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...

[Deb]

Thank you very much. Is there a cash prize? T-shirt?

[PhiKapMom]

Who owns Court TV? That may tell you the answer of why Crier is even interested!

[bvw]

Nifty, dittoing savedbygrace's comment prior.

[Senator Pardek]

Who is Harold Ickes?

[BushCountry]

Time Warner Inc. and Liberty Media Group own Court TV. I don't know if this helps.

[aristeides]

I thought we learned back in '98 that Linda Tripp didn't have to put her arrest on her DOD forms.

[aristeides]

On the other hand, spies from the former Soviet Republic of Georgia (where Islamic radicals base their troops for their raids into Chechnya against the Russians) do have that reach...

Did you notice Marina Ritter is originally from Georgia?

[bvw]

This was haggled out during the Bacon-schmearing of Linda Tripp.

[Political Junkie Too]

Court TV said he HAS to put it on job applications. He HAS been arrested.

That's what post 106 meant about Linda Tripp.

The Clinton's got Pentagon spokesman Ken Bacon to leak Tripp's employment application where she said she'd never been arrested. She said the charges were dismissed because the arrest was a prank by friends. The Clintons used the application to undermine her credibility.

Funny how it was good enough then, but not now.

-PJ

[Howlin]

I'm certainly not saying it's been leaked.

[aristeides]

Who owns Court TV?

That guy Brill who came out with that new magazine in '98 or '99 that defended Clinton (and that Clinton prominently carried at one appearance) at least used to own Court TV.

[Bob]

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

Who says that the Iraqis trapped him here? He spent quite a bit of time in Iraq and could have easily been caught on video or film while he was there.

Visual evidence of pedophilia would make an excellent blackmail device, especially for a married man with young daughters.

[The Great Satan]

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.

Except that Ritter had flipped to being a Saddam asset long before this sting, for example accepting $400,000 from a US-based Saddam front to go to Baghdad in July 2000 and direct a propaganda film for Saddam. This has nothing to do with Hillary or Harold Ickes, everything to do with Saddam Hussein.

[Political Junkie Too]

I'm certainly not saying it's been leaked.

Neither am I. I'm simply pointing out that Tripp claimed that she didn't report the arrest because the charges were dropped, yet Democrats still cried foul and she lost her job and any chance of future employment. Ritter is making the same claim since his case was dismissed, and people are accepting it as valid.

-PJ

[Wild Irish Rogue]

" It will be interesting to see if any network has the gall to put him on the air again for a serious interview about Iraq."

Why does the Donahue show come to mind?? Or Larry King,so he can give his side of the story.Any network that takes a chance with this guy,is playing with fire.A man who not once,but, twice( that we know of) has tried arrange an assignation with underage girls, has more red flags around him, than an old Soviet May Day parade.

[Smedley]

Where before I thought Ritter was the lowest of low, now I know he's set a new standard not just for being a sleaze, but for lame rationalization.

[Howlin]

Oh, I get it now........thanks! I don't always have to have pictures drawn out for me....honest!

[PhiKapMom]

It is the CNN folks then! I suspected they owned it and would explain some of the crap that comes out of there. See if this hits CNN tonight -- if not, then Crier is in big trouble for saying all of this would be my guess.

[savedbygrace]

We tried designing a t-shirt, but couldn't get it out of committee. Some members wanted a picture of just a hand, but others said that was too subtle. Their suggestion was axed by the legal department, so I guess you could say we have a hung jury at this point.

[Dante3]

I recall this Catherine Crier getting all excited about Enron scandal touching the White House and about keeping on the story. When the Clinton connection broke she suddenly was rather silent. Perhaps a coincidence. Perhaps not.