October 22, 2003 - The Associated Press reports that two former CIA officers are asking the Senate Intelligence Committee to investigate the leak. Jim Marcinkowski, a case officer in the late 1980's and Larry Johnson, former State Department Deputy Chief of Counterterrorism, are concerned with the appearance of impropriety. Mr. Johnson said, "there's a lot they can do without undermining the criminal investigation."(AP, New York Times, Oct. 22, 2003).
October 28, 2003 - During a press conference, the President is asked why he has not requested his staff to sign affidavits denying involvement. He responds, "the best group of people to do that so that you believe the answer is the professionals at the Justice Department." [13]
October 28, 2003 - Gannon publishes his interview with Wilson. [14]
Talon News: An internal government memo prepared by U.S. intelligence personnel details a meeting in early 2002 where your wife, a member of the agency for clandestine service working on Iraqi weapons issues, suggested that you could be sent to investigate the reports. Do you dispute that?
Gannon also continues to push the partisan politics meme.
TN: You have mentioned that you are not partisan. Doesn't that appear to be the case considering the candidates you've supported?
Wilson: Including Bush. When Ed Gillespie was running around doing his little schpiel, he knew that I contributed to the Bush campaign but decided he would selectively use information on candidates I have supported to bolster a case that simply cannot be made. I contributed to the Bush campaign, the Gore campaign, and I contributed to the campaign of Ed Royce on several occasions. He is a conservative Republican from Orange County, California, and I have contributed to a number of other candidates. I contributed to the Kerry campaign after I made my trip out to Niger -- well after that. Almost a year and a half after that. But I will tell you this: I reserve the right to participate in the political process of my country just like any other citizen.
I was named ambassador to Gabon by George Herbert Walker Bush. One of the highlights of my professional career was serving a charges d'affair in Baghdad in the run up to the gulf war. When I came back to Washington and was introduced to the war cabinet, President Bush introduced me as a true American hero, and I take great pride in that.
TN: Your activities of late have some suggesting that there's certainly a partisan motivation.
....
TN: The so-called neo-cons, who do you think that they are?
And if you recall, from his October 6, 2003 article he says this:
Some have suggested that his clear partisanship cast doubt on the findings in his report.
As detailed by Cloud above, the CIA (presumably, because he just says "intelligence" officials) would not confirm that Plame suggested this or even that she was identified by name. Neither would Novak's CIA source. So how is Gannon able to make this claim definitively... he may not have seen the memo, but someone definitely told him about it. It is possible that he just decided to use the info from Novak and Cloud to paint Wilson into a corner, but there is no way he would have known that this was indeed accurate and then his "gotcha" moment (i.e. Wilson lied to me) would have been for naught since no one went on the record (other than Novak's "two senior administration officials") to verify the claim. This is also the first time Gannon drops all qualifiers - i.e according to reports, some say, etc.
Except, once Gannon thought the storm had passed, he reveals that he was leaked the memo, or at least told of its contents... (sometime last year in an article on his website
"[http://www.jeffgannon.com/Jeff%20Gannon's%20Washington/joe_wilson_lied_and_owes_bush_an.htm Joe Wilson Lied and Owes George W. Bush and America (and Me) an Apology]".
There is no date stamp on the article)
A memo written by an INR (Intelligence and Research) analyst who made notes of the meeting at which Wilson was asked to go to Niger sensed that something fishy was going on. That report made it to the outside world courtesy of some patriotic whistleblower that realized that a bag job was underway.
....
The classified document that slipped out sometime after the meeting put her name before the public, albeit a small group of inside-the-beltway types, but effectively ended the notion that she was still covert.
....
I raised all of these questions with Wilson in October 2003 in an interview for Talon News. Since I was aware of the INR report, I confronted him about it.
Congresswoman Asks for Probe After 'Gannon' Quits WH Reporting Post
Wed Feb 9, 6:48 PM ET Entertainment - Editor and Publisher
NEW YORK Jeff Gannon, the controversial reporter for conservative Web site Talon News who drew complaints for gaining access to White House press events, resigned from his job last night amid liberal blogs' allegations about his real name and his personal and professional life.
