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In reply to the discussion: Why was Reagan not impeached for Iran Contra? [View all]MinM
(2,650 posts)93. George H. Walker Bush and the 1980 “October Surprise” Mystery
Taking their cue from the President, House Republicans threatened to block continued funding for the inquiry unless the Democrats agreed that Bush had not gone to Paris. Although Bushs alibi for the key weekend of Oct. 18-19, 1980, was shaky, with details from his Secret Service logs withheld and with supposedly corroborating witnesses contradicting each other, the Democrats agreed to give Bush what he wanted.
After letting Bush off the hook on Paris, the inquiry stumbled along inconclusively with the White House withholding key documents and keeping some key witnesses, such as Bushs former national security adviser Donald Gregg, out of reach.
Perhaps more importantly, the Casey-Madrid information from Beachs memo was never shared with Congress, according to House Task Force Chairman Lee Hamilton, who I interviewed about the missing material in 2013.
Whatever interest Congress had in the October Surprise case faded even more after Bush lost the 1992 election to Bill Clinton. There was a palpable sense around Official Washington that it would be wrong to pile on the defeated President. The thinking was that Bush (and Reagan) should be allowed to ride off into the sunset with their legacies intact.
So, even as more incriminating evidence arrived at the House task force in December 1992 and in January 1993 including testimony from French intelligence chief Alexander deMarenchess biographer confirming the Paris meeting and a report from Russias duma revealing that Soviet intelligence had monitored the Republican-Iranian contacts in 1980 it was all cast aside. The task force simply decided there was no credible evidence to support the October Surprise allegations.
Trusting the Suspect
Beyond the disinclination of Hamilton and his investigators to aggressively pursue important leads, they operated with the naïve notion that President Bush, who was a prime suspect in the October Surprise case, would compile and turn over evidence that would prove his guilt and seal his political fate. Power at that level simply doesnt work that way.
After discovering the Beach memo, I emailed a copy to Hamilton and discussed it with him by phone. The retired Indiana Democratic congressman responded that his task force was never informed that the White House had confirmation of Caseys trip to Madrid.
We found no evidence to confirm Caseys trip to Madrid, Hamilton told me. The [Bush-41] White House did not notify us that he did make the trip. Should they have passed that on to us? They should have because they knew we were interested in that.
Asked if knowledge that Casey had traveled to Madrid might have changed the task forces dismissive October Surprise conclusion, Hamilton said yes, because the question of the Madrid trip was key to the task forces investigation.
If the White House knew that Casey was there, they certainly should have shared it with us, Hamilton said. Hamilton added that you have to rely on people in authority to comply with information requests.
Therein, of course, lay [font color=darkred]the failure of the October Surprise investigation[/font]. Hamilton and his team were counting on President Bush and his team to bring all the evidence together in one place and then share it with Congress, when they were more likely to burn it...
https://consortiumnews.com/2016/04/06/bush-41s-october-surprise-denials/
After letting Bush off the hook on Paris, the inquiry stumbled along inconclusively with the White House withholding key documents and keeping some key witnesses, such as Bushs former national security adviser Donald Gregg, out of reach.
Perhaps more importantly, the Casey-Madrid information from Beachs memo was never shared with Congress, according to House Task Force Chairman Lee Hamilton, who I interviewed about the missing material in 2013.
Whatever interest Congress had in the October Surprise case faded even more after Bush lost the 1992 election to Bill Clinton. There was a palpable sense around Official Washington that it would be wrong to pile on the defeated President. The thinking was that Bush (and Reagan) should be allowed to ride off into the sunset with their legacies intact.
So, even as more incriminating evidence arrived at the House task force in December 1992 and in January 1993 including testimony from French intelligence chief Alexander deMarenchess biographer confirming the Paris meeting and a report from Russias duma revealing that Soviet intelligence had monitored the Republican-Iranian contacts in 1980 it was all cast aside. The task force simply decided there was no credible evidence to support the October Surprise allegations.
