White House staff ejected Denver Three

March 20, 2006

A year ago, asked why three law-abiding ticket holders were forcibly removed from a presidential event because of their bumper sticker, White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan said a “volunteer” was responsible. A few weeks later, after McClellan had a chance to glean more information about the incident, he added, “Now, in terms of this issue, my understanding is a volunteer was concerned that these three individuals were coming to the event solely for the purpose of disrupting it.”

McClellan wasn’t telling the truth.

A White House staff member was responsible for asking three people to leave President Bush’s town-hall meeting in Denver a year ago, a U.S. Secret Service agent said during an internal investigation of the event.

The Secret Service was investigating the complaints of the three people, who said they were ousted from the Bush event last March because their car’s bumper sticker criticized his foreign policy.

According to a Secret Service report obtained by the Denver Post under a Freedom of Information Act request, the agents present said it was “staff” who asked the individuals to leave, not them. When the trio – Leslie Weise, Alex Young and Karen Bauer – asked the agents why they had to leave, the agents said they had no control over the situation.

A Secret Service agent told them “there was nothing they could do because the event was hosted by the staff and was a private event.”

What an interesting development. In fact, it raises a series of new questions about the controversy.

* Why was a member of the White House staff removing “potential protesters” who hadn’t done anything wrong?

* Why did the staffer pretend to be a Secret Service agent? Was he punished for doing so?

* Who gave this guy directions about his official responsibilities that day?

* Does the White House have a formal policy that directs the president’s aides to evict law-abiding ticket-holders from public events? If so, who wrote it? Will the policy be open to public review? Is viewpoint discrimination part of the policy or is this something White House staffers do on the fly?

* How does the White House decide who’s a “potential protester”? (In other words, why has the Bush White House lowered the bar so far that you don’t even need to disrupt an event to get thrown out; WH staffers merely have to believe you might cause trouble.) How, exactly, are event staff supposed to ascertain who might be disruptive and who might not?

* Why does the Secret Service consider a public forum, on public property, discussing a public issue, featuring public officials, to be a “private event”?

The Denver Three’s lawsuit is still underway. I can’t wait to see what else we learn about Bush’s “Bubble Boy” policies.

“WH staffers merely have to believe you might cause trouble.”

Doesn’t that describe their decision to invade Iraq?

Why expect them to apply a different rule in the Middle East than here in America? Certainly not a respect for the Constitution.

  • “McClellan wasn’t telling the truth.”

    This is “news?” It’s obvious that, with things like this going on, BushCo is well on its way to establishing a “New American Aristocracy.” These clowns are little better than that Marie character, telling French folks some 200-plus-years ago to “eat cake.” I’d really like to see what would happen if, just for one day…maybe two or three…the MSM got together and boycotted Scott’s wild-n-wooly spin. Imagine it: Nobody shows up for the daily dose of dung. Nobody prints the poop in the papers. Nobody broadcasts the bovine excrement on the evening news, or the radio stations. Maybe even Jay Leno and David Letterman could tag-team the scurrilous bums by altering their monologues to say: “Nothing of truth, importance, or logical meaning was said at today’s White House Press Briefing.”

    It’s time to stop just fending off the hammer-blows—and start swinging the hammer—HARD….

  • it raises a series of new questions about the controversy.

    Scott, when did you learn that it was a White House staff member, not a volunteer?

  • I’d really like to see what would happen if, just for one day…maybe two or three…the MSM got together and boycotted Scott’s wild-n-wooly spin. Imagine it: Nobody shows up for the daily dose of dung. Nobody prints the poop in the papers.

    Instead of boycotting the spin sessions, I think it would be much better if they attended and then wrote what really happened:

    “at today’s white house news briefing, President Bush’s spokesperson continued to evade questions and mischaracterize objective reality. For instance, McClellan stated that President Bush would fire anyone from his staff found to be involved with the outing of Valerie Plame. Even though we now know several key players to be invovled, includeing Karl Rove, no one has been fired. When asked about this McClellan avoided answering the quesiton delivering yet more platitudes about “leadership” and “war time”.

    You know, some real reporting.

    As for the Denver Three update–Thank you Mr. Carpetbagger! I’d wondered if there was anything moving on that front.

  • It the event was “public,” the rejection of an individual based on the content of his/her speech (or opinions) would offend the 1st amendment. If the event was private, who paid for it? If I recall, this was one of the President’s Social Security tour events that were paid for by public funds to, ostensibly, educate the public on an “important” policy area. If they were screening people preemptively, as suggested, then the use of public funds for this purpose is likely unconstitutional.

  • I think it would be much better if they attended and then wrote what really happened:

    The perspiring pudgy manipulative schmuck behind the podium repeatedly stated that he had already answered the question when in fact he had not.

  • This is America, dammit!!

    As long as you sign a loyalty oath and proclaim your love for Bush, then you can attend a public event.

    Sheesh, was it so hard to figure out, people?

  • 2Manchu—given that, shouldn’t America be spelled with a “k” instead of a “c?”

  • Why did the staffer pretend to be a Secret Service agent? Was he punished for doing so?

    I’m guessing the “Wash he punished?” question is rhetorical. No one with the Bush Administration who gets caught at political wrongdoing gets punished. They get promoted, or at the very least a “heckuva job!”

  • Steve,
    Actually, “The Holy Republic of Jesusland” will be our nation’s new name.

  • “Actually, “The Holy Republic of Jesusland” will be our nation’s new name.” – 2Manchu

    Nah! Too Morman if you ask me.

    A name. Damnit I want the name of this motherless swine who pretends to be Secret Service and throws people with tickets out of events.

  • The staffers were just following the Bush policy of preemptive strikes in the face of a percieved threat.

  • Edo,

    I think the idea of “boycotting the spin” might have its merits. Simply reporting something other than what was said by Scottie can be twisted against the media too easily; the White House having tapes to promote the validity of “liberal media bias” and all that stuff-n-nonsense. Given that the administration is running full-bore on its incredibly-inflated ego–somewhat like a runaway balloon in a Macy’s parade—a boycotting of their spin would be quite similar to an old-fashioned Amish “shunning.” Take away their lime-light; deny them their place in the center of the Universe; make them politically “irrelevant” in the eyes of an ever-expanding audience.

    As I see this thing that BushCo is trying to play out, it’s a hybrid form of “Tricky Dick” Nixon’s Rose-Garden campaign of ’72. He whomped the daylights out of McGovern, simply by not coming out to fight. That’s pretty much what it looks like these guys are trying to do today. Depressed poll-numbers can swing around right quick—all it takes is one or two well-bloodied noses on the Dem side of things, and another “terrorist event” or two to turn everything completely around….

    Oh, and 2Manchu—maybe “Die Heilige Republiche von Jesuslanden?” Sorry—high school German was long ago, in a galaxy far, far away (with due credit given to those Star Wars people, to prevent a “copyright assault….”)

  • Instead of characterizing this issue in terms of Bush’s “bubble,” I think we should start talking about Bush’s cowardice. Mr. Top Gun Hero is such a coward, he can’t even face those who would verbally oppose him. His need to be protected from those who disagree with him is evidence of cowardice.

  • “Ein Volk, Ein Reich, Ein Shrub”

    Oh, how true…how very true….

    My wife mentioned a “clue” about Bush’s lack of intelligence last night. She commented that the fundies, being very “literal” in their Biblical interpretations, might eventually realize that God only talks through “a BURNING bush.” I wonder if we’ll start seeing “Kid George” burned in effigy on a more regular basis.

    *Political disclaimer: In compliance with animal-rights laws, no Dubyas were actually harmed in this scenario*

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