Today, Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.) sent a letter to President Bush (news - web sites) asking him to "address the matter" in light of "mounting evidence that your Administration has, on several occasions, paid members of the media to advocate in favor of Administration policies."
Last night, in a message on his Web site (www.jeffgannon.com), Gannon announced: "Because of the attention being paid to me I find it is no longer possible to effectively be a reporter for Talon News. In consideration of the welfare of me and my family I have decided to return to private life. Thank you to all those who supported me."
In an e-mail to E&P last Friday, not published until now, Gannon wrote: "Much has been made about whether I use a professional name or not, but I am reluctant to provide information one way or another because of the threats that have been made against my person, property and family in both internet postings ... as well as in e-mails that I have forwarded to law enforcement. I'm sure you understand."
E&P has not been able to reach Gannon again today.
Gannon, whose real name, according to investigators at DailyKos and other blogs, is James "J.D." Guckert, first gained attention several weeks ago when he asked a question at a presidential press conference that some in the press corps considered so friendly it might have been planted. Later it was revealed by E&P that Gannon had been turned down last year for a congressional press pass because he could not prove his employer was a valid news organization. That denial barred him from receiving a White House "hard pass," allowing regular access to White House press events.
But Gannon had been obtaining daily White House press passes, a situation that had irked some veteran White House reporters who also questioned his credentials or considered him to be too partisan in his questioning.
Gannon's refusal to deny he used a fake name sparked investigations by a number of blogs, including Daily Kos, Eschaton, and World O' Crap, that probed his true identity. In addition, those sites posted allegations yesterday that Web sites such as hotmilitarystud.com, militaryescorts.com, and militaryescortsm4m.com, were registered to the same owner as Gannon's personal Web site, according to the blog MediaCitizen.
In her letter to President Bush, Rep. Slaughter charged that "it appears that 'Mr. Gannon's' presence in the White House press corps was merely as a tool of propaganda for your Administration."
Dan Froomkin, the Washington Post columnist, said today in an online chat, "I had less of a beef with Gannon than I did with the folks who actually on him (at press conferences)." He said "the heat should be on" Bush spokesman Scott McClellan: "Why did he call on Gannon? Did they ever pre-arrange anything? Did they have contact with his parent organization?"
Another intriguing issue is his involvement, along with better known Robert Novak, Judith Miller and others, in the Valerie Plame/CIA (news - web sites) episode. His name turned up on a list of reporters targeted for questioning by the federal prosecutor in the case. Froomkin of the The Washington Post wrote last spring that "the reason Gannon is on the list is most likely an attempt to find out who gave him a secret memo that he mentioned in an interview he had with Plame's husband, former ambassador and administration critic Joseph Wilson."
The Talon News site today scrubbed its archives of many "Gannon" articles and removed his biography.
--Joe Strupp ([email protected]) is a senior editor at E&P
What is Talon News, and why does it have press credentials?
Talon News, a conservative company whose Washington bureau chief and White House correspondent Jeff Gannon is well-known for asking loaded pro-Republican questions at White House press briefings, appears to be more a political organization than a media outlet.
Media Matters for America recently highlighted three Gannon articles that were little more than reprints of Republican and Bush administration releases; Media Matters has also noted Gannon's role as White House press secretary Scott McClellan's lifeline and Talon editor in chief Bobby Eberle's partisan political activities. A more in-depth look at Talon, Gannon, and Eberle casts additional doubt on Talon's claim to be a media outlet and raises questions about whether Gannon should be a credentialed member of the White House press corps.
Eberle is also, as Media Matters has previously noted, president and CEO of GOPUSA, a "conservative news, information, and design company dedicated to promoting conservative ideals." Though Eberle has claimed on the September 13, 2004, edition of MSNBC's Scarborough Country that GOPUSA and Talon News are separate companies, they overlap heavily.
In addition to Eberle's dual role as the head of both entities, both domain names TalonNews.com and GOPUSA.com are registered to the same address in Pearland, Texas, which appears to be Eberle's personal residence. The TalonNews.com domain name registration lists Eberle's email address as [email protected]. Articles on TalonNews.com consist of brief introductory paragraphs, followed by a link to "Read more"; clicking on that link takes you to a page that announces, "This story can be found on our #1 client -- GOPUSA!" Readers are then redirected to the GOPUSA.com site.