Trusting the Suspect
Beyond the disinclination of Hamilton and his investigators to aggressively pursue important leads, they operated with the naïve notion that President Bush, who was a prime suspect in the October Surprise case, would compile and turn over evidence that would prove his guilt and seal his political fate. Power at that level simply doesnt work that way.
After discovering the Beach memo, I emailed a copy to Hamilton and discussed it with him by phone. The retired Indiana Democratic congressman responded that his task force was never informed that the White House had confirmation of Caseys trip to Madrid.
We found no evidence to confirm Caseys trip to Madrid, Hamilton told me. The [Bush-41] White House did not notify us that he did make the trip. Should they have passed that on to us? They should have because they knew we were interested in that.
Asked if knowledge that Casey had traveled to Madrid might have changed the task forces dismissive October Surprise conclusion, Hamilton said yes, because the question of the Madrid trip was key to the task forces investigation.
If the White House knew that Casey was there, they certainly should have shared it with us, Hamilton said. Hamilton added that you have to rely on people in authority to comply with information requests.
Therein, of course, lay [font color=darkred]the failure of the October Surprise investigation[/font]. Hamilton and his team were counting on President Bush and his team to bring all the evidence together in one place and then share it with Congress, when they were more likely to burn it...
https://consortiumnews.com/2016/04/06/bush-41s-october-surprise-denials/
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It is a club, and you sure as hell are not part of it. But if you wanna feel really left
Jackie Wilson Said
Mar 2016
#1
Impeached and jailed. But he wasnt because of that club you talk about, funny
Jackie Wilson Said
Mar 2016
#8
It is a club and RW Dems like Lee Hamilton are just as much a part as Reagan. Perhaps more.
leveymg
Mar 2016
#65
Because Reagan went on television and confessed to trading arms for hostages
Tony_FLADEM
Mar 2016
#2
"My heart and my best intentions still tell me that is true. But the facts and the evidence
StevieM
Mar 2016
#28
The Democrats were afraid to go after Saint Ronnie. At times Democrats can be craven.
BillZBubb
Mar 2016
#4
They knew what his mental capacity was and also knew and feared the BFEE behind the scenes.
libtodeath
Mar 2016
#6
The media was uncomfortable with it - they knew then he was showing signs of serious
blm
Mar 2016
#7
Took this nation off its path of citizen democracy and put it on the road towards full-on fascism.
blm
Mar 2016
#92
I"ve often wondered why Mena is the one part of Clinton's past that the most rabid Repubs wouldn't
Boomerproud
Mar 2016
#47
At the time, one news correspondent opined that the U. S. populace "gave him a pass."
John1956PA
Mar 2016
#15
What I understand is they questioned him about it and he didn't know anything..this was
shraby
Mar 2016
#23
Years later George W. Bush gave Poindexter a job in the War on Terror after 9/11
StevieM
Mar 2016
#34
Right. Poindexter made sure the trail (apparently) ended with him, unlike the Watergate hearings,
Mc Mike
Mar 2016
#37
Because imbeciles believed his grandpa act that he "didn't know anything about it"
tabasco
Mar 2016
#40
His grandpa act put a friendly face on the mafia that was running the country.
tabasco
Apr 2016
#109
Because William Casey, the person that authorized the weapons for hostages...
Lochloosa
Mar 2016
#49
Reagan was suffering from dementia. Bush Sr. was in all likelihood the real President.
jalan48
Mar 2016
#54
He and a lot of his cabinet used the now famous "I can't recall" defense under questioning....
Spitfire of ATJ
Mar 2016
#61
Because they knew in advance to make sure he couldn't be. No one implicated him.
L. Coyote
Mar 2016
#62
When prosecutor Walsh (a Republican) realized how advanced Reagan's alzheimer's was he decided ...
raindaddy
Mar 2016
#64
Because then, as now, the dc dems are gutless appeasers. Every republican president since Nixon
Doctor_J
Mar 2016
#66
Open and shut case for high treason (which, not sorry Repubs, Iran-Contra very much was).
HughBeaumont
Mar 2016
#85
they couldnt, everyone would have seen how far his dementia had progressed.
Viva_La_Revolution
Mar 2016
#90