http://americablog.org/
Friday, February 18, 2005
BREAKING NEWS: Gannon reportedly knew about "Shock and Awe" four hours
before it happened
by John in DC
A news producer for a major network just told me that Gannon told the
producer the "shock and awe" campaign launching the Iraq war was about
to happen four hours before President Bush announced it to the nation.
According to the producer, Gannon specifically told them that in four
hours the president was going to be making a speech to the nation
announcing the "shock and awe" campaign had begun.
The producer told me they were surprised that Gannon, working with
such a small news outfit, could have access to such information, but
"what did you know, he was right," the producer said today.
The producer went on to say that Gannon often had correct scoops on
major stories, including information about Mary Mapes and the Dan
Rather BUSH/AWOL scandal that this news outlet got from Gannon before
any had the information publicly.
This more than a few questions and points:
1.
Assuming this news producer is telling the truth, and I have no reason
to believe they are not, how did Gannon get access to such highly
classified information as to when the Iraq war going to begin?
2.
Even if Gannon were part of a press gaggle that was told embargoed
information about the upcoming war by the White House, this producer
alleges that Gannon would have broken the embargo, which is a security
risk to the operation, and more generally shows that concerns about
Gannon's White House access posing a risk to national security are now
warranted.
3.
How would someone on a day pass, who hadn't gotten the requisite 3-4
month FBI background check that other full-time White House employees
get, get access to such highly classified information?
Certainly the White House didn't include someone with simply a day
pass in the highly-classified pre-briefing about when the war was
happening (assuming such a briefing even occurred)?
If the White House did a briefing and Gannon were included, this would
mean ANYONE could walk in off the street, say they're a reporter, and
provided by they don't have a criminal record, the White House will
simply tell them at what hour we're launching a major war?
And if there was no briefing for reporters, then how did Gannon
allegedly find out?
4.
Even if the White House had simply told the press pool that Bush was
speaking to the nation in a few hours, and the press had figured out
that this mean the war was being launched, was the information about
the upcoming speech embargoed?
Was the information about the upcoming speech also announced to the
public four hours before?
Or did Gannon get access to inside information concerning the launch
of the war simply because of his presence in the White House - a
presence that should have required an FBI background check considering
how often he was there?
5.
How would Gannon get inside information on the Dan Rather scandal
BEFORE the rest of the major media?
Assuming the producer is correct, did it come from a White House
source, and if so, what does this say about possible White House
involvement in creating this scandal in the first place?
According to my source, Gannon's insider tidbits were always on the
mark. "Gannon's stuff was always golden," the producer says.
My source says they kept asking themself, "how does this small news
outfit get this info?"
How indeed.
__________________________________________________________
Lots and lots of unanswered questions.
Harry
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