Talon News apparently consists of little more than Eberle, Gannon, and a few volunteers, and is virtually indistinguishable from GOPUSA.com.
Eberle and Gannon both post on the right-wing online forum Free Republic, and Gannon has also hosted a radio show on Radio Free Republic. Eberle's and Gannon's posts on Free Republic suggest that the two have more in common with partisan political activists than with journalists; in some, Eberle and Gannon seem to be trying to organize political events:
Eberle: "We're also planning to do more activities with FR [Free Republic] as time goes along. I'm really looking forward to working with all of you!"
Gannon (referring to a Bush press conference): "It was very difficult to keep from jumping up and cheering."
Gannon: "Can we get a freep [an action by Free Republic members] going at Kerry HQ? How bout some people throwing their DNC 'medals'? Jane's Fonda Kerry. John Fonda Kerry"
Gannon (in response to a post suggesting it appeared McClellan "appreciated" a Gannon question "from the smirk he was trying to hold back"): "It's hard to say with Scott but he usually knows what he's going to get from me."
Other Talon "staff" (it isn't clear if they get paid; the Talon News site refers to "volunteer reporters") also seem to be more Republican activists than reporters:
Stephen Dewey "is currently a student at Boston Latin School, a public magnet school, and will finally graduate, after six years, in June of 2003. ... Within his school, Stephen serves as the Media Coordinator for the Young Republicans' Club ... Through the YRC, Stephen attended the Massachusetts state GOP convention as a volunteer. ... As a relatively young Republican, Stephen likes to consider himself among the next wave of conservative politicians and political activists."
Lisa Jacobson "is the Webmaster for the Wisconsin Conservative Digest, a web site promoting conservative viewpoints and news for Wisconsin."
Charles Mahaleris "lives in Augusta, Maine where he is currently serving as the Kennebec County GOP Chairman. ... He served as the Campaign Manager for Conservative Steven Joyce's 2002 bid to unseat U.S. Rep Tom Allen garnering 36% of the vote in Maine's 1st District."
Jimmy Moore "has played an active role in Republican politics for more than 15 years, dating back to his teenage years. He is currently serving as an Executive Committeeman for the Spartanburg County Republican Party. He is also a consulting writer for the Spartanburg County Republican Party and for the South Carolina Republican Party. In 2002, he was a key member of the Charlie Condon for Governor campaign serving as a political consultant. In addition, he was integral in the Victory 2002 campaign that helped get Republicans elected to state and national offices. Jimmy is also the South Carolina State Editor for GOPUSA."
Doug Patton "is a freelance writer who has worked as a speechwriter and policy advisor for federal, state and local candidates, elected officials and public policy organizations. ... In addition to his articles for Talon News, Doug writes a weekly column that appears in newspapers across the country and on www.GOPUSA.com, where he also serves as the Nebraska Editor."
GOPUSA's officers and directors show a similar lack of journalism experience, but plenty of experience working for Republican causes:
Board member Bill Fairbrother "has been active in politics since 1984 when he joined the Baylor University College Republicans. Since then, he has served as a delegate to four Republican Party of Texas state conventions and an alternate delegate to one convention. At the 2000 Republican Party of Texas Convention, Bill was elected by his fellow county chairs to serve as the Texas Republican County Chairmen's Association's liaison to the State Republican Executive Committee. He was also selected as an alternate delegate to the RNC Convention in Philadelphia. Bill currently serves as Chairman of the Williamson County Republican Party and has previously served as a Precinct Chairman and chairman of the county Technology Committee. He also chaired his senate district convention's Credentials Committee. Bill has chaired or volunteered on many local and state campaigns in recent election cycles. He is the founder and webmaster for the Williamson County Republican Party web page. Bill recently served on the Republican Party of Texas Finance Committee."
Board member Steve Findley "has been active in politics since 1984. He is past president to both the East Texas Baptist University College Republicans and the Marshall Young Republicans. He has also served as chaplain for the Texas Young Republican Federation. Since 1984, Mr. Findley has served as a delegate to numerous county and Republican Party of Texas state conventions. In 2000, he was elected to serve as the national delegate for Senate District #1 to the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia. Mr. Findley currently serves as a member of the Rules Committee for the State Republican Executive Committee and is active in the Harrison County Republican Party."
