Boston Globe: Doubts raised on Bush accuser

[GRClarkesq]

Key witness disputes charge by Guard retiree that files were purged
By Michael Rezendes, Globe Staff, 2/13/2004

For at least six years, a retired Texas National Guard officer has maintained that President Bush's record as a member of the Guard was purged of potentially embarrassing material at the behest of high-ranking Bush aides laying the groundwork for Bush's 2000 run for the presidency.

Retired Lieutenant Colonel Bill Burkett, who has been pressing his charges in the national news media this week, says he even heard one high-ranking officer issue a 1997 order to sanitize the Bush file, and later saw another officer poring over the records and discovered that some had been discarded.

But a key witness to some of the events described by Burkett has told the Globe that the central elements of his story are false.

George O. Conn, a former chief warrant officer with the Guard and a friend of Burkett's, is the person whom Burkett says led him to the room where the Bush records were being vetted. But Conn says he never saw anyone combing through the Bush file or discarding records.

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2004/02/13/doubts_raised_on_bush_accuser/

[Barrett808]

1. "None. Zip. Nada." -- protests too hard? nt

nt

[meegbear]

2. Well if that's true ...

then they have all the records and they can release them. Right?

[GRClarkesq]

3. I found the source interesting since

the Boston Globe has been working hard on the AWOL story.

[bluedeminredstate]

4. I read another story

in which Conn refused to comment on the Bush story, but was quoted as saying that he's known Burkett for a long time and knows him to be someone to tell the truth. He also said something like "He calls it as he sees it."I just read it this morning on DU, but I'm not sure which paper the article was in.
If the quote from this story is accurate then it's very strange that he would have refused to comment in the other story I read, but went out of his way to say what he did about Burkett. His comment certainly implied that Burkett wasn't lying.

[Stephanie]

16. Here - NY Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/12/national/12TEXA.html

Move to Screen Bush File in 90's Is Reported
By RALPH BLUMENTHAL
Published: February 12, 2004

HOUSTON, Feb. 11 — A retired lieutenant colonel in the Texas National Guard complained to a member of the Texas Senate in 1998 that aides to Gov. George W. Bush improperly screened Mr. Bush's National Guard files in a search for information that could embarrass the governor in future elections.

The retired officer, Bill Burkett, said in the letter to Senator Gonzalo Barrientos, a Democrat from Austin, that Dan Bartlett, then a senior aide to Governor Bush and now White House communications director, and Gen. Daniel James, then the head of the Texas National Guard, reviewed the file to "make sure nothing will embarrass the governor during his re-election campaign."

<snip>

The other Guard officer who Mr. Burkett says was with him the day he saw General Scribner going though the records, George Conn, declined in an e-mail message to comment on Mr. Burkett's statements. But Mr. Conn, a former chief warrant officer for the Texas Guard and now a civilian on duty with American forces in Europe, said: "I know LTC Bill Burkett and served with him several years ago in the Texas Army National Guard. I believe him to be honest and forthright. He `calls things like he sees them.' "

A retired officer, Lt. Col. Dennis Adams, said Mr. Burkett told him of the incidents shortly after they happened. "We talked about them several different times," said Mr. Adams, who spent 15 years in the Texas Guard and 12 years on active duty in the Army. He now works for the Texas Department of Public Safety as a security officer guarding the state Capitol.

[Bandit]

5. I don't think Burkett ever said he saw anyone actually combing through

anything. What he said (at least what I heard him say) was that he saw some of Bush*'s records in the trash can and overheard an order to clean up his record. He never claimed to have actually witnessed anyone doing anything. So this guy doesn't say anything any different from what I can tell.

[Womblestuffer]

11. now it looks as though Burkett will be destroyed, child porn or drugs

something more than digruntled employee, he was too convincing on Hardball.

[reprobate]

6. It don't matter. It's now out there.

Bush and AWOL have now been linked in the public mind. No matter how many denials they make, many more people will now connect bush with cheating on his obligation and that's exactly what we want to happen.

[JPace]

8. I agree, the story will not go away because AWOL

promised to open his records to clear
himself of all accusations.

The records are not going to be fully
released and the public will always have
doubts now.

rOve is losing this one....

[GRClarkesq]

7. Just like Kerry and intern will be in the next several days

eom

[Bandit]

19. The difference being (I hope) we have documentation

All they have (so far) is Drudge.

[lazarus]

9. This is SOP for Rove

Make sure a specific person gets attached to a scandal, then discredit that person.

Remember JH Hatfield?

Problem is, the scandal got way out of hand. Karl misplayed this one. He's had the Burkett thing set up for some time, obviously, but media has the bit in its mouth. Surprising, actually.

[blm]

20. We'll see. Their coverup on this

is really abominable so far.

Maybe they got too cocky about controlling most of the media. Their credibility is being shot on too many levels to control successfully.

[9215]

10. Was Conn coerced?

There is a history of this.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=1117469

[Media_Lies_Daily]

17. You think?

[sonias]

12. You need to read Calpundit blog

Even with what Conn is saying now, it does not discredit Burkett. If you read Calpundit's interview with Burkett, Conn's statements this morning do not discredit his story.

http://www.calpundit.com/

"This is obviously a major blow to Burkett's credibility. What's odd, though, is that it doesn't actually directly contradict what Burkett told me on Wednesday:

*After overhearing the "cleansing" conversation in General James' office, Burkett says he "brought it up" with Conn and later mentioned it "in passing." Then: "I don't know in what detail we talked about it, but I know we talked."

*Conn agrees that he took a walk with Burkett over to the museum but says he never saw any records being tossed out. But in Burkett's account to me he was actually pretty clear that Conn never actually said or did anything specific. He just led him in the direction of the trashcan and Burkett looked in and saw some of Bush's files.
-----------------

read more of the story at the link above

Sonia

[Octafish]

13. If "A" is true, doesn't mean "B" is true.

One would think big-time reporters at the Globe would understand the rudiments of logic.

[grasswire]

14. hmm....new reporter

I would be more likely to believe this if it were Walter Robinson's work. Why would a new reporter be allowed to weigh in on this? I wonder if it's a stringer.

Look at this:

"Burkett also says that, before the encounter with Scribner, he was standing with a group of Guard officers, and heard a ranking officer order Scribner to review the Bush file and remove any documents that might be embarrassing to the then-governor."

I don't recall Burkett saying that. He certainly didn't say that on Hardball yesterday. Did he claim this?

It doesn't fit!! Later in this article the reporter says that Burkett met Scribner ten days later in the room where he was scouring the records.

But this says he heard a ranking officer order Scribner (who the reporter claims he met TEN DAYS LATER) to scrub records.

Let's debunk this article. I smell a rat.

[grasswire]

15. well...

....Renedez turns out to be a Pulitzer winning reporter for the Globe. But the story still stinks because of the inconsistency.

[blm]

18. BFEE has had a mole at the Boston Globe for decades.

Since the Nixon white house. Why do you think that Kerry hatred is a pervasive theme at the Globe?

One of the Globe's "reporters" from the 80s (BCCI, IranContra) happens to work at the White House now. I think his name is Michael Ginsburg.