FactCheck.org eats crow on Presidential Records...including those related to Hillary...

[SaveElmer]

Correction, Nov. 8: In our original version of this story, we found Clinton’s response regarding the Archives to be “doubly misleading.” We have since concluded that we were wrong, and have rewritten the section as you see it above.

Two days after this article was first posted, Bruce Lindsey, who is Bill Clinton’s designated representative for dealing with the National Archives, issued a statement that said, in part, "Contrary to recent reports, Bill Clinton has not asked that records related to communications with Senator Clinton be withheld." It also said that "Currently, none of the FOIA requests has processed and provided for my review involve Senator Clinton." On the same day, the former president responded to a reporter’s question about the issue. Hillary Clinton "was incidental to the letter, it was done five years ago, it was a letter to speed up presidential releases, not to slow them down," Bill Clinton said at a stop in Redmond, WA.

These statements prompted us to dive back into Bill Clinton’s 2002 letter to the Archives and similar letters from his two immediate predecessors, and to talk to some more experts in this small crevice of the law. We realized that the area of confusion for us – and perhaps for other journalists – was the wording of this sentence: “Information should generally be considered for withholding only if it contains…..” The section goes on to list eight categories, one of which involves his communications with his wife as well as with his family and his wife’s.

We originally read the sentence as putting a lock on the documents. That isn’t the case, as we note in our revised section in the body of the article above. The bottleneck is at the lightly staffed Archives. It of course remains possible that Bill Clinton could yet block the release of any or all communications between himself and the First Lady, but that hasn’t happened yet It remains to be seen whether any of this material will surface before the election.

But Russert was wrong, and so were we. Bill Clinton, in Redmond, called Russert’s question “breathtakingly misleading,” and we now agree. Russert did not respond to requests for comment.

http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/hillarys_high-stepping.html

[rinsd]

1. She's fighting back.

:hi:

[avrdream]

8. Maybe there are actually decent, honest people around these days.

[MethuenProgressive]

15. 9 recs - but the "Hillary Didn't Tip!" thread got 93....

That's DU for ya.

[Selatius]

2. Somehow I don't think Tim Russert will ever correct himself, unlike factcheck.org. n/t

[MADem]

11. Yeah--he's NBC's very own FATcheck.com....!!! The asshole! nt

[DURHAM D]

3. Seems to me -

As Timmy has made himself into a general manager for the GOP he needs a rapid response team. He needs to issue a statement.

Call his war room? He needs to get on this or it will bring down his campaign.

[MethuenProgressive]

4. "We have since concluded that we were wrong," There's something you don't see on DU...

...from DUers, that is.

[cuke]

5. They admit they don't know how to read AND comprehend

"We realized that the area of confusion for us – and perhaps for other journalists – was the wording of this sentence: “Information should generally be considered for withholding only if it contains…..” The section goes on to list eight categories, one of which involves his communications with his wife as well as with his family and his wife’s."

They get confused by words and they call themselves FACT CHECK!!!!!

[incapsulated]

6. Doesn't matter

Russert and Crew got this into the news cycle and beat her bloody with it.

This is why waiting for retractions is pointless.

The damage is done in the original lie.

[MNDemNY]

7. "they" must have got to himm,too.

gobama?

[rodeodance]

9. Russert did not respond to requests for comment.

[SaveElmer]

10. C'Mon little Timmy....

Man up and admit you are an A**hole!!!

[Name removed]

12. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[ronnykmarshall]

13. So long troll.

and take your homophobic t-shirt and shove it up your ass.

[EstimatedProphet]

14. That kind of crap belongs in Free Republic

with all the other mentally inferior things they say.