Board member and vice president of operations Terri Hillhouse "came late to serious political activism. She is very interested in restoring family values and preserving our American system for future generations. She believes that the Internet is the best way to spread the grassroots conservative message. Terri is a member of Colorado Federation of Republican Women, her county Republican organization, The Christian Coalition, and Concerned Women of America."
Board member Kerri Houston "is a public policy analyst and expert in media, marketing and external relations for public policy institutes. Based in Dallas, she is director of American Conservative Network, a state outreach project of The American Conservative Union (ACU). Prior to joining with ACU to start the American Conservative Network project, Ms. Houston was executive director of State Policy Network, a member organization of free market state-based think tanks. In this capacity, she served as facilitator for the 37 state public institutes in assisting them to meet their communications, publications and governmental outreach needs."
Board member Richard Powell "brings a wealth of political and business experience to GOPUSA.com. ... Richard also consults privately for political candidates and policymakers, helping them develop their education message and K-16 education reform policy initiatives. He is a former policy advisor to Texas Governor Rick Perry, and is active in national, state and local political and civic causes."
Treasurer Kathleen Eberle (Bobby Eberle's wife) is "active in grass roots Republican Party politics. In 1996, she was elected to the board of the Houston Young Republicans (HYRs) as the Director of Club Development, -- leading the club to almost double in size in one year. Kathleen served as Vice President of the HYR for the next two years. In 1998, she was appointed as the Texas Young Republican Federation Convention Co-Chairman. She served on several committees within this organization over the years, and chaired the Site Selection Committee in 1999. Kathleen's activities within the Republican Party of Texas (RPT) include serving as an alternate to the Senate District 13 Convention in 1996 and as a delegate in 2000. She also served as a delegate to the RPT State Convention in 2000. Kathleen is a strong believer in the importance of grass roots activism and has volunteered on numerous campaigns over the last eight years ranging from school board and city council elections to campaigns for the U.S. Congress and President of the United States."
I hate Republicans and everything they stand for.
BLITZER: He was a little known White House correspondent for a little known organization. Now he's at the center of a growing controversy buzzing around Washington and the Internet. I'll have an exclusive interview with the man who calls himself Jeff Gannon in just a moment.
First, some background from Howard Kurtz of "The Washington Post" and the host of CNN's "RELIABLE SOURCES."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HOWARD KURTZ, "RELIABLE SOURCES": Jeff Gannon -- that's what he calls himself at least -- was an obscure member of the White House press corps before he got to ask President Bush a question two weeks ago. And that proved to be his professional downfall.
Gannon, a self-described conservative journalist, writes for the Web sites Talon News and GOPUSA, both of which are owned by Texas Republican activist Bobby Eberle. And when the president called on him, Gannon asked a rather loaded question that seemed to disparage Senator Hillary Clinton and Minority Leader Harry Reid.
JEFF GANNON, REPORTER: Senate Democratic leaders have painted a very bleak picture of the U.S. economy. Harry Reid was talking about soup lines, and Hillary Clinton was talking about the economy being on the verge of collapse. Yet, in the same breath, they say that Social Security is rock-solid and there's no crisis there. How are you going to work -- you said you're going to reach out to these people -- how are you going to work with people who seem to have divorced themselves from reality?
KURTZ: One problem, Reid has never talked about soup lines. And Gannon later admitted he had picked up the characterization of the senator's views from Rush Limbaugh.
Suddenly, bloggers on liberal Web sites like Daily Kos started digging into his background. His real name, they discovered, was James Guckert. Gannon resigned from Talon News, saying that, out of concerns for his family, his voice of the new media has gone silent. He says he's been stalked and threatened by -- quote -- "nuts on the left."
Democratic Congresswoman Louise Slaughter has asked Bush in a letter whether the White House cleared Gannon in the briefing room to serve as -- quote -- "a tool of propaganda for your administration." White House spokesman Scott McClellan dismissed the charge, saying Gannon was allowed in on a day-to-day basis, just like any journalist, and it's not his job to screen reporters based on their political views. The president says McClellan didn't know who Gannon was when he called on him.
