BREAKING: Conned big time "CIA Witness" to White House Lying about Intel story found to be FRAUD

Capitol Hill Blue ^ | July 9, 2003 | Doug Thompson

[Miss Marple]

He hasn't rectified the damage it caused. The story has been picked up and spread internationally.

[piasa]

Until last September, Greg Thielmann was the director of the strategic, proliferation and military issues office in the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research

Question is, is he related to this "guy," who - whether or not he exists - was quoted in a Newsweek article that has been used as a source for countless other articles, and credited with knowing all manner of intimate insider things before "resigning" or as some sites claim, "retiring?"

[MJY1288]

No matter what the situation is on the intel on the Niger forgery it really doesn't matter, he stated in the SOTU speech these words:

"The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed in the 1990s that Saddam Hussein had an advanced nuclear weapons development program, had a design for a nuclear weapon and was working on five different methods of enriching uranium for a bomb. The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa. Our intelligence sources tell us that he has attempted to purchase high-strength aluminum tubes suitable for nuclear weapons production. Saddam Hussein has not credibly explained these activities. He clearly has much to hide."

We found out that he did have much to hide.... Howbout parts of his nuclear program under his scientist Rose garden

[FreeReign]

Recently, while reading news articles here on FR, I began to play a little game of replacing the words "unnamed officials" and "anonymous sources" with "Imaginary Friend" instead.

Thompson seems to have plenty of anonymous sources. Here, read this and do your word replacements;

CHB Investigates. . . Role reversal: Bush wants war, Pentagon urges caution By DOUG THOMPSON Jan 22, 2003, 01:18

[Paradox]

Awesome work McKinley! Its people like you on FR which make me proud to be a member.

[Khurkris]

"I've spent the last two hours going through the database of Capitol Hill Blue stories and removing any that were based on information from Wilkinson (or whoever he is). I've also removed his name, quotes and claims from Tuesday's story about the White House and the uranium claims.
Erasing the stories doesn't erase the fact that we ran articles containing informattion that, given the source, were most likely inaccurate. And it doesn't erase the sad fact that my own arrogance allowed me to be conned."

CYA?

Its done. Verify and continue to march. Some of these sneaky petes have a network so tight that Jesus himself would loan them money.

[arasina]

I receive a daily broadcasting newsletter and they have cited an article in The Los Angeles Times today:

High Stakes In Government Feuds With BBC
The British and Israeli prime ministers both claim the broadcaster is unethical and reckless.
By William Wallace
Special to The Los Angeles Times

LONDON -- With its dulcet tones and extensive reach into the synapses of the nation, the British Broadcasting Corp...

I won't post the entire article here because of restrictions with the LA Times (reading their online version of the paper requires that you sign up, for one thing), but here's a little snippet that in a way relates to the topic of this thread.

For his part, Blair contends the BBC did nothing less than "lie" when it ran reports suggesting that Downing Street manipulated British intelligence information last fall in order to - as the BBC report put it - "sex up" the case for war with Iraq.

Facing persistent criticism over the failure to uncover the banned weapons on which he largely based his case for war, Blair said he could not allow claims of doctoring intelligence information to go unchallenged.

[PhiKapMom]

Remember some of the stories out about the anonymous White House sources that seemed so unbelieveable! Maybe Thompson knows all about them.

[lepton]

Now my tinfoil is really on -- I have never bought into the fact that Clinton just appeared on the scene either in 2002

I think we had noticed him at least a decade before that.

[PhiKapMom]

I remember that article and at the time was convinced that only clintonites would be leaking that information from the Pentagon. Been around the military for too long to believe that bunch of crap that Thompson wrote!

Thanks for jogging my memory!

[Chad Fairbanks]

Yes, he is allegedly a real guy who, before joining the state department, worked for then-Congressman John Culver (D-IA)

[Our man in washington]

I wrote:

"In November of 2002, [...] I proudly told millions of people that I voted for Bill Clinton,"

Lepton replied:

"Did you do a write-in, or did you just have no idea what you were doing in the booth?"

No, I entered a wierd contest of "pretend you're from another part of the country." Just my luck: I drew Palm Beach County.

Seriously, I should have written 1992. It's been a long day...

[Miss Marple]

Got to go to bed...will check thread tomorrow.

[Mo1]

All the business cards and telephone records in the world won't answer the obvious question (among many) of why the author didn't pick up the phone and call the White House to corroborate ANYONE'S claim to have sat in on presidential intel briefing--not to mention someone claiming to have witnessed the president committing a potentially impeachable offense.

Exactly .. you don't go and print a story AND THEN verify the facts

[Tribune7]

He hasn't rectified the damage it caused. The story has been picked up and spread internationally.

He took a pretty big step towards it. One can either bitch about it or one can give him credit for doing something right.

As I said before anybody can be conned.

[MJY1288]

Here is the case for war, and no matter how the rats and others spin it, this is the reason for removing Saddam from power and all this other garbage is just detractors nit picking the tiniest of details

"Year after year, Saddam Hussein has gone to elaborate lengths, spent enormous sums, taken great risks to build and keep weapons of mass destruction. But why? The only possible explanation, the only possible use he could have for those weapons, is to dominate, intimidate, or attack.

With nuclear arms or a full arsenal of chemical and biological weapons, Saddam Hussein could resume his ambitions of conquest in the Middle East and create deadly havoc in that region. And this Congress and the America people must recognize another threat. Evidence from intelligence sources, secret communications, and statements by people now in custody reveal that Saddam Hussein aids and protects terrorists, including members of al Qaeda. Secretly, and without fingerprints, he could provide one of his hidden weapons to terrorists, or help them develop their own.

Before September the 11th, many in the world believed that Saddam Hussein could be contained. But chemical agents, lethal viruses and shadowy terrorist networks are not easily contained. Imagine those 19 hijackers with other weapons and other plans -- this time armed by Saddam Hussein. It would take one vial, one canister, one crate slipped into this country to bring a day of horror like none we have ever known. We will do everything in our power to make sure that that day never comes"

Saddam was given 12 years to honor the agreements he signed in 1991 and he didn't. He doubted the resolve of this President and he made a big mistake

[PhiKapMom]

That is a very good point! I get the feeling all these types are somehow related in the Anti-Bush rhetoric that has been going and going and going in the media recently. I don't believe in coincidences!

That's a name we want to remember. Wonder what Mr. Thielmann is up to these days?

[PhiKapMom]

Anybody can be conned. That said, any journalist worth his salt would have double sourced his article. Not to mention his original Headline and lst paragraph said the President LIED and he didn't.

This smelled from the beginning and has now developed a stench.

This story was too big not to have double sourced it by calling the White House to check to see if Wilkinson had been at a meeting! That really doesn't pass the smell test!

[Bogey78O]

I noticed that too.

Seriously, unnamed sources are getting overplayed in the past 2 years.

[arasina]

I just realized I may have been "asleep at the wheel" when the people who FORGED those documents in the first place were caught and punished. Did that happen? Who are "they" anyway?

Were the documents the same ones that Secretary Powell cited in his presentation to the United Nations? How did they get mentioned in The State of The Union speech and again at the U.N. hearings? Who gave them to the Bush and Blair administrations? How did they sneak them in amongst the "real" stuff?

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