; Page A01

Ritter's answers were referred to the FBI, which began a counterintelligence investigation. Among the concerns was his August 1991 marriage to Marina Khatiashvili, a former Soviet Georgian interpreter for the American team that had monitored an arms control pact in Votkinsk. Ritter had been married when they met, and he and colleagues insist that his romance with Khatiashvili began after he left Votkinsk. But her job had required her to report to the KGB, and Ritter knew he was imperiling his security clearance by marrying her, even afterward. "I was in love with Marina," Ritter said.


http://216.239.33.100/search?q=cache:hYHNu-QIpoUC:www.nci.org/v-w-x/wp101298.htm+Marina+Ritter&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

[The Great Satan]

Iraq doesn't have the Intelligence "reach" to trap a former weapons inspector in the U.S.

Uh, Ritter is a regular visitor and guest of Saddam's regime in Baghdad. He lived in Baghdad for years as a weapons inspector, constantly escorted by Iraqi military and intelligence agents, living in accomodation provided by the Iraqi government, wined, dined and entertained by the Iraqi government. He received $400,000 from a known Saddam Hussein front-man in July 2000 to go to Baghdad and direct a propaganda movie for Saddam Hussein. While there he was hosted by the Iraqi regime, again -- this time without other UNSCOM inspectors present. He met with leading figures in the Iraqi regime during that trip, including Tariq Aziz. He also was invited back last year, again through the auspices of Saddam's front-man, to become the first ever Westerner to address the Iraqi parliament. If you think Scott Ritter's just been sitting at home in Albany for the past five years writing books, you're sadly mistaken. Scott Ritter is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Saddam Hussein, Inc.

[aristeides]

That seems evidence that Ritter knew Marina in '88, when he could describe her as being a "young girl". Anybody know how old she was then?

[savedbygrace]

Since all this happened in Albany, I'll bet anything that The Hairy Hand of Harold Ickes turns out to be at the bottom of the police sting and the political conversion of Hot Scott Ritter.

And the award for Most Clever Use of a Masturbation Allusion goes to . . . .

[finnman69]

You could reach Scott at

wsritter@aol.com

Sincerely,
Marina Ritter

[bvw]

No biggie ... but April 18th is a typo ... you mean Jan 18th -- four days ago.