(on camera): Jeff Gannon called himself the conservative guy and delighted in being outspoken, even confrontational. His critics call him a fake reporter. But others say that liberal bloggers went too far in digging into his background because they didn't like his politics. Howard Kurtz, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And Jeff Gannon is joining us now for an exclusive television interview, his first TV interview since leaving his job.
Jeff, thanks very much for joining us.
Should I call you Jeff or James?
GANNON: Please call me Jeff Gannon.
BLITZER: So what -- explain the discrepancy. Your real name is James D. Guckert.
GANNON: Yes. Well, it's pronounced Guckert.
BLITZER: Guckert.
GANNON: It's a professional name. I used it because Jeff Gannon is easier to pronounce and easier to remember.
BLITZER: But you haven't legally changed it?
GANNON: No.
BLITZER: So your driver's license still has Guckert?
GANNON: Absolutely.
BLITZER: So, when you went into the White House and you showed your driver's license, it was under the name Guckert.
GANNON: Absolutely.
BLITZER: And so you just did this because it was easier to pronounce, presumably.
If you didn't do anything wrong, why did you resign?
GANNON: Well, since I asked my question, people that disagree with me have harassed and threatened not only myself, but my family. And I believe that leaving my post would bring that to an end.
BLITZER: When you say they harassed your family, what was going on?
GANNON: Well, the -- on -- I've been receiving threats. People have been stalking me in my neighborhood, have followed me to church, followed me down the street. And then there are phone calls and hate mail that I've gotten over the Internet.
And it's been very troubling. And when it went toward my family, then I said that I needed to put an end to it.
BLITZER: And when you say your family, could you be a little bit more...
GANNON: Well, I mean -- I mean my -- when my mother and my brother and his wife received telephone calls that -- you know, that contained threats and all kinds of terrible things being said about me, it's very disturbing. And that's way over the line. And I needed to put that to an end.
BLITZER: Because one of the things, as you know, that were said is that you had some sexually explicit Web sites that you were working on. I don't understand what that is, but maybe you could explain that.
GANNON: Well, several years ago, before I came to Washington, I had registered various domain names for a private client. I was doing Web site development. Those sites were never hosted. There's -- nothing ever went up on them. And the client went on to do something else.
There's been so much about me on the Internet that people have, you know, made assumptions about. And I just can't -- I don't even know them all and I can't address them all here.
BLITZER: I was going to say, were you there in the White House briefing room on a daily basis to try to change the subject, if you will, send softball questions to Scott McClellan, the press secretary? Or were you there as a real journalist trying to get the story?
GANNON: Well, Talon News is a legitimate conservative online news service. And my questions are things that my readers, 700,000 daily subscribed readers, want the answer to. And those are my questions.
I created the questions. Nobody fed questions to me. Scott McClellan certainly never knew what was coming. He knows -- he certainly knows...
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: Because you wore your politics on your sleeve. Everyone knew you were very conservative.
GANNON: Absolutely.
BLITZER: Why did you not get credentials, real credentials, from Capitol Hill from the U.S. Congress?
GANNON: Well, I made an attempt to do that originally when I was going to be covering Washington for Talon News. Our business -- Talon News' business model didn't fit the criteria of the Senate Press Gallery. And while we've been trying to comply, I couldn't stop doing the news. So I went on the basis of a daily pass. And that's -- it's all under the procedures that the White House has established for that.
BLITZER: What's the connection between GOPUSA, the political Web site, and the Talon News Service? It's owned by the same wealthy Texas Republican.
GANNON: I wouldn't say wealthy. I don't know that to be true or not. But...
BLITZER: Bobby Eberle.
GANNON: Bobby Eberle.
But it's common ownership. That's all. Talon News is a separate, independent news division. I work for Talon News. I write articles for Talon News. And that's it.
BLITZER: So what are you going to do now?
GANNON: Well, there's -- you know, God closes doors and opens windows. And I believe this is going to be a good opportunity for me, even though it's been painful. And I'm going -- I believe that there's a silver lining out there.
BLITZER: Do you have something already in the works?
GANNON: I've had some people call and make inquiries to see if I had any interest in certain positions.
BLITZER: Jeff Gannon, thanks very much.
