The Washington Post’s current stories detailing destruction of White House property by outgoing Clinton staffers confirms the detailed, exclusive reporting done by WorldNetDaily.com last January.
When vandalism reports surfaced upon George W. Bush’s move into the White House, initial official outrage was quickly doused by the newly inaugurated president’s stated desire to “change the tone in Washington.”
However, Rep. Bob Barr, R-Ga., a leader in the move to impeach Clinton, asked the General Accounting Office to check into the matter. In an April 27 letter, the GAO told Barr that there was “no record of damage that may have been deliberately caused by the Clinton administration.” That is, the White House had not maintained a written accounting of any damage.
The matter seemed dead and buried.
However, apparently unable to leave well enough alone, Democrats like Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., seized upon the GAO report as vindication of Clinton and evidence that the Bush people had been fabricating their initial vandalism reports – and even demanded an apology from Bush.
Pushed against the wall, the Bush White House responded by doing what it refrained from doing last January – and issued late last week an extensive list of damage done by outgoing Clinton staffers. The list includes obscene graffiti in six offices, a 20-inch-wide presidential seal ripped off a wall, 10 sliced telephone lines and 100 inoperable computer keyboards, according to the Washington Post.
Jake Siewert, Clinton’s last presidential press secretary, called the White House’s actions “incredibly infuriating,” reports the Post.
‘We tried to be gracious’
“Most of the incidents described yesterday by White House press secretary Ari Fleischer,” said the Post, “were said to have occurred in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, adjacent to the White House. Pornographic or obscene greetings were left on 15 telephone lines in the offices of the vice president and White House counsel and in the scheduling and advance offices, Fleischer said. As a precaution, all phones were disabled and reprogrammed, he said.”
“The details were provided to The Washington Post after several days of inquiries about the degree of White House cooperation with the GAO, the investigative arm of Congress,” reported the Post.
White House officials added that they did not release the information sooner because of Bush’s desire to “move forward and not live in the past,” said the Post.
But in the face of accusations the White House fabricated the tales of vandalism, Fleischer says the Bush team was forced to respond.
“The White House will defend itself and the career employees,” Fleischer said, according to the Post account. “We tried to be gracious, but the last administration would not take graciousness. By getting the information out, we hope to put an end to this, so everyone can go on with the policy and business of the government.”
Sunday’s Washington Post story confirms — five months later — WND’s earlier investigative reporting, based on knowledgeable sources such as career White House computer technicians, on exactly what was damaged in the White House by departing Clinton staffers.
Here are a few comparisons:
Post (June 3, 2001): “Fleischer said that workers were able to affix new ‘W’ caps to many computers but that 100 keyboards had to be replaced.”
WND (Jan. 26, 2001): “Based on a preliminary survey, an estimated 50 to 60 computer keyboards were actually destroyed, and not just temporarily disabled as originally believed, after outgoing aides removed the plastic key with the letter ‘W’ — President Bush’s new famous middle initial.
“‘We’ll actually have to replace the whole keyboards, because they also gouged out the contacts underneath (the plastic keys),’ said a White House computer technician in an exclusive interview with WorldNetDaily.”
Post: “Fleischer also said five brass nameplates bearing the presidential seal were missing in the Eisenhower building [the Old Executive Office Building].”
WND: “Outgoing staffers pried several official U.S. emblems, about the size of 50-cent coins, from doors in the Old Executive Office Building, according to a General Services Administration worker involved in the maintenance of White House offices.”
Post: “White House officials yesterday released a list of damage … including … 10 sliced telephone lines … .”
WND: “Former White House aides also cut telephone lines throughout the White House compound.
“‘There was a lot of them (severed lines) — all over, including the West Wing,’ said another White House employee who surveyed the phone damage.”
Post: “Most of the incidents described yesterday by White House press secretary Ari Fleischer were said to have occurred in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building [also called the Old Executive Office Building, where former Vice President Al Gore and his staff officed].”
WND: “Career workers found most of the vandalism in the vice president’s offices in the Old Executive Office Building, adjacent to the White House.
“‘What we’re seeing is that there are certain offices that did this stuff,’ the computer worker added. ‘A lot of it is in the vice president’s office on the second floor of the OEOB.’
“‘The vice president’s people weren’t very happy,’ he offered.”
Commenting on WND’s scooping the Post by more than four months, WorldNetDaily.com Editor Joseph Farah asked: “Does this mean WorldNetDaily has better sources in the White House than the Washington Post?”
Farah added: “At any rate, this is just one more example of WorldNetDaily getting it first and getting it right. If readers want to get the real scoop about what’s going on in Washington, WND should be their first stop.”
Read Paul Sperry’s Jan. 26 report, “60 White House PCs Sabotaged.”
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WND Staff