Second Thoughts on October Surprise

[marmar]

from Consortium News:


Second Thoughts on October Surprise
June 8, 2013

Special Report: New evidence has shaken the confidence of former Rep. Lee Hamilton in his two-decade-old judgment clearing Ronald Reagan’s 1980 campaign of going behind President Carter’s back to frustrate his efforts to free 52 U.S. hostages in Iran, the so-called October Surprise case, Robert Parry reports.

By Robert Parry


Former Rep. Lee Hamilton, who oversaw two congressional investigations into Ronald Reagan’s secret dealings with Iran, says a key piece of evidence was withheld that could have altered his conclusion clearing Reagan’s 1980 campaign of allegations that it sabotaged President Jimmy Carter’s hostage negotiations with Iran.

In a phone interview on Thursday, the Indiana Democrat responded to a document that I had e-mailed him revealing that in 1991 a deputy White House counsel working for then-President George H.W. Bush was notified by the State Department that Reagan’s campaign director William Casey had taken a trip to Madrid in relation to the so-called October Surprise issue.

Casey’s alleged trip to Madrid in 1980 was at the center of Hamilton’s investigation in 1991-92 into whether Reagan’s campaign went behind Carter’s back to frustrate his attempts to free 52 American hostages before the 1980 election, popularly known as the “October Surprise.” Hamilton’s task force dismissed the allegations after concluding that Casey had not traveled to Madrid.

“We found no evidence to confirm Casey’s trip to Madrid,” Hamilton told me. “We couldn’t show that. … 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.” ......................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://consortiumnews.com/2013/06/08/second-thoughts-on-october-surprise/

[JHB]

1. Oopsie!

Gee, who would have thought that the same people who stonewalled Iran-Contra investigations with all their might would have withheld information on this subject too? No one could have imagined!

Well, it wasn't really that important, was it? We wouldn't have wanted to ruin the bipartisanship in congress by asking for reauthorization so that Bush & company couldn't just run out the clock, right?

Thanks a bunch, Lee.

[Freddie]

2. Of course this happened

St. Ronnie was wearing his Teflon armor even before the election. A lesson we must keep in mind 24/7--they will stop at *nothing* to get or stay in power. The never-ending "scandals" of late are just one more example.
Getting in power the honest way, by having a message and candidate with enough appeal to win a national election? I think they know that's not going to happen next time either.

[xchrom]

3. SURPRISE! nt

[byeya]

4. Yesterday we were conspiracy theorists, now it turns out we were correct. Lee Hamilton was

known at the time to be a right wing Democrat who wasn't doing his job. I guess his conscience got to bothering him.

Casey is to blame for a lot of vile stuff that began with him and continues to this day.

[Hissyspit]

5. Not much of a "conspiracy theory." I was 17 years old when it happened

and I thought the timing stunk to high heaven, massively suspicious.