GANNON: Thank you, Wolf.
BLITZER: The last remnants of Camelot. Caroline Kennedy puts some of her parents' personal items on the auction block. Our Mary Snow is standing by with details.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
"This matter is growing more serious by the day. We now know that 'Jeff Gannon' had access to classified CIA documents that contained the identity of undercover CIA operative Valerie Plame. This is more than an issue of media manipulation by the White House... this is now an issue of national security," said Rep. Slaughter. "What is the White House hiding? This man, Mr. Gannon, should never have been admitted into the White House briefing room in the first place. Someone let him in day after day. Someone gave him access to classified CIA documents. Someone must answer for this. It is critical that we uncover the exact nature of the relationship between Gannon and this White House," added Slaughter."
Jeff Gannon's alma mater: The Leadership Institute
The only journalism-related credential listed on former Talon News Washington bureau chief and White House correspondent Jeff Gannon's Talon News bio -- which was removed from Talon's website after Media Matters for America drew attention to Gannon and Talon News -- was The Leadership Institute Broadcast School of Journalism. While Talon News appears to be more of a Republican political advocacy group than a media outlet, The Leadership Institute Broadcast School of Journalism appears to be more of a training ground for Republican advocacy in the media than a school of journalism.
The Leadership Institute's president and founder, Morton C. Blackwell, told The Washington Post in 1992 that the Institute is "conservative, but not partisan." A review of the Institute's leadership and programming indicates otherwise.
The Institute
The Leadership Institute is classified a 501(c)(3) non-profit, non-partisan educational foundation (view its 2003 form 990 here). It works "to increase the number and effectiveness of conservative public policy leaders" by offering a number of seminars on journalism and public policy nationwide and at its F.M. Kirby National Training Center in Arlington, Virginia. The Institute claims to have graduated more than 40,000 students.
According to its website, The Leadership Institute Broadcast School of...
According to its website, The Leadership Institute Broadcast School of Journalism is "[a]n intense two-day seminar ... designed to give aspiring journalists the skills necessary to bring balance to the media and succeed in this highly competitive field." It costs $50, for which attendees receive "two days of instruction, meals on Saturday and Sunday and all course materials," as well as free housing "on a first-come, first-served basis."
The Leadership Institute's annual budget of $8 million has been financed by contributions from wealthy conservatives -- including major conservative financier Joseph Coors, a June 2001 New York Times article reported. Numerous conservative foundations, such as the Coors-funded Castle Rock Foundation, the F.M. Kirby Foundation, the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, and the Richard and Helen DeVos Foundation, have also provided funding to the Institute.[/[/color]QUOTE]
squinney
This is absolutely typical background for rightwing media, from funding sources (Coors, Scaife, Bradley, Lynde and a few others) to single-voice partisan dogma (propaganda) to laughable credentialing.
WASHINGTON DC - House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer released the following statement regarding revelations that a man who went by the name of "Jeff Gannon," and who was given White House media credentials despite his lack of qualifications, was given access to classified documents which disclosed the identity of Undercover CIA Operative Valerie Plame:
"Valid questions are being raised regarding the Bush White House's relationship with James Guckert, also known as "Jeff Gannon," and his access to documents that revealed the identity of Undercover CIA Operative Valerie Plame.
"This issue is important from an ethical as well as from a national security standpoint. It is hard to understand why a man with little real journalism experience was given a White House press corps credential let alone access to sensitive security documents. In fact, it only raises questions as to the nature of the relationship between "Jeff Gannon" and the White House, and whether there was an alliance of interests that did not conform to ethical and security standards. President Bush's father, President George H.W. Bush, called the disclosure of an undercover operative's identity treason.
"This most recent revelation is only the latest in the growing list of ways that Republicans in Washington are attempting to manipulate the American people through the media and avoid accountability. When the Bush Administration had trouble selling its domestic policies, it unethically paid journalists to promote its policies under the guise of journalism. When the Ethics Committee held Majority Leader Tom DeLay accountable for improper actions last year, the Republican leadership simply removed Chairman Joel Hefley (R-CO) and other Republicans from the Committee.
"I encourage the Special Counsel looking into the Plame matter to include "Jeff Gannon's" ties to the issue in his